The Sport Of Kings has over the past decades become The Racing Industry, and one of the consequences of this change (I won’t call it progress) is that one can easily forget that racing was devised to give people pleasure. 

   I try not to lose sight of this fact, and I hope I remain mindful of how fortunate Emma and I are to live in a stable full of lovely horses and to be involved, albeit in a minor role, in our wonderful sport. I love this place and I love the horses who live here. I regard myself very fortunate to have the support of a small bunch of extremely loyal owners and to have the assistance of a team of good people.  They either began as or have become valued friends. 

   I believe and hope that all those involved with the stable feel the same way about the operation as I do.  If they do, and if we can provide the horses with a great life in return for all that they give us, then what we are doing is worthwhile.

   Training has changed a lot in recent years so that it has become the fashion for successful stables to be much larger than would have been considered desirable (or even possible) a generation ago.  That's not the way I was raised, though, and neither is it what appeals to me.  Small stables such as this one might be an endangered species, but I hope that there will always be a place in the game for operations small enough for trainers to be hands-on, to spend a lot of time with the horses and to know them as individuals and as friends. 

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