Days on my dad's stud farm in Trinidad were some of the fondest of my life - but time around stable staff brings back that magic

This year’s Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards sponsored by Godolphin, which I am very much looking forward to hosting, presents a special opportunity for me.

When I grew up in the Caribbean, my father owned a stud farm and I spent many happy days there, becoming friends with almost all of the people who worked for my dad. We would eat and drink together, play cricket and talk horses all day until it got dark.

Those days on the stud farm in Trinidad were some of the fondest of my life. We would all muck in during the morning, then have a bite to eat and a few cold drinks to freshen us up for the big cricket match filled with sledging, followed by the post-match debrief which often turned from cricket to racing and then back again.

The atmosphere through every moment of those days was one filled with laughter, amusement, joy and happiness. I never had the opportunity to thank any of the guys who worked on the farm for making those experiences so memorable, primarily because I never thought they would ever end.

But all good things do.

My dad passed away, the stud farm closed and those sunshine Sundays in the Caribbean seemed further away than the four thousand miles between Trinidad and a boarding school in England.

I often thought about what I missed most from those days. Understandably, the actual sunshine and warmth of the Caribbean climate was the obvious place to start, but the thing I yearned for the most was the metaphorical sunshine and warmth of those friendly faces on the farm. 

Once childhood ends and life changes with increasing responsibilities as we become older, we often become detached from the things that made us happiest when we were growing up.

Rishi Persad: hosts the Thoroughbred Industry Employee awards on Monday nightCredit: Edward Whitaker

Slowly, the memories of those blissful days disappear and become buried under a mountain of less enjoyable experiences. But occasionally they come back to the surface to remind us of betters days behind us.

Fortunately, despite the protestations of my mother, I ended up working in racing and from my first job working in PR to my days on television for various channels, I have been lucky enough to visit many training yards and stud farms.

On each of those visits I concentrated on the primary reason I was there, namely the horse, trainer, owner or jockey.

Something as important, but arguably more admirable, than those individuals had been right under my nose but I hadn’t noticed it or paid much attention to it – the stable staff.

It wasn’t until I was lucky enough to be selected to ride in the charity race at the Cheltenham Festival in 2014 that I truly appreciated not only the skill, care, dedication and loving attention that stable staff give to the horses, but the support, friendship and kindness they offer each other.

I regularly rode out for Phil York’s primarily point-to-point yard minutes from where I live, but I also had the opportunity to test the water on my big-race ride at Brian Ellison’s stable as well. 

Obviously there was a huge contrast in size between the two stables but the most striking similarity was how welcoming, friendly and happy everyone was at both yards. The joy of visiting to ride out was increased immeasurably by the way I was treated by every single person I encountered at both stables. 

Full disclosure: I was extremely nervous and a little afraid. Put a mic in my hand and I’m fine but put me on the back of a racehorse and the butterflies are bouncing around my body.

However, there was always a reassuring voice among the team at both places, noticing my nerves and ready to offer advice, tell a quick-witted joke to ease my tension or even just a look that said, ‘You’re doing okay.’

Those moments meant so much to me. Without them, I would have struggled to survive those challenging few months when I was entirely out of my comfort zone.

When I think back to every visit to a racing stable or stud farm, I can only remember how much I enjoyed meeting all the staff, how pleasant and cheerful they were despite the hard work and business of their working days.

I have rarely stopped to say thank-you for their welcome; that's clearly been a failing of mine.

But when I think back to those heady days growing up in Trinidad, spending time on the farm, all those privileged trips to interview various trainers up and down Britain and learning to ride for the charity race at Cheltenham, every single one of those occasions was enhanced enormously by the people I met. Not the owners, trainers or jockeys, but by the staff just going about their daily duties.

This year’s Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards is my opportunity to say thank you.

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