- More
'I was happy being a farrier and part-time trainer - but the horses kept coming'
David Jennings meets the trainer fresh from his Stayers' Hurdle success
We are penning the latest couple of chapters to the Flooring Porter fairytale at the kitchen table of his Balrath home in County Meath when Gavin Cromwell ponders the part luck has played in the story.
"You make your own luck in life, but there is such a thing as actual luck," he says in that languid style of his.
And, yes, it is tempting to wonder – in a parallel universe where there was no such thing as Jer's Girl – what Cromwell might have been up to on Thursday night last week; probably not crowd-surfing across the lobby of the Holiday Inn in the heart of Cheltenham town with a boisterous syndicate beneath him, that's for sure. More about those beneath him in a moment.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inInterviews
Last updated
Copy- It's been a quarter of a century since we started - here's how we've seen the sport we love change
- 'You can see why people end up struggling - when you're trying to pay the electric bill, losing one ride can be massive'
- 'I've never paid six figures for a horse and never will - I learned pretty quickly you're only one phone call away from f*** all'
- 'I’ve trained some fabulous horses, worked with some excellent riders - maybe I have brought a little bit of talent to the table as well'
- ‘When you’re in the moment and you’re starved, you’re ready to explode - everything built up and I just lost my s**t’
- It's been a quarter of a century since we started - here's how we've seen the sport we love change
- 'You can see why people end up struggling - when you're trying to pay the electric bill, losing one ride can be massive'
- 'I've never paid six figures for a horse and never will - I learned pretty quickly you're only one phone call away from f*** all'
- 'I’ve trained some fabulous horses, worked with some excellent riders - maybe I have brought a little bit of talent to the table as well'
- ‘When you’re in the moment and you’re starved, you’re ready to explode - everything built up and I just lost my s**t’