New father-and-son training partnership launched in Newmarket with multiple Group 1-winner to be joined on licence

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James and Tom Fanshawe are to become the latest father-and-son combination to move to a joint-training licence in Newmarket for 2027, it has been revealed.

James Fanshawe, a multiple Group 1-winning trainer, has been based at Pegasus Stables on Newmarket’s Snailwell Road since 1990, and now his son and assistant Tom is to be added to the training licence in January in recognition of his increasing involvement at the historic yard.

The announcement comes amid another successful season for the yard, which is closing in on its most successful campaign numerically with 54 on the board, four shy of the 58 winners achieved in 2024. The stable has had six winners from 20 runners in the past fortnight, including some exciting two-year-olds.

Tom, 29, has been involved at Pegasus Stables all his life and has been assistant trainer since 2020, playing a crucial role in the preparation of the horses and the day-to-day running of the yard. Before moving back to Pegasus full time in 2020, he spent two years in Australia working for Chris Waller and Matty Cumani as well as working the sales with Paul Moroney. He also spent summers with Christophe Clement in America and Johnny Murtagh in Ireland. The move to a joint licence marks a natural progression after six years as an assistant.

James said: “So far it has been an excellent season, and we are most grateful to the owners for providing the ammunition, and to the staff for their skill, hard work and commitment. I am really looking forward to having Tom on the licence. He has been assistant for the past six seasons, has brought in some new and fresh ideas, and is full of ambition for the future of our stable.”

Tom Fanshawe: born at Pegasus StablesCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Tom said: “I'm hugely grateful to Dad for the trust he's shown in me. He has spent the last 36 years making Pegasus Stables what it is today, and having been born here, I know the yard inside out. I share his love for this place, and it’s an honour that we get to continue that work together.”

He added: “I’m not sure too much will change. We’ll keep the same systems we’ve had in place for quite some time now, but I’m really grateful to Dad for giving me the opportunity. I'm looking forward to what the future holds.”

As well as at the races and the sales, Tom has become a familiar figure around Newmarket Heath on work mornings giving out orders to the stable’s riders and marshalling the Pegasus Stables team.

He added: “We’ve had a good year and hopefully we can keep progressing. We've had a consistently high number of winners and prize-money in the last four years, and hopefully we can keep building on that.”

The Fanshawes follow fellow Newmarket trainers John and Thady Gosden, who joined forces in 2021, and Simon and Ed Crisford, who were pioneers of the joint-licence system in 2020.

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