'Things like that don't happen to people like me' - 2022 Stable Staff Awards winner's astonishing rise

Working at a trampoline park might seem a dream job for some, but Elouise O'Hart did not necessarily see it that way.

It might, however, have stood her in good stead 12 months ago when she was jumping for joy after bagging a prize at the Godolphin Stud & Stable Staff Awards, rebranded this year as the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards.

"I was doing my A-levels but ended up going full-time at my job at a trampoline park," she says, on the anniversary of her success as the industry looks forward to Monday's awards ceremony at York racecourse. "It was nothing to do with horses and I needed a job, but I was desperate to leave."

The opportunity to do so came one night when the Essex native was scrolling through her Facebook feed and the social media's algorithm threw up a link to an interview with a graduate from the British Racing School in Newmarket.

Now assistant head girl to Ed Walker, O'Hart, the winner of the David Nicholson Newcomer Award last year, did not grow up with horses of her own but learned to ride in her youth, when thoughts of a career in the equine industry were already in the conception stage.

"I always liked horses as a child and that's why my mum got me riding lessons, but I wouldn't watch racing as a kid," she adds. "I'd only watch the Grand National, but my dad loved it. Dad liked watching it and betting on it and I think all my life I've thought about working with horses, but I wouldn't have thought about a career in racing as you don't really see what goes on behind the scenes; you just think it's the jockey.

"I didn't realise until I saw that advert on Facebook when I was 17. It was almost like a signal in my head and I thought it was the best way forward from the trampoline park."

Racing School interview aced and fitness test passed, O'Hart was soon to be on a new path.

She continues: "My course was a nine-week one. I think everyone goes to the Racing School wanting to be a jockey because I think people think that's the only job there is. Unless you're from a racing background, you don't know about the other roles. I wanted to be a jockey, but by the time I finished the course and had seen what other roles there were, it didn't sound like what I wanted.

"I love riding, but also love being on the ground and seeing the horses at home and monitoring their progress."

The chance to do that on a formal, professional basis came in February 2020 at Walker's Lambourn yard, a forward-thinking, ambitious operation on the up, but one – like the rest of the world – soon stalled by the coronavirus pandemic.

"At the Racing School you get asked for a placement zone and I said Lambourn, but then we had Covid," she recalls, remembering a period most people are keen to forget.

Lambourn gallops are O'Hart's officeCredit: Edward Whitaker

"In my accommodation, which is on site, I had flatmates who were friends and we were working, so it didn't really affect us apart from when we weren't working and couldn't socialise. That said, I was a bit rocky that first year, enjoying it sometimes and not at other times, so maybe Covid did have more of an effect on settling in than I realised."

That settling-in period may have gone better than O'Hart reckons as she was soon promoted to a position that might not seem the most glamorous across the racing spectrum but is arguably one of its most important.

Head staff and their on-the-ground lieutenants are the engine rooms at yards; they are often the first people in action in the mornings and the last to leave at night, bolting shut the stable doors to go through the same processes – often in unpleasant weather – all over again the following day. Think of how Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls have leaned on Corky Browne and Clifford Baker during their illustrious, success-packed careers and you get an idea of their influence. 

"When I got the assistant head girl role was when I felt like I'd settled in properly," says the modest O'Hart. "I was young, 19, so I was overwhelmed to get the job, but in a happy way. 

"We start at 5am and feed and check the horses – legs and temperatures – and then ride out. Then lunch and back in the afternoon to feed and do medical stuff.

"I loved the extra responsibility; it didn't take me long to realise that, and it was the learning part of it I enjoyed. It was so fresh. When you leave school you don't go through that stage of learning something new, so it was like going back to school but not in a boring, classroom way."

Walker's assistant Jack Steels, who made the shortlist for the leadership category at last year's awards, is viewed as a mentor to the 21-year-old, who was at home with all things horsey but initially a stranger to some of the finer points of the sport.

"God yeah," she replies when asked if becoming familiar with racing's nuances and terminology was a challenge. 

"I struggled with basic things like the distances they run over and racecourses, and the ins and outs of it, but once you're in the job and it's all people talk about, you kind of cop on and Jack has been great – he's the best.

"I've learned from others but pretty much everything from him. He's always there if I've got a question and his knowledge is incredible. Along with that, he's great with younger staff because of the way he explains things, while he's a brilliant horseman too."

Being the eyes and ears of Walker's Kingsdown base, which the trainer leases from Stradivarius's owner Bjorn Nielsen, means opportunities for O'Hart to go racing are limited, so making the most of days out is essential.

Random Harvest (maroon silks) is the apple of O'Hart's eyeCredit: Edward Whitaker

Through Random Harvest, a beautifully bred mare of Lady Bamford's, O'Hart has been able to do just that. Khinjani, a three-year-old filly by Sir Percy, is also namechecked when it comes to favourite horses, but mention of Random Harvest is met with inescapable enthusiasm. 

Her 2022 began with a tame seventh in a Class 4 Newbury handicap but ended with the sweetest of Group 3 strikes in Italy. 

"The head staff are allowed to pick one horse to go racing with and mine is her," O'Hart explains with pride.

"I ride her every day and I cried so much when she won in Italy. That win was my best moment in racing, but I didn't get to watch it. I had to put her in the stalls at the start and we were in the minibus driving back down to the finish and one of the Italian grooms, who couldn't speak much English, said, 'You win, you win'. 

"I didn't know he was talking to me but soon started crying when I realised and then I went to collect her. I've watched the replays loads of times and she bolted up; I was so proud of her.

"I've got a bond with her and Khinjani because I ride them every day, so I suppose I have to like them, but they're quirky fillies with personalities. Not everyone gets on with every horse, and I think you find a horse you click with and it's a good, enjoyable challenge to get the best out of them.

"You don't need the spotlight of going racing every day to be recognised; the horses doing their job makes you proud enough."

That attitude convinced Steels his protege merited a nomination for the awards.

Ed Walker: O'Hart's bossCredit: Edward Whitaker

"Jack didn't tell me he was going to do it but he called me to the office one evening and said, 'By the way, I've put you forward for this'.

"I had no idea about the awards, but he explained it and I was in tears. The shortlist for the top ten came out soon after and I was happy to get nominated, let alone make the top ten. It meant a lot because it shows your hard work gets noticed and to be shortlisted was amazing.

"I was overwhelmed to make the final and didn't really have any expectations; I'd never been noticed like that before and things like that don't happen to people like me, but this did.

"Because Jack was up for an award too and they were staged remotely, we went to the Queens pub in East Garston, which isn't far from Lambourn. We had a black-tie meal with the call on a big projector, so we kind of had a ceremony for ourselves.

"It was pretty cool, although I guess there was some pressure on Jack and me – someone had to win to make it worth it!

"It gave the yard a lift but, not only that, it seemed everyone in Lambourn was buzzing. I'd be riding out and someone would shout, 'Newcomer, newcomer'. Lambourn's got a great community so I think people felt it was for the village as well."

Along with an educational trip to Dubai this year, O'Hart pocketed £2,500 as part of her prize, although she has – in her words – been boring and put it into a savings account.

"I want to go abroad, 100 per cent, America or Australia would be the dream," she responds when ambitions are suggested. "Long term I just want to progress up the ladder and see how high I can get. 

"I wouldn't mind doing some presenting, like Francesca Cumani, as that looks such a cool job. I've got to find the right path for something like that, but I want to take full advantage of my riding days while I've got them.

"I'm ambitious, but I have trouble with my self-confidence. I feel like I can do better, but being nominated by Jack showed I was doing well and to win it set in stone I was."

Asked how five years ago she would have viewed her life now, she says: "I'd probably be very happy but also very shocked. At 16, I'd have been so young, so moving away would have seemed huge, but it's the best thing I've ever done. I feel like I'm a completely different person to how I would have been at home. I'm focused, have a good network of friends and I'm independent. 

"Everyone wants to be near their family, but I feel you can grow by yourself. I like learning and have done that – cooking and cleaning, which everyone has to do – by moving away from home. It's been great."

O'Hart has come a long way from that trampoline park, but you sense her journey in the sport is far from over.

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