Attracting new people into the sport of racing is a challenge facing every trainer.
However, one glance at the owners list belonging to the yard of Harry Derham would suggest he is breaking the mould ahead of what promises to be another exciting campaign.
From two-time U.S Open golf champion Brooks Koepka and England cricket stars Liam Livingstone and Jamie Overton, to the likes of established syndicates Highclere Thoroughbred Racing and Middleham Park Racing the ambitious 28-year-old boasts an impressive owners’ roster following a solid debut season.
However, for all the well-known silks that will be seen coming out of the yard over the winter months and the famous faces from other sports that are supporting him Derham admits it is attracting those that have never had any involvement in the sport he takes greatest pride in.
Derham said: “To get new people into racing is one of the most talked about things and I’m very proud to say that a lot of my owners haven’t had horses before and I think that is a very big tick in the box which I’m proud of.
“A lot of my horses are syndicate-owned and that is the way the sport is going. You have to be open minded to it.
“Jamie Overton is my best friend, and he was chatting to Liam Livingstone a while back and when we got Brentford Hope he got involved as did a mate of theirs called Joe Clarke, who also plays cricket.
“Graeme McDowell owns a bit of Fourofakind and him, and Brooks Koepka have just got another one, while it is great to have horses for the likes of Highclere, Middleham Park Racing, Noel Fehily Racing Syndicates and the likes of Colm Donlon and Sir Martin Broughton.
“However, one of the stories I was most proud of last season was the one of Andrew and Julie Mitchell who own Dargiannini.
“They had never had any involvement in horseracing before and they came to me, and they got Dargiannini and he had a really successful season winning two races. To get people like them that are completely new into the sport is great.”
Since the end of last season Derham has endured a busy spell away from the racetrack after moving from his temporary base in Lambourn in August to his new purpose-built yard at Upper Farm Stables on the edge of Boxford in west Berkshire.
Added to that Derham has seen his numbers swell to more than 50 along with acquiring the services of now-retired Grand National-winning trainer Oliver Sherwood as his assistant. Despite the big changes, he is keen to take things at his own pace.
Derham added: “August was a stressful month as the horses were coming in and we had new systems in place with new routines along with welcoming in a whole new group of staff. Happily, the horses settled in very quickly and we are getting into a good routine now.
“It is very obvious to say it is all about your team as you can’t do all this on your own and if you don’t have good people around you have got no chance. Oliver enhances what we already had and his experience I think is a great thing to have on board.
“We are up to about 50 horses which is great, but I’m very conscious I want to do this at my own pace. I don’t want to stretch my team of staff too much and I don’t want to run before I can walk.”
For all the success Derham enjoyed in his role as assistant to his uncle, and 14-time champion Jump trainer Paul Nicholls, he celebrated arguably his finest moment at Huntingdon on Boxing Day when Seelotmorebuisness gave him a winner from his first-ever runner.
The trainer continued: “It was one of the best days of my life when Seelotmorebusiness won, and it always will be. Like every trainer starting out you dream of your first runner being a winner. We really fancied him, and we thought it was the right kind of race to go for.
“I will never be able to replace that feeling, especially as he was owned by my mum and dad. I’ve had a lot of good experiences in racing but that day at Huntingdon was a cut above everything.
“We wanted to try and hit the ground running which we were lucky enough to do and the horses ran well. I look back at those first four months as a good platform to build on.”
In order for Derham to keep on progressing, finding horses with the ability to perform on the bigger platforms will be key. One such prospect that could help him do that is Listed bumper winner Queens Gamble, who is one of a number of horses that has made the move alongside Sherwood.
He added: “Queens Gamble was a good bumper mare, and she won her first maiden hurdle at Warwick. She is a nice horse to have.
“She could start on November 9th at Newbury and she could run in that novice before stepping back up into Listed company.
“She is a high-class mare and I’m hoping we will have some fun with her. You would hope she would improve on her bumper form as she is a big horse.
“She has had a few schools and she has jumped very well. She was a bit novicey at Warwick, but having spoken to Oliver she was never in that good a rhythm as she was far superior to the horses she was racing against. I think in a better race she will jump better than that.”
One-time Derby hopeful Brentford Hope might have come up short in his hat-trick bid in the Pertemps Network Swinton Handicap Hurdle at Haydock Park in May but Dereham believes the six-year-old still has plenty of better days ahead of him.
He said: “Brentford Hope did well for me. He won two for me and the plan was the Swinton Hurdle. The ground went a bit quick, and he didn’t let himself go on it which was a shame.
“He might have a run beforehand, but his first season objective is the Gerry Feilden at Newbury. He is probably a bit of a talking horse. It was just a shame the Haydock ground went against him.”
Shared gave Derham a moment to savour when lining up in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March, but while coming up short on that occasion the son of Almanzor is expected to pay his own way again this season.
Derham said: “Shared was lame the day after the Fred Winter and he had pus in his foot so he didn’t really run his race at Cheltenham.
“He then ran really well at Chepstow on his last start where he finished third and he will go back to Chepstow on October 14th for the four-year-old hurdle they have there, but he could end up going up in trip at some stage. He stays really well and that is the key to him.
“He did well for me last season, and I think he has improved a bit. He was a complete nightmare to train last season as he tied up a lot, but this year he hasn’t done that at all.”
When it comes to novice chasing Derham believes that in Monviel, Sir Psycho and Picks Lad he could have three individuals that are more than capable of making their mark over fences this term.
He said: “Monviel won a nice race over hurdles at Ascot last year, but he will go chasing and he could start at Newton Abbot on October 21st. I think he is a nice horse.
“He won over two miles at Ascot so he will start over that trip, although it might be that he wants further in time.
“He has run in three very good handicap hurdles and has just come up a bit short each time. I’d like to think if he jumps fences well he could be the sort of horse to do well in a novice campaign.
“He is rated 128 now and I’d like to think he could get to 135. My view is there are three nice novice handicap chases well-spaced out before Christmas at Newton Abbot, Wincanton and Ascot. If he is a two-mile horse, those races would be a good programme to start off with.
“Sir Psycho was a smart juvenile hurdler for Paul, but he slightly lost his way. He is a talented horse on his day and if a change of scenery sparks him up a little bit he could do well.
“He had an inauspicious start to his chasing career at Bangor, but we will probably try and give chasing another go and see how we get on. It is lovely to have Sir Martin (Broughton, owner) in the yard as I got to know him well through Dodging Bullets while down at Paul’s.
“He has done a bit of schooling, and he has done well. Physically he is capable of jumping fences. It is just a case of whether he is mentally, or not, in the right place to jump fences.
“Ed Bailey purchased Picks Lad at the horses in training sale at Doncaster in May. He won on his last start which was his first handicap at Taunton. I think he could make into quite a progressive staying chaser.
“He is rated 108 now. He looks to me like he is a better horse than that mark. I’m excited about him. He will start in a novice handicap chase, but my ultimate aim is to get him to Uttoxeter for the novice handicap chase there on Midlands National Day.”
Like most yards Derham has a number of horses that have switched from the Flat to the jumps and in Salvatore and Mojo Ego he believes he has two potential smart types on his hands to go hurdling with this season.
He said: “Salvatore is a horse who finished fourth in a Listed race over a mile and a half in France last season. He wasn’t quite right last season, so we left him off and gave him some time. He jumps well and I think he is a nice horse.
“Flat horses going jumping you just have to check whether they have the attitude for it, but he has definitely got plenty of ability. He could start at the start of November.”
“Mojo Ego was a decent horse on the Flat in France, but he did a lot wrong on his last two starts over hurdles as he was keen. The lovely thing about him was that Highclere purchased him and they gave him a break.
“He has come over, acclimatised and had a nice rest. I hope to start him off at Kempton Park on October 22nd in the juvenile hurdle there.
“His last run was on an easy right-handed track at Strasbourg, so Kempton Park to me seems quite a sensible place to start. I really like him. Everything he does he does really well and he is a tough hardy little horse.”
As for other names to note over hurdles this season Derham expects both Market Rasen scorer Bella Civena and Push To Pass to both end up in the winner’s enclosure at some point throughout the campaign.
He said: “We got Push To Pass last August as a two year old. The plan is to run him in a junior three-year-old hurdle at Wetherby and he jumps great.
“We got him as an unbroken two-year-old and Jason Maguire did an excellent job breaking him in. We schooled him a few weeks ago and he schooled fantastically. It is very satisfying seeing a horse you put all the work into learn and develop.
“Bella Civena is a nice mare and she won well on her debut at Market Rasen, which was no surprise to us. She will start in a mares’ novice hurdle between the middle to the end of November.
“If we can try and get some black type with her for her owners at some stage that would be great. I don’t quite know what level she is at yet. She is not over big and would have to progress again, but she easily could do.”
For those that want to be part of Derham’s journey the avid cricket fan has set up a racing club aimed at those on a smaller budget where for £99 a share can be purchased in four-year-old gelding Nordic Tiger.
He added: “The reason I started a racing club is to get people involved in racing that otherwise wouldn’t normally be involved and that is an important part of business going forward. Nordic Tiger is a lovely individual, and he should give everyone in the racing club some good days out this season.”
For more information on the racing club visit www.harryderhamracing.com
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