Horse Trainers

Sam England

admin July 4, 2026

Samantha ‘Sam’ England once said of her preferred, unisex forename, “Everyone thinks I’m a bloke! I don’t really care.” Prior to turning her hand to training, and marrying jockey Jonathan England, in 2016, she rode 31 winners under National Hunt Rules – nearly half of which were for West Yorkshire trainer Joanne Foster – in her maiden name, Samantha Drake. Nowadays, Sam England is based at Manor Farm, Guiseley, West Yorkshire, which is owned by her parents and where her father, Robert Drake, initially trained a small string under permit.

England made the perfect start to her career as a licensed trainer, saddling a winner with her very first runner, Star Presenter, ridden by husband-to-be Jonathan, in a handicap chase at Catterick on January 27, 2016. On February 5, 2016, she saddled Raktiman, also ridden by Jonathan England, to victory in another handicap chase at the North Yorkshire venue, taking her record to two winners from her first four runners. On the Flat, England opened her account on December 22, 2016, courtesy of My Renaissance, ridden by Andrew Mullen, in a handicap at Wolverhampton.

Big race success has so far proved elusive, under either code, but England has gradually improved her seasonal tallies, year-by-year. On the Flat, she enjoyed her most successful season so far, numerically and financially, in 2025, when she saddled 22 winners from 167 runners, at a strike rate of 13%, and amassed over £220,000 in total prize money. Likewise, in the National Hunt sphere, he most successful season so far, numerically, came in 2025/26, when she saddled 32 winners from 203 runners, at a strike rate of 16%. Her prize money total that season was not quite her highest ever, but was only £10,000 or so shy of the career-best £297,038 she achieved in 2022/23.

Ed Walker

admin July 3, 2026

Formerly assistant trainer to Roger Charlton and Luca Cumani, since December 2016, Edward ‘Ed’ Walker has been based at Kingsdown Stables in Upper Lambourn, near Hungerford, Berkshire, where he holds a dual-purpose training licence. That said, his emphasis is very much on Flat racing.

Walker started training in his own right in October 2010 from a small, rented yard at St. Gatien Cottage Stables in Newmarket, whence he sent out his first winner, Riggins, at the first time of asking in the Listed Hyde Stakes at Kempton on November 27, 2010. Thereafter, Walker lived a nomadic existence, relocating four times to yards in Newmarket, including the former base of the late Sir Henry Cecil, Warren Place, before finally settling in Upper Lambourn.

Walker enjoyed his most successful season, numerically, in 2024, when he saddled 74 winners from 440 runners, at a strike rate of 17%. His seasonal tally dropped to 68 winners in 2025, but he nonetheless amassed a career-high total of £2.1 million in prize money, thanks in no small part to half a dozen Pattern winners on British Soil, including Royal Fixation in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York.

Walker saddled his first Group 1 winner, Starman, in the July Cup at Newmarket on July 10, 2021. He has since added five more to his career tally, notably including Ten Bob Tony, who sprang a 50/1 surprise when winning the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 16, 2026. Of his unlikely victory, Walker said, “Of course it wasn’t expected. We came here to scoop up some prize-money and finish as close as we could. He’s just a legend.” His four other winners at the highest level have all come overseas, three at Longchamp, including Makarova in the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp on October 6, 2024, and one at the Curragh.

James Owen

admin July 3, 2026

Born on November 6, 1979 and raised in Oxfordshire, James Owen enjoyed a successful career as an amateur jockey, pre-trainer and Arab horse trainer before turning his hand to training under Rules. Formerly nine-time East Anglian champion point-to-point jockey, Owen established James Owen Racing, as a pre-training business, at Green Ridge Stables in Newmarket in 2014. However, in early 2023, in an effort to boost his numbers, he took out a licence to train under National Hunt and Flat Rules.

As a licensed trainer, Owen saddled his first winner, Father Of Jazz, in a novices’ hurdle at Kempton on May 1, 2023, the opening day of the 2023/24 National Hunt season. That season, as a whole, yielded 38 winners, including Burdett Road in the Grade 2 Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham, and Owen increased his seasonal tally to 60 winners in 2024/25 and, again, to 83 winners in 2025/26. Under National Hunt Rules, his biggest payday, so far, came courtesy of Burdett Road, again, in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at Newbury in November 2024.

On the Flat, Owen saddled 63 winners in 2024 and 117 winners in 2025. His best Flat horse so far, the Kameko colt Wimbledon Hawkeye, provided him with memorable victories in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket in September 2024 and the Grade 3 Nashville Derby Invitational Stakes at Kentucky Downs in August 2025; the latter represented far and away his biggest payday so far.

On June 17, 2026, Owen recorded his maiden Royal Ascot winner, after 19 previously unsuccessful attempts, courtesy of Rogue Diplomat, ridden by Harry Davies, in the Royal Hunt Cup. Having seen the aforementioned Wimbledon Hawkeye narrowly beaten in the Wolferton Stakes the previous day, the trainer said of his landmark victory, “We’ve been knocking on the door, and to get our first Royal Ascot winner is unbelievable. I’ve got a great team, this is what we want and we’ve got it. We’ll keep going now.”

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.