Born in Lambourn, Berkshire on February 26, 1957, Tony Carroll was a successful National Hunt jockey, with over 160 winners to his name, before turning his attention to training in August 1995, following his retirement from the saddle the previous year. He saddled his first winner, Queen Of Shannon, ridden by Ross Studholme, in an apprentice selling handicap at Windsor on August 3, 1996.
Carroll, who holds a dual-purpose licence, has since established himself as one of the most versatile trainers in the business. In 2006, he moved to his current base, a purpose-built yard at Cropthorne Stud, near Pershore, Worcestershire, from where he has sent all of his high-profile winners. On the Flat, he enjoyed the biggest payday of his career on February 19, 2015, when Caspian Prince, ridden by Richard Hughes, won the Meydan Sobha Handicap at Meydan in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Under National Hunt Rules, his most profitable victory came rather closer to home, courtesy of Havana Beat, ridden by James Nixon, in the Pinsent Masons Handicap Hurdle at Aintree on April 14, 2018.
On December 16, 2024, Carroll realised a lifelong ambition of saddling 100 winners on the Flat in a calendar year, courtesy of Second Collection, ridden by Luke Morris, in a handicap at Wolverhampton. He finished the year with a total of 106 winners, eclipsing his previous highest annual tally of 85 winners, achieved in 2022. On Good Friday, April 18, 2025, he claimed the All-Weather Champion Trainer title for the first time, with 57 winners, 11 more than his nearest rival, James Owen. Of his accomplishment, Carroll said, “For me personally, it is a great achievement and I am very proud of it.” All told, 2025 yielded a career-best 128 winners on the Flat and over £1 million in prize money for the first time in his career, which spans four decades.
