'Training good horses for the Champion Hurdle and the Arkle is a joy'

This stable tour was originally printed in the Racing Post Weekender on Wednesday, February 12. Buy the Weekender every Wednesday for stable tours from the biggest names right up to Cheltenham.

It's almost a given that Evan Williams will send out at least a half-century of winners every season. In fact, you have to go back 15 years to find the last campaign when he didn’t reach that figure.

The difference now is that the Llancarfan team numbers some serious performers including Esprit Du Large and Silver Streak, who have major Cheltenham Festival targets and serious each-way aspirations.

“The reality is we have some really nice horses now. But it doesn’t matter how good a trainer or jockey you are, if you don’t get sent these nice types there is nothing you can do. I have been very fortunate to have many superb owners including the Ruckers who have put a lot into the game and deserve their success.

“A trainer can’t do anything without good owners. They are the bedrock of the sport and I don’t think they get the support they deserve – racing must not keep taking them all for granted.”

The added pressure of training Cheltenham fancies does not appear to faze Williams who said: “Pressure is when you have a horse that has broken down twice and you have all had your brains on it in a selling hurdle. Training good horses for the Champion Hurdle and Arkle is a joy.

“I will tell you one thing this game puts some manners on you. As soon as you think you have got it beat it will jump up and bite you. It is not the hardest thing in the world, we are not reinventing the wheel.”

However, he does admit to feeling pressure on occasion. “When my daughter Isabel rides it frightens me to death. It is wonderful when it all goes right but the enjoyment is tempered by nerves.”

With plenty to look forward to, Williams is excited about the coming weeks as his team go forward in red-hot form with nine of his last 30 runners winning.

Annsam
5 b g Black Sam Bellamy – Bathwick Annie
He is a lovely progressive young horse who seems to be going the right way. He has had four runs this term since winning his maiden hurdle at Wincanton in May, all in handicap hurdles, and he has done really well winning the last two at Taunton and Catterick. He has risen from a mark of 113 to 127 for those two wins but he can still be competitive off his new mark. He is a fine, big individual, and although we will keep him to hurdles for the time being he will make a proper chaser in time.

Ballinsker
5 b g Court Cave – Brownie Points
He won a point-to-point ten months ago at Oldcastle in Ireland quite impressively and we were delighted he joined us. On his first outing he won by six lengths at Ludlow. We then took the decision to up him in class last time at Haydock but he found it tough, although he still finished a decent fourth behind Thebannerkingrebel. Fingers crossed he can keep going the right way.

Bold Plan
6 b g Jeremy – Kings Orchid
I was delighted by his win over 2m3f at Haydock in November but unfortunately it meant a 10lb hike in the handicap up to a mark of 140 which seemed a lot for what he had achieved. He then fell at Ascot and, last time out at Sandown, he was very lacklustre, mainly I suspect due to the heavy ground which was pretty deep – I would think the extra 10lb on his mark played a big part as well. We will wait and see how he comes out of that race before making other plans but better ground would certainly help his cause.

Caswell Bay
5 b g Fame And Glory – Lauderdale
He is a nice young horse who appears to be learning his trade nicely. He won at Newton Abbot in the summer and ran a cracker last time out when coming home clear at Chepstow last month. People were eulogising about his run but personally I would question the race a bit as the ground was very deep and you do get exaggerated winning margins. He was beaten in a better grade at Cheltenham the time before so I wouldn’t take it at face value. He was much better than his rivals but he loves it there and handled the ground the best. I’m not knocking him but I wouldn’t get carried away either.

Clyne
10 b g Hernando – Lauderdale
This fellow is a six-time winner and rarely runs a bad race. He is as tough and genuine as they come and always runs his heart out. We are going to go for either the Pertemps qualifier or Rendlesham at Haydock next. The handicapper certainly knows about him but he can keep picking up decent prize-money.

Coconut Splash
5 ch g Stowaway – Presenting Chaos
Another lovely young horse that has done nothing but improve quietly. He has had three runs this term culminating with a good win at Wetherby last time. I would like to think we can get another run under his belt this season but he doesn’t want the ground too deep, just nice winter going. He will be a nice prospect for novice chases next season.

Dans Le Vent
7 b g Skins Game – Boreade
He joined us from Jamie Snowden in the autumn and has had just the two runs. He has been a funny little horse really but after a good second to Valdez at Hereford in November we haven’t been able to get him out since. He needs better ground and when we get proper spring going he will be campaigned at the smaller tracks like Hereford, Taunton and Ludlow, where I would expect him to be competitive.

Esprit Du Large
6 b g No Risk At All – Tuffslolyloly
We all strive to train the better horses and this fellow is a real star in the making. He did well as a novice hurdler but we always knew that he would be a different proposition when jumping a fence and he has quickly started to fulfil that prophecy. After a good second at Carlisle he won well at Exeter over 2m3f, but I felt dropping him to 2m around Sandown for the Grade 1 Henry VIII Novices’ Chase would be ideal. He jumped and travelled beautifully around the Esher track and came home clear of Nube Negra to win. In fairness, he had improved markedly from Exeter to Sandown so we expected a big run, and he has continued that progress since then. We decided after that to wait for Cheltenham and he goes next for the Arkle on the opening day. We haven’t done a whole lot with him since then but he looks in grand order at home. Like so many top-class horses, he is not a flashy type but he has a good way about him. Those Grade 1 horses are very hard to come by so we are all enjoying having him in our stable, and it is great for his owners, Mr and Mrs Rucker, who have been fantastic supporters of the yard and really deserve success at the top level. As for the Cheltenham Festival, the Arkle looks a hot contest as it always is, but my fellow won’t be far away.

Esprit Du Large goes straight to Cheltenham for the ArkleCredit: Mark Cranham

Fado Des Brosses
5 b g Balko – Nanou Des Brosses
He is a big raw horse that has had a couple of runs and just needed to quietly work things out. You could say that the hurdles had been a bit of an inconvenience to him as he is a strong boy, but he is learning. I was delighted with his recent Chepstow win over 2m4f on heavy ground when beating the odds-on favourite Getaway Fred. The form has been franked and there is some real substance to it. I don’t think we will get carried away this season and will look for another hurdles race with a penalty. The only thing I would say is that the ground will be a huge factor in what we do. If I am happy with him in the early spring and we see the right race he will go again, but I am so keen to keep him in one piece for next season when we can really look forward to seeing him blossom.

King’s Odyssey
11 b g King’s Theatre – Ma Furie
Unfortunately age is catching up with him, like it is us all. But he showed in November at Warwick that he still has that desire to win with a battling success over 3m off a mark of 139. He has been such a grand servant that we will take a view in the spring whether we carry on next year or if he should change direction to possibly go hunter chasing or possibly point-to-pointing. I would hate to see him struggle at his age, and being only 6lb below his career-high mark doesn’t make life easy.

Mack The Man
6 b g Flemensfirth – Nifty Nuala
Last season he remained a maiden over hurdles but ran some nice races and the penny was gradually beginning to drop with each race. He had a very good break over the summer and came out to make a winning return at Warwick off a mark of 115. He was given a 7lb rise for that and duly obliged again last time at Sandown in a Listed handicap hurdle from Protektorat. The form from each of those races is stacking up very nicely. Last Saturday he ran in the Betfair Hurdle, where I thought he would go close and he was running a cracking race when he was brought down at the last flight. It was very disappointing but he was grand the next morning, although still a bit stiff and sore. We will monitor how he recovers from those exertions and have to think about the Imperial Cup and the County Hurdle.