July 2026

John & Thady Gosden

admin July 3, 2026

Born in Hove, Sussex on March 30, 1951, John Gosden was assistant trainer to Noel Murless at Warren Place, Newmarket and Vincent O’Brien at Ballydoyle in Cashel, County Tipperary before heading to California, where he worked for Tommy Doyle in Bradbury before setting up on his own in Santa Anita in late 1979. After a decade Stateside, he returned to England to train for Sheikh Mohammed at Stanley House Stables, Newmarket in 1989, before relocating to Manton, Marlborough in 2000 and to his current base, Clarehaven Stables, Newmarket, in 2006.

In his own right, Gosden was British Champion Flat Trainer five times, in 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019 and 2020. He also has 11 eleven British Classic winner to name, having won the St. Leger five times, the Oaks three times, the Derby twice and the 1,000 Guineas once. Beyond British shores, Gosden has also won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe three times, the Breeders’ Cup Classic and the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

In March 2021, Gosden was joined on his licence by his son Thaddeus – ‘Thady’ for short – and the pair celebrated their new arrangement by saddling a winner with their first runner together, Regent, ridden by Robert Havlin, in a fillies’ novice stakes race at Lingfield on March 26, 2021. Indeed, the Gosdens wasted little time in chalking up their first Group 1 winner on British soil, Palace Pier, in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury on May 15, 2021 and the same horse became their first Royal Ascot winner when following up in the Queen Anne Stakes a month later. In 2023, the year in which they saddled their first British Classic winner, Soul Sister, ridden by Frankie Dettori, in the Oaks at Epsom, racked up 130 winners and collected £7.2 million in total prize money in the year as a whole, taking their first trainers’ title along the way.

Aidan O’Brien

admin July 1, 2026

Born in Killegney Townland, County Wexford on October 16, 1969, Aidan O’Brien has been described by the ‘Racing Post’ as “the world’s most powerful trainer”. O’Brien saddled his first winner, Wandering Thoughts, ridden by Pat Gilson, in a seven-furlong handicap at Tralee on June 7, 1993. He went on to become Irish Champion National Hunt Trainer five years running between 1993/94 and 1997/98 and famously saddled Istabraq to a hat-trick in the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

By that stage of his career, O’Brien had been recruited as private trainer to John Magnier and his Coolmore Stud associates, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, at Ballydoyle, near Rosegreen, County Tipperary. O’Brien became Irish Champion Flat Trainer for the first time in 1999 and has retained his title ever since. In 2001, he became the British Champion Flat Trainer for the first time, making him the first overseas winner since his unrelated namesake, and the previous master of Ballydoyle, Vincent O’Brien in 1977. O’Brien retained his title in 2002 and won it again in 2007, 2008, 2016, 2017, 2024 and 2025.

On British soil, O’Brien has won the Derby a record 12 times, most recently with Christmas Day in 2026, the Oaks 11 times, the 2,000 Guineas a record 10 times, the St. Leger nine times and the 1,000 Guineas eight times. In his native land, his record is no less impressive, with a 17 wins in the Irish Derby, 13 in the Irish 2,000 Guineas,12 in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, eight in the Irish Oaks and seven in the Irish St, Leger. O’Brien is, in fact, the most successful trainer in the history of all the Irish Classics bar the Irish St. Leger. Beyond Great Britain and Ireland, O’Brien has won the Breeders’ Cup Turf eight times and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe twice, among countless other intermational successes.

Charlie Appleby

admin July 1, 2026

Born on July 5, 1975 in Southampton, Hampshire, Charlie Appleby graduated from the British Racing School and rode, briefly, as an amateur rider before working for Susan Piggot and in various roles for Goldolphin, including as assistant trainer to Saeed bin Suroor and Mahmood Al Zarooni. On April 25, 2013, Al Zarooni was banned for eight years by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) after admitting administering anabolic steroids to numerous horses in his charge and Appleby took over as trainer at Moulton Paddocks, Newmarket.

Appleby saddled his first winner in his own right, Expressly, ridden by Mickael Barzalona, in a maiden fillies’ stakes race at Ascot on July 28, 2013. Domestically, his initial season yielded 60 winners from 304 runners, at a strike rate of 20% but, internationally, he achieved his first Grade 1 success, courtesy of Outstrip, ridden by Mike E. Smith, in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita on November 1, 2013.

At the time of writing, Appleby has since added another 97 winners at the highest level at home and abroad to his career tally, including seven British Classic winners. He has won the 2,000 Guineas three times, with Ruling Court (2025), Notable Speech (2024) and Coroebus (2022), the Derby twice, with Adayar(2021) and Masar (2018) and the 1,000 Guineas and the St. Leger once apiece, with Desert Flower (2025) and Hurricane Lane (2021).

Appleby splits his year between Moulton Paddocks, Newmarket and his winter base, Marmoom Stables, Dubai. On British soil, he enjoyed his most successful season, numerically and financially, in 2022, when he saddled 152 winners from 488 runners, at a strike rate of 31%, and amassed £6.25 million in total prize money. Aside from the 2,000 Guineas, other highlights that year included winning the St. James’s Palace Stakes and the Platinum Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot.

David Pipe

admin July 1, 2026

Born on February 7, 1973 in Wellington, Somerset, David Pipe is the son of 15-time Champion National Hunt Trainer Martin Pipe. Pipe Snr. announced his immediate retirement, due to ill-health, on the final day of the 2005/06 National Hunt season and Pipe Jnr. celebrated his first day as the master of Pond House Stables, in Nicholashayne, Somerset, with an across-the-card treble on May 9, 2006. David Pipe saddled his first winner in his own right, Standin Obligation, ridden by Timmy Murphy, in a novices’ chase at Kelso, followed by Wee Dinns, ridden by Tom Scudamore, in a handicap hurdle later on the same card and Papillon De Iena, ridden by Tony McCoy, in a handicap chase at Exeter later in the day.

In his inaugural season, David Pipe saddled 134 winners – still a career-high total, at the time of writing – from 767 runners, at a strike rate of 17%, and amassed £1.61 million in total prize money. Highlights included a notable double for Gaspara, who won the Imperial Cup at Sandown under Tony McCoy on March 10, 2007 and followed up in the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival under Andrew Glassonbury three days later. In so doing, Gaspara became a first Festival winner for Pipe and collected a £75,000 bonus in the process.

Pipe has since added 14 more Cheltenham Festival winners to his career tally, but his most recent victories came courtesy of Un Temps Pour Tout, who won back-to-back renewals of the Ultima Handicap Chase under Tom Scudamore in 2016 and 2017. Away from the March showpiece, Pipe is probably best known for winning the 2008 Grand National with Comply Or Die, owned by the late David Johnson and ridden by Timmy Murphy, although he does also have 11 Grade 1 victories at home and abroad, to his name.