Formerly an accomplished amateur jockey, with 38 wins to his name under Rules, including the Grand Military Gold Cup and the Royal Artillery Gold Cup, both at Sandown Park, four times apiece, Jamie Snowden spent a season as pupil assistant to Paul Nicholls and three more as assistant
trainer to Nicky Henderson before taking out a training licence in his own right in 2008. From his initial base, in a rented yard in Ebbesbourne Wake, Wiltshire, he sent out his first winner as a trainer, Marsh Court, ridden by Tom O’Brien, in a novices’ hurdle at Fontwell on October 4, 2008.
Three seasons and a further 14 winners later, in the summer of 2011, Snowden moved to his current base, Folly House Stables in Lambourn, Berkshire – originally built in 1982 by Merrick Francis, son of Dick – from whence he sent out a winner with his very first runner, Knighton Combe, ridden by Daryl Jacob, in the English Summer National at Uttoxeter on June 26, 2011. The 2011/12 season, as a whole, yielded 19 winners and Snowden has continued to flourish ever since.
He saddled his first Cheltenham Festival, the ill-fated Present View, ridden by Brendan Powell, in the Rewards4Racing Novices’ Handicap Chase on March 11, 2014 and has since added a second, You Wear It Well, ridden by Gavin Sheehan, in the Jack de Bromhead Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle on March 16, 2023. More recently, Snowden opened his Grade 1 account, courtesy of Julius Des Pictons, again ridden by Sheehan, in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree on April 4, 2025.
Indeed, the 2024/25 season, which yielded 62 winners and £807,146 in prize money, proved to be his most successful, numerically and financially, at that point. However, at the time of writing, Snowden has already exceeded both those totals in 2025/26 and, now with well over 500 winners to his name, is set for his best season yet.
