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Carr is happy to continue family training success
EXACTLY a year after taking over the running of Mowbray House Farm stables following the retirement of her grandfather David Chapman there is a remarkably contented air about Ruth Carr.
Training racehorses may, to the uninitiated, be all about Royal Ascot and Champagne, picking up trophies and wintering in the West Indies; for Ruth Carr and her staff life is much more down to earth and they would not have it any other way.
With 25 horses in the yard – "I would not like to have more than 50, that would be too much for me to oversee properly," she insists – they have plenty to keep them occupied, even though the Flat season is still two months away.
A steady stream of runners leave the yard at Stillington, just south of Easingwold, to contest races on the all-weather at Southwell and Wolverhampton while those animals not due to race enjoy a roll and a frolic in the paddock after working on the gallops.
Mud is a part of life at Mowbray House in January and Carr does not mind at all, even though the horses have to be washed down when they return from their fun. "What's a bit of mud?" she asks. "As long as they look right when they go to the races, they can enjoy themselves, can't they."
Exercise, feeding, mucking out, making entries, keeping in touch with the owners, life goes on much the same in all racing yards but Carr, aware of the need to keep costs to a minimum just 12 months into what she is determined will become a successful career, takes on extra duties.
She always drives the horsebox taking her charges to the races. In the past 12 months she has logged up over 40,000 miles, making 35 visits to Wolverhampton (each one taking eight hours for the round trip), almost as many to Southwell, 11 to Musselburgh and 10 to Hamilton.
Once there she likes to keep busy, saddling the horses, leading them round the parade ring and talking to the owners and jockey. "If I take one of the girls to help I feel at a loss for something to do," she admits.
She looks back with quiet satisfaction on her first year, which brought 13 winners and over 60,000 in prize-money, and reflects on what she has learned. "The biggest thing was appreciating what a big part luck plays in racing," she admits. "Whether it's the luck of the draw, luck in running or whatever, you have to accept it and get on with things."
She cannot remember how many times she had horses finish second over the past year but was happy with a total in double figures for her first season. "I didn't set myself any fancy targets when I started; I wanted my horses to look well, to run well and to do me credit," she says.
That much was achieved and she acknowledges she follows the pattern set by her grandfather, who trained such serial winners as Soba, Quito, Paddywhack, Soaked and Sharp Hat. "He always ran the horses plenty of times once he had them fit to race," she says. "It's better for the horses and for the owners, too. They get more opportunities to see their horse in action – that's why they are in racing. I'm of the same opinion as granddad."
The highlight of her year came when she saddled her first double – Sunley Sovereign and Moheebb winning at Hamilton – which was quickly followed up by Top Jaro's success at Musselburgh then victory for Avontuur at Ayr. "I love racing in Scotland," she says. "That may be something to do with the fact that I rode a few winners up there but they also look after the owners so well."
Now, with the testing first year under her belt, she looks to progress, although again is reluctant to set targets. "I'd really like to win a few better-class races," she says. "It's nice having winners on the all-weather but two successes there do not pay for the training fees for a horse for a year."
With the new Flat season on the horizon, Carr is looking forward to what she describes as "having some fun" with several of the horses in her care, many of which are part-owned by grandfather Chapman.
"This is the most exciting part of the year, there is everything to look forward to," she declared.
"People think this is a really glamorous job," she smiles. "It's not, it's a lifestyle which often involves getting splattered up with mud.
"You just give it your all; you don't have time to do anything else."
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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