Being a good trainer goes much further than just training the horses

Cast your minds back a couple of weeks to Al Shaqab Lockinge day at Newbury, the day the 2021 British Flat season seemed to spark into life, and would likely have burned even brighter had Lady Bowthorpe managed to reel in the impressive Palace Pier in the big one.

She never really looked like doing that, but is quickly becoming one of the summer code's most popular performers, and it is not hard to see why given her back story.

She was not a cheap purchase, but her 82,000gns price tag is dwarfed regularly at the sales and her owner, music agent to the stars Emma Banks, has a verve and warmth that is sometimes absent at the top table in Flat racing.

Lady Bowthorpe's trainer William Jarvis has dined there, winning the St James's Palace Stakes in 1994 with Grand Lodge, but it has been a long time between drinks.

Lady Bowthorpe (orange cap) running on in the LockingeCredit: Edward Whitaker

That is something not lost on the long-serving trainer, who is part of the establishment in Newmarket and was thrilled to play a part behind one of the world's best horses in the Lockinge, even if he admitted coming second "stinks".

"See, it just goes to show what people can do if they get a good horse," was the gist from one press room sage in the post-race fallout.

There is truth to that. Is Lewis Hamilton the best driver in Formula One or does he just have the best car?

Is John Gosden, who trains Palace Pier with son Thady, the best trainer in Britain or does he just have the best horses?

The number one thing about being a trainer is to get the best horses in the first place, isn't it?

My Racing Post colleague Graeme Rodway copped some flak a while back by suggesting he didn't think there was much to this training lark.

There might have been a tongue-in-cheek element to his comments, which caused a stir, but the essence of his point – I think – struck true.

Fitter horses were Martin Pipe's edgeCredit: Edward Whitaker

When Martin Pipe burst on to the scene all those years ago his horses were considerably fitter than those from other stables. It was a huge edge and made his name, but no-one is really known for that now, certainly not to that extent.

There are, of course, notable examples of brilliant and inspired training performances, where the tweak of a regime or routine can bring some improvement, but Rodway's missive was not as outlandish as some interpreted.

Getting horses fit and keeping them healthy and happy is clearly a skill and some trainers will be better at it than others, but is that what sets them apart? I'm not so sure.

Some might even say dealing with the horses is the easy bit and the rest of the stuff trainers have to handle is what turns their hair grey or makes it fall out.

And it is all those other aspects of the job that Rodway perhaps failed to highlight. Some trainers know the programme book inside out and I'm in awe of the likes of Paul Nicholls and Dan Skelton, who almost always have a firm plan for their horses, even those operating at a lower level.

Their recall of the racing calendar is like some freakish superpower, which probably doesn't impress the wider world as much as it does me, but it's arguably their trump card and the reason they are so successful.

At the top end of the sport, they are also big employers, so have to deal with the trials and tribulations managing staff brings, while few trainers will be salaried so they need business brains.

Deciding whether a horse goes up a hill twice or three times in a morning might seem quite a simple decision in the face of all that.

Then there are the owners.

I recently wondered why a horse's form had fallen away last season.

"We ran him too much, but that was the owners who wanted to," I was told by a head lad, while I asked another trainer what the thinking was as to why a horse would run in a particular race.

"The owner wants to go for it – I don't," came the reply.

Unless your name is Jim Bolger, owners are a pretty important part of a trainer's operation, and keeping them happy and managing their expectations might be the hardest part of the job.

JP McManus: handy to have big owners in the yardCredit: Edward Whitaker

The bigger the owner though, the bigger the cheque book, which is helpful at the sales and getting that raw material in the first place. Let's face it, if you've members of the Maktoum family or JP McManus in the yard you've a fighting chance.

Some trainers might not have the natural charm or charisma to attract those owners or they may lack a pushy enough personality to be sent a horse.

I once joked to an aspiring trainer he should dye his hair pink to get noticed. My advice was not taken, but the point is trying something to get those owners and horses in; just like a trainer would try some new feed or kit if they thought it would give them an edge.

A likeable and experienced trainer who doesn't make many headlines saddled a winner last year when I was racing.

"Good trainer him," was the firm thought of one of my colleagues who knows his stuff as we walked back to the press room. "Just doesn't get the horses."

That line stopped me in my tracks. "Hang on," I thought. "Whose fault is that?"

It's not mine and I'm not sure Boris can be blamed for this one either.

I've often found it strange when trainers say that they can't get the horses or can't get the owners to get the good horses – that's a flaw, and a big one from where I'm standing.

No-one would say they couldn't get a horse fit, but it's odd some seem willing to admit to such an indictment.

I probably sound like it's easy to convince powerful and successful people to part with their dosh for a horse who might turn out to be more Steptoe than Shergar, and I certainly don't think training is easy – there's just a lot more to it than training horses!

Rob Hornby: returning rider enjoyed a fine 2020Credit: Pool

Hornby returns in fine style

It was a mile novice at Chelmsford worth £4,346 to the winner, but it would have felt much more than that to Rob Hornby, who had his first ride since December in it and got the dream comeback, winning on 33-1 chance Abstinence.

Hornby enjoyed his best campaign in terms of winners and prize-money last term and would have looked ahead to 2021 with excitement and relish, but he shattered his shoulder at Wolverhampton before Christmas and has had to sit and suffer since.

A popular and friendly member of the weighing room, Hornby has worked hard at Oaksey House and the determination he has put into his rehabilitation might seem at odds with his pleasant personality, but he is a young rider on the up and, like many in that position, cannot wait to get to the top.

His December fall allowed a reconstruction of his shoulder, which cured a long-standing problem with it, so there might have been something of a silver lining, even if it was hard to spot on that chilly winter evening.

Ralph Beckett and Andrew Balding, from whose apprentice academy the 25-year-old graduated, are two big operations the jockey has access to.

He doesn't have a horse that is his yet – a Saturday star he has the ride on – but who knows what's round the corner.

Rattling home the winners can only help him find one sooner, rather than later.

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