Nowadays based at Bellmount in Laversdale, Irthington, near Carlisle, Cumbria, where he holds a dual-purpose training licence, Tristan Davidson was previously a successful point-to-point jockey. In fact, he rode over 100 winners in that sphere and won the Northern Area Men’s Championship three times before taking a out a full public training licence in 2014. Before that, he had already saddled his first winner under National Hunt Rules, Grey Area, owned by his father George and ridden by 5lb claimer Gary Rutherford, in a handicap hurdle at Newcastle on February 3, 2013, as a permit holder.
Starting with just a handful of horses, Davidson, understandably, made a modest start to his training career. He did not saddle his first runners on the Flat until 2018, but nonetheless saddled six winners from just 15 runners, at an impressive 40% strike rate, in his first season on the level. Likewise, the 2018/19 National Hunt season proved to be his best so far, numerically, yielding 13 winners from 41 runners, at a strike rate of 32%. Indeed, on June 29, 2018, Davidson enjoyed what he later described as “one of my favourite successes as a trainer” when Rubenesque and Justatenner, both of whom were making their debuts for the yard, won the opening two races on the Cartmel card to record his first career double, at odds of 169/1.
On the Flat, Davidson is already enjoying his most successful season so far, numerically, in 2026, saddling 17 winners from 105 runners, at a strike rate of 16%. he started the year ‘over the sticks’ with a bang, too, recording his first big race win, courtesy of Breizh River, ridden by Harry Reed, in the Auld Reekie Handicap Chase at Musselburgh on New Year’s Day. His leading money-winner in 2026 so far, though, has been the eight-year-old Divilabother, who has won five of his 10 starts and nearly £40,000 in prize money.
