Stable Tour: Harry Derham looking forward to writing new chapter as trainer
Making it as a racehorse trainer requires good financial backing, support from owners and a solid team of staff and with all of those ingredients in place it is easy to see why Harry Derham is “excited not daunted” about branching out on his own this season.
After spending 11 years working for his uncle and 13-times champion Jump trainer Paul Nicholls, including six years as his assistant trainer, the 28 year old announced last September that the 2021/22 campaign would be his final one as part of the team at Manor Farm Stables.
Despite his announcement Derham remained the consummate professional throughout last season before embarking on a summer recruitment drive, both equine and human, ahead of welcoming in his first horses into his temporary base in Lambourn.
With his move into his new purpose built 45-box yard in Boxford set to take place at the turn of the year, Derham has earmarked Boxing Day when he hopes to be in a position to saddle his first runners under his own name and realise a long held ambition.
Speaking to The Jockey Club, Derham revealed: “I’ve always wanted to train in my own right for the last five or six years but that doesn’t happen overnight. I could have been at Paul’s a lot longer and been perfectly happy but I don’t feel you get opportunities like this very often and so I felt like I had to take it.
“I’ve got really good people supporting me. Financially, I was never going to be in a position to buy somewhere and realistically starting out without real good support and backing from people it wasn’t going to happen and this opportunity presented itself.
“This summer has been different as I’ve been sourcing horses with my bloodstock agent Ed Bailey, who has been an amazing help, and I’ve been working hard to make sure I’m happy with the design and build of the site. There is no denying it has been different going from an assistant to becoming a trainer as it is a different dynamic. It is going to be a challenge but I’m not daunted by it - I'm excited by it.”
For a venture like this to get off the ground it requires a certain amount of financial backing, something which Derham will be forever thankful to hotelier and land owner Caroline Sutton for in helping give him the opportunity to turn his dreams into reality.
He added: “Caroline has been a fan of racing for a long time and I rode her a couple of winners many years ago.
“The family have a couple of big estates with this one in Berkshire with a farm on that wasn’t doing all that much.
“Caroline is a big fan of racing and both her and her partner liked the idea of having a yard on their estate and that is what it was born out of.
“Caroline has been an amazing supporter and she already has a horse with me. She has been a big help getting me set up and she has been very generous.
“I’m very excited by it and hopefully she will be involved the whole way through. I feel extremely lucky to have her support and it is a really nice set up.
“I’m not a salaried trainer and it is my own business and she is leasing me the land, but her support has been invaluable.”
When it comes to influences few have had a greater impact on Derham’s life than Gold Cup and Grand National-winning trainer Nicholls, who he credits as the person that generated his interest in the sport and helping him reach the position he is in today.
He said: “The only reason I’m doing any of this is because of Paul and I’ve said that repeatedly to him.
“I got into the sport in the first place from watching him and Ruby (Walsh) win everything. I got very inspired by that at a very impressionable age.
“It was like having two rock stars in my life at that age and watching them was amazing.
“Everything I’ve learnt in the sport is from him and Clifford (Baker, Head Lad to Nicholls). I will never forget my time there and I’ve learnt lots off them.
“I feel I’ve got a good enough base of knowledge to start with and that is all because of him.”
Attracting owners has not proven to be a problem for Derham, who alongside some new names in the sport has the likes of England cricket stars, and close friends, Craig and Jamie Overton and endurance motor racing driver Harry Tincknell on the roster.
He added: “My biggest supporter at the moment is a guy called Johnathan Gregory. He has been really behind the project from the start, while Adrian Brown is another big supporter of mine already that has helped me out.
“Jamie and Craig Overton have got a share in a horse with some other pals of mine, while Harry Tincknell who is a professional endurance racing car driver has got a horse and a share in a couple of others, as have my mum and dad.
“The thing I’m quite proud of is I’ve a couple of owners who have never been involved in the sport before like Andy Mitchell and his wife Julia and Graham Glew as well. I feel like the guys that I have got with me are in it for the journey as well.”
Finding good staff when starting out can present a challenge but in Graham Baines, Ryan Holley, who is the son of retired Grade One-winning rider Paul Holley, Joe Wroe and his sister Amy, who will be in charge of office duties, Derham feels quite blessed.
He added: “I actually feel pretty lucky to have the team I’ve got. I only have a small team at the moment but they have been brilliant already.
“They are headed up by my head lad Graham Baines who is vastly experienced in the job and I think we complement each other extremely well.
“I’ve got Joe Wroe who is a good friend of mine that has come to mine from Paul’s and he has been a great friend and help already. Then there is Ryan Holley who is the son of Paul Holley. He is a very accomplished horseman who has come in and got stuck in. To have three guys like that at the start is amazing as I can’t do it all myself.
“Amy, my sister, is going to run my office for me. I’m delighted she is helping me out and she will be a brilliant asset as well.”
While based with Nicholls tasting success at the likes of the Cheltenham, Aintree and Sandown Park was a regular occurrence, but Derham feels he has a good blend of older horses and promising youngsters that can help him get results on the board quickly.
He added: “We’ve got a nice mix of horses and I’m fortunate already that I’ve had some amazing support from owners already to go out and buy some nice horses. There are a few that I’m quite excited about.
“I’m hoping one of my first runners will be Helenn Clermont. She is an Irish point-to-pointing mare. Lady Sutton owns her and we will hopefully get her to run in a mares novices’ hurdle. She looks very nice.
“There is a four year old called Thunder N Lightnin who will go novice hurdling and we have Montys Medoc from Paul’s plus Fidelio Vallis who is a nice horse people will know.
“There are a couple of juveniles called Fourofakind and Salvatore and a nice mare we got off Mr Sherwood called Puffin Bay.
“Game Winner was placed in a bumper for Paul and we have got him. He is a lovely horse to go novice hurdling with and is owned by Craig and Jamie Overton and a few of their friends. I want to try and get them in races that they can be competitive in and run their races and give their owners good days out.”
When it comes to targets Derham, who will primarily use Paul O’Brien as his first choice jockey, keeps his cards close to his chest, however there are a couple he is willing to reveal that he hopes to achieve before the end of the season.
He added: “I’ve got some targets in my head that I won’t share with anyone as I don’t want to end up with egg on my face but I have some that I will share.
“The first target, like any rookie trainer, is to train that first winner as it is the one you dream off and sweat about. When that comes it will be a special thing.
“The main target for the first season is to keep my horses fit and healthy. If I can do that I know I’ve got some nice horses that can be competitive in the right races if I do my job right.”
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