'Some pubs in Lambourn thought they didn't need the racing trade. Huge error. They will not survive'
The first in a week-long series looking at five of the main training centres in Britain and Ireland
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The history of jump racing is part of every brick and every acre of turf that has ever seen a plough in Lambourn. This is where Fred Winter (Pendil, Bula, Lanzarote) trained on one side of a wall while on the other was Fulke Walwyn (Mill House, Mandarin, The Dikler). It's where Jenny Pitman achieved fame and Nicky Henderson became a dominant force.
But according to the current collection of trainers – there are dozens, a precise count depending on where you reckon the village's outer edge to be – you can train any kind of racehorse in Lambourn. They're right, of course. Archie Watson and Clive Cox put a cutting edge on their speedsters here. Battaash lived just the other side of a hill from Many Clouds.
It's also a great place for champion jockeys. This is where Lester Piggott grew up and where he returned to mow his parents' lawn after riding his first Derby winner as a teenager.
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Published on inRacing Heartlands
Last updated
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