The Premier Horse Racing Partnership in the Country
About our trainers
Brian Meehan, Charlie Mann, Simon Dow, Richard Hannon and Sylvester Kirk are all renowned trainers and long-standing pillars of the racing establishment. Why not look them up on their web sites at www.brianmeehan.co.uk, www.charliemann.co.uk, www.simondow.co.uk, www.richardhannonracing.tv and www.sylvesterkirkracing.com.
WITH his impressive dual yards at Everleigh and Herridge housing a joint strike force of almost 200 horses, Richard Hannon is and has been for many years a permanent fixture in racing's 'super league' of trainers.
His name shot to prominence in what proved one of the most unlikely Classic results of the post-war era when 50-1 chance Mon Fils captured the 2,000 Guineas in 1973.
He might have an Irish name but Hannon is Wiltshire through and through, having taken over a mixed team of a dozen horses when his father handed the licence over to him in 1970.
Classic success came early to Hannon and it continues to come, while his penchant for handling a high class team of two
year-olds is there for all to see. If you have the horse, he has the ability to quickly assess it and win with it in its right grade.
The year 2007 has seen him reach the century milestone for the 16th time in the last 17 - a hugely impressive statistic in the portfolio of a man who was born to train winners.
Brian Meehan is one of the UK's leading racehorse trainers.
Based at the historic Manton House Stables
near Marlborough in Wiltshire, Brian has
sent out a stream of top class winners
including David Junior to win the
Dubai Duty Free and Red Rocks to
win the Breeder's Cup Turf.
Had the ideal preparation for training, being the son of Irish Trainer Syl Kirk and after working for the Irish National Stud becoming assistant to the redoubtable Richard Hannon. It would have been reasonable to assume that Kirk would travel the same path as the man who is now his father-in-law. He has done extremely well with two-year-olds. Got his trainers license in 2001 and started at Cedar Lodge almost straightaway
A working apprenticeship was
served first as a lad, before
quickly turning his attention to
the business side of things.
An opportunity to combine an
Assistant Trainer's position with
Philip Mitchell with his own small yard led quickly to bigger things and Simon moved to Epsom in 1987 to take over Wendover Stables, owned by Arthur Pitt. Success was soon forthcoming and notable wins included the Brocklesby, the Gold Cup at Lingfield and the Whitbread White Label at Cheltenham, before the opportunity came to expand by moving to Clear Height Stables. It is an appetising feature of the yard that the view includes London and all its attractions to one side while enjoying the closest proximity to the Derby Course itself on the other.
This is now our 11th season at Whitcoombe House and having had a very good year we have all the stables full and quite a few still to come in. Our new gallop has been a great success and we have found it easier to get horses ready and we certainly have had a lot less injuries. We have got a real quality team of horses this season and I am really looking forward to the bigger meetings.
There are a lot of new faces looking over the doors and we have been buying in Ireland, France and Germany. The riding arrangements are still the same with Noel Fehily in his 11th Season with us, David Crosse and Kevin Tobin are still both here. It has been a fabulous start to the season and let’s hope it may continue.