TRAINER ON THE UP ISSUE 48_Jerkins feature.qxd 15/12/2014 20:38 Page 2
good horses and willing to do so for a number of years until you are established.
maybe the Rowley Mile for its tradition and the fact that you, in this day, still can run 1m 2f straight! So far from public friendly but people still accept it because it’s in England!
If you could spend the day with any other trainer, who would it be? Jim Bolger!
What is your proudest training achievement?
What piece of training equipment could you not live without?
It would have to be Volatile running third in Cornwallis Stakes in Newmarket on only his second run. As we have bred him ourselves, it made it even more special.
That would be our new straight track for everyday use.
What is the main quality in a horse you look for when buying? They’ve got to be an athlete. They have to have a swing in their walk and really use their neck, back and shoulders.
Jessica Long enjoys the spoils after winning the Swedish Oaks
Looking at genetic traits and temperament, who is your most reliable stallion at the moment? I have no favourite at the moment as such but I always like stallions that give hardy horses i.e. racehorses. They might not be the best ones all the time but you can place them in the right race. The biggest problem is a dishonest horse.
What is your favourite racecourse? That’s hard to answer; a lot of them have their own charm but
Does technology feature in your training regime?
No, I use my gut feeling for most things. I might time some of the fast work but it’s only of interest in relation to how the horse actually did it. I would love to install a high-speed treadmill.
What do you do to go that extra mile with regards to your horses’ wellbeing? Let the horses be horses and don’t wrap them in cotton wool. All horses are turned out daily, some of them in company, especially twoyear-olds. We also use a good physio-therapist on a regular basis to help the horses with any aches and pains before the cause any other problems. n
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