William Jarvis: 'I'd have liked to go on - but 38 years is no mean achievement'
Peter Thomas meets a trainer bringing down the curtain on a wonderful career and a Newmarket dynasty


William Jarvis is only half joking when he sums up his career in racing with a little rudimentary mathematics. "I'd say 98 per cent of the time I've loved it and the other two per cent I've forgotten," he calculates, taking stock of a 38-year stint as a trainer that has now drawn to a close.
He's enjoyed the highs, learned that the lows have to be navigated and endured, and that way the ledger of satisfaction has a good chance of ending up in the black.
The only problem is this: what becomes of a turf 'lifer' when the licence isn't renewed and the unceasing daily routine of early starts, long days and difficult horses finally does cease, leaving a yawning void to be filled by who knows what?
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 6 November 2023inInterviews
Last updated 18:00, 6 November 2023
- Aidan Coleman: 'I didn't want to be a slave to the game, I had no interest in it - but I felt I had to do it'
- Fur coats, Bentleys and bus passes: meet the flamboyant former king of the betting jungle
- Paul Gilligan: 'You're pushing for a good horse the whole time - and when we got one, the syndicate decided I wasn't good enough'
- Meet the champion trainer who only took on jumpers to make ends meet - and now has a Cheltenham Festival favourite
- Richard Newland: 'Jump racing is struggling and a lot of smaller trainers will go out of business - but the Flat is very different'
- Aidan Coleman: 'I didn't want to be a slave to the game, I had no interest in it - but I felt I had to do it'
- Fur coats, Bentleys and bus passes: meet the flamboyant former king of the betting jungle
- Paul Gilligan: 'You're pushing for a good horse the whole time - and when we got one, the syndicate decided I wasn't good enough'
- Meet the champion trainer who only took on jumpers to make ends meet - and now has a Cheltenham Festival favourite
- Richard Newland: 'Jump racing is struggling and a lot of smaller trainers will go out of business - but the Flat is very different'