Henrietta Knight retains Cheltenham Festival goal - and just wants a big-spending owner to help her get there

Henrietta Knight has said she has “no intention of giving up” and just longs to find a big-spending owner who could help her return to the top level of the sport.

Knight was speaking to the Racing Post for a major interview in Sunday’s newspaper in which she opens up about the grief of losing treasured loved ones and looks forward to what she hopes remains a bright future with her trusted assistant Brendan Powell.

The legendary trainer of three-time Gold Cup winner Best Mate has sent out nine winners since returning to training in January 2024 after a sabbatical of nearly nine years and admits she has found it “bloody hard work”.

"Racing has changed so much,” she said. “Most of the big yards now have more horses than ever before and that has made racing so much more competitive because you have at least one of those big trainers in just about every race.

"If I've ever thought coming back might have been a mistake, it's because of all the money I'm spending. Everything is so expensive and we're only just about surviving financially. Good riders are hard to get as well.

Henrietta Knight with her assistant Brendan PowellCredit: Edward Whitaker

"I'm lucky to have patient owners but I don't have people who can afford to pay £200,000 or £300,000 for a horse. I've had to revert to what I always used to do, which is starting from scratch with horses who have never run before. I firmly believe you can turn a nice young horse into a super nice young horse by training it the right way.”

Despite the difficulties, Knight has no intention of packing up again – and nothing has changed regarding her desire to train a winner again on jump racing's biggest stage at the Cheltenham Festival.

"It still is my ambition, very much so," she insists. "It's a dream but I don't think it's a futile dream. I would also love to be able to go back to the Costellos [the famous Irish bloodstock family responsible for selling Best Mate to Knight] and be in a position to buy a couple of the really pricey horses. At the moment my funds are limited and I long to find someone who will put their trust in me and let me buy them a decent horse, just like all the up-and-coming young trainers can do. 

"I'm sure a lot of people think there's no point having a horse with Hen because they assume she won't be going on for much longer. Little do they realise Brendan and I intend to go on for a long time. I'm excited about our young horses and just hope things go right with them. I've no intention of giving up."

Read more from Henrietta Knight in The Big Read, available in Sunday's newspaper or online for Racing Post+ Ultimate subscribers from 6pm on Saturday.

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