Written by Tony Millett.
Beckhampton: The Men and Horses of a Great Racing Stable by Paul Mathieu (published 2015 by Racing Post Books - £25.)
This well-researched book combines local history, horse racing stories - and some racy stories too - successes and failures on and off racecourses, characters (some very good and some pretty awful) and lots and lots of racehorses.
Flicking through its 350 pages you might be a little alarmed by the number of names - names of owners, trainers, stable staff and, of course, of horses. It seems at first that as though the author has swallowed the names from entire week's worth of the Racing Post - enough to confuse the most ardent of flat racing fans.
Do not be put off. This book is a store of wonderful episodes in the very long history of Beckhampton's training stables - and it has a wealth of fascinating illustrations.
It all began, believe it or not, in 1835 when Beckhampton Inn was still a coaching stop on the road to Bath. Billy Treen, a man who would have run rings round Lord Alan Sugar, spotted a business opportunity in the inn's ample stabling.
Even before London was linked to Bath by the railway, Beckhampton Inn (famous, apparently, for its 'strong Wiltshire beer, known by the genuine name of Kennett Ale') had been losing custom.
Not only did he hold the Inn's licence, he was training and riding - and earned a few extra guineas as clerk of the course at the Devizes and North Wilts races. Billy Treen trained Beckhampton's first classic winner: Deception won the Oaks in 1839.
Treen had started as a jockey - winning his first race at the ripe old age of fourteen. He rode race horses owned by Lord Palmerston who, when he became Foreign Secretary, once commanded Treen to ride a relay of horses to a Channel port to fetch a recently signed treaty - not something that worries modern handicappers.
Paul Mathieu's book takes you through all Beckhampton's trainers and prominent along the way are the Darlings - father and son. Sam began training in 1897 and won seven classics including two Derby winners.
His son Fred began training at Beckhampton in 1916 and notched up an incredible nineteen classic winners - including six Derby winners. One of Fred's loyal owners was Lily Langtry - the 'Jersey Lily' who had been the Prince of Wales' mistress. The photo of her and her hat and veil with a diminutive Fred is one of the delights of this book.
Fred steered Beckhampton through the Second World War's shortages - and successfully stopped American tanks ploughing up the ancient grass gallops. He had the privilege of running 'the best horse ever trained at Beckhampton': Tudor Minstrel whose eight - or was it ten? - length victory in the 1947 2000 Guineas is recounted with gusto. As is the 'nightmare ride' the Minstrel gave Gordon Richards in the Derby.
Beckhampton then joined Herbert Blagrave's large portfolio of equestrian property. He is a character you might not want to meet. And for a time Noel Murless and the maverick Dick Warden - an ex-Special Operations Executive officer - shared the stables.
In 1953 Gordon Richards became champion jockey for the twenty-sixth time, but was injured in a paddock accident, retired and turned trainer. He had stables at Beckhampton for a short time - until he fell out with Blagrave.
From the start of the 1956 season Jeremy Tree was Beckhampton's sole trainer - and held the licence there for 34 years. If anyone is the hero of this book it is Tree with 'his Olympian frame' - and he is still remembered by many among the more elderly people of Marlborough.
He turned Beckhampton into 'a modern international stable'. Tree was part of 'London society' and brought a wide range of rich new owners to Beckhampton - inlcuding many Arab connections. He was trainer to the important Saudi owned Juddmonte Farms stud.
Tree retired in 1989 and Beckhampton passed to its current trainer - Roger Charlton. The chapters on Roger Charlton begin with a bit of a tease: "From swimming pool attendant to Derby-winning trainer isn't an obvious career path, but it's served Roger Charlton well."
It turns out Charlton was a pioneer of swimming therapy for horses and introduced the first pool at Lambourn. Charlton took over the stables at the beginning of 1990 and that summer won the Derby with Quest for Fame - as the chapter heading puts it: "Roger Charlton's dream debut."
Since then Charlton has trained for the Queen, has brought Al Kazeem back twice to win Group Ones before his final retirement this year, and won innumerable races in Britain and around the world - including the French Derby.
Last week Charlton watched his entry in the Melbourne Cup come home four lengths behind the winner to take ninth place and win £65,000. That horse's name - harking back to his Derby winner Quest for Fame - was Quest for More...there are sure to be many more winners to come Beckhampton under Roger Charlton's careful eye.
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Written by Tony Millett.
Gary Witheford with Turkish stall handlers The Jockey Club of Turkey have appointed Gary Witheford as Official Advisor and he has been contracted for a year to improve the organisation of race meetings so as to attract more international entries. He has a wide brief but will concentrate especially on training racecourse officials and handlers for the start of races.
Gary Witheford, who is based near Burbage, is a well-known and respected figure at many racecourses in Britain and Ireland where he uses his 'horse whisperer' skills to make the loading of horses into starting stalls easier, quicker and safer.
Horse racing and mutual betting flourishes in Turkey under the monopoly regulation of the Jockey Club of Turkey (known as the TJK.) There are nine racecourses - and two of them hold an international meeting each year: eight international races at Ankara's 75th Anniversary Racetrack and seven at Istanbul's Veliefendi Racetrack.
Gary Witheford is working with Turkey's racecourse stewards and starters to make their races safer and so more of an attractive option for overseas trainers. One of the key issues he has been asked to improve is loading of the starting stalls - one of his own specialities.
Gary - centre back row - with a team of Jockey Club of Turkey staffSometimes loading can take up to 20 minutes - with some unorthodox methods including blindfolds which may be improvised from men's sweaters or jackets. The problem is clear: the loaders put the easiest horses in first - and after too long standing in the stalls, they doze off and good horses can then miss the jump out.
There is also a need to speed up the loading so that races can be started on time - and so make it easier to regulate the betting.
There is much to bring overseas horses to Turkey's international races - especially the prize money. Early in September, the Richard Hannon trained and Godolphin owned four-year-old Toormore won the International Topkapi Trophy over a mile at Veliefendi. James Doyle brought him home two and a half lengths ahead of the Turkish horse Perfect Warrior.
The winner took home £209,302 of the £348,837 prize money for this race. The Hannon-trained horse, Shifting Power, was fourth in the field of seven.
A training sessionOn the same card, another Hannon horse Orvar came home a length ahead of the Turkish horse Graystorm to win the six furlong International Trakya Stakes - a race with prize money of £155,039.
This was certainly a worthwhile trip as Toormore had disappointed on his visit to the racecourse the previous year with a poor run - coming third in the same race under Richard Hughes.
With better and safer arrangements at the racecourses in Istanbul and Ankara, more trainers will be encouraged to travel to Turkey for these well funded international races.
You can read more about Gary Witheford and his book on Marlborough News Online
Veliefendi Racecourse, Istanbul
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Written by Tony Millett.
The condition of former world number one eventer and British Olympian William Fox-Pitt has improved. He has been in hospital in France since a fall on October 17 at the Lion d'Angers World Young Horses Championships.
He suffered a head injury and has been in an induced coma. On Monday (October 26) a statement on his website said "...he is conscious, breathing on his own and communicating with his family and doctors, however he is still very ill".
On Friday (October 30) it was announced that: "William's condition has improved enough for him to be moved out of the intensive care unit. He remains in hospital in France."
Fox-Pitt's horse Reinstated was unharmed by the fall.
AP McCoy
Twenty-time champion jump jockey, AP McCoy is to join the Channel 4 Racing team. His exclusive contract begins this month - to coincide with the start of the jump season.
He will certainly be part of the Channel 4 Racing presenting team for the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury on November 28.
AP McCoy and his family live near Lambourn - and he is part-owner of Manton's Outside Chance pub and restaurant.
Richard Hughes
Finally, flat racing's former champion jockey Richard Hughes who was based near Marlborough and rode mainly for the Richard Hannon yard, has moved his new training operation to Lambourn.
After retiring as a jockey in the summer, he was setting up a training yard at Stockbridge just over the border in Hampshire. Now he has moved his horses and staff to Lambourn.
He will be using the Weathercock House yard - one-time base of jump trainer Jenny Pitman. His string of horses moved in on Saturday (October 31.)
Hughes told the Racing Post: "I've been around all the gallops and I'm very pleased with what I've seen...The whole area has a very positive feel to it and I'm looking forward to being part of it."
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Written by Tony Millett.
Wesko and Tim Price at Pau (Photo by Libby Law - copyright Libby Law Photography)Eventing horse Wesko - one of New Zealanders Jonelle and Tim Price's string of eventers based at Mere Farm, Mildenhall - has just been named Horse of the Year for the 2015 season by British Eventing.
A 12-year-old Dutch bred gelding, Wesko - also known as Dash - notched up 415 points over the 2015 season to beat Sir Mark Todd's Leonidas II - the long-time points leader. Wesko is owned by Christina Knudsen and the Wesko Syndicate.
Last weekend Tim Price and Wesko capped their 2015 successes with third place at the CCI4* at Les Etoiles de Pau - the final four star competition of the season.
It was an exciting finish: Tim Price and Wesko added no faults to their dressage score. But with German star Michael Jung in first and second place, he had to withdraw his leading horse before the show jumping. Jung's second horse had one jump down leaving French contestant Astier Nicolas to win - an understandably popular result with the Pau crowds - with Price in third place.
In 2011 Wesko made a great start to his career winning from pre-novice to CIC** and keeping safely in the top three places through the season. Tim Price forgave Dash for dumping him into the water at Badminton and they won the Luhmuhlen for star in 2014.
The 2015 season started on a high when the pair came second at the prestigious Lexington four star in April. The Prices are Key Riders and use exclusively Keyflow Feeds for their team of horses.
Wesko getting taste of Kentucky grassNext target for Tim Price and Wesko will be the 2016 Rio Olympics. With his Lexington performance Wesko has proved he does not mind air travel.
The highest placed British-bred horse in the British Eventing rankings was Jonelle Price’s eventing partner Classic Moet owned by Trish Rickards. Following many success including recent fifth place at Burghley, the mare ended the season on 318 points - taking fifth place in the overall rankings.
Notable in the riders' rankings was British eventer Oliver Townend's first place both overall and for British riders. Townend won by a huge margin from New Zealanders Andrew Nicholson (who is still recovering from a fall earlier in the season) and Tim Price.
Nineteen-year-old Emily King from Devon was named leading under-21 rider. She finished fourth at Pau on Brookleigh - her first ever four star competition.
FOOTNOTE: The former eventing world number one and British Olympic team member William Fox-Pitt remains in hospital after falling at the World Young Horse Championships in France.
The latest news from the hospital came on Monday (October 26): "William has made progress over the weekend; today he is conscious, breathing on his own and communicating with his family and doctors, however he is still very ill...Further progress is going to take time..."
His horse, Reinstated, was uninjured in the incident but Fox-Pitt (pictured left) was treated for over an hour at the scene before being heavily sedated in hospital.
[Our thanks to Libby Law for use of her photo of Tim Price and Wesko at Pau.]
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