Every Trainer Has Their Day...

I'm sure no thoroughbred horse trainer needs our pity. 

They may need our money to buy an expensive offspring sired by Frankel. By necessity, they make the most of their lot. That's why, for some, it's a long, cold winter, even on the hottest summer's day. 

Craig's recent trainer post, a handler said most trainers do it for the love of the game. Sure, some make huge sums of money. I guess it can seem so easy when the likes of John Gosden, Sir Michael Stoute, Roger Varian et al field a blueblooded horse worth £1,000,000. Perhaps some have it easy. But that may be the perception of those who have not. 

My statement ''Every Trainer Has Their Day...''

That is true to a point because by definition they will have that one horse that makes their career or stays fondly in the memory. They probably remember their worst with hope and horror. But how satisfying it must be to train a winner who needed placing to perfection or a little bit of luck. As the saying goes ''Small fish taste sweetest''. 

The other thought is that if training for long enough (decades) a trainer will get a decent horse. It's a numbers game.

A dream come true to ''finally'' get a good horse. That two-year-old shows natural talent. It continues to shine until that smile of hope turns into the realisation of something quite magical. 

Can you imagine waiting for decades for that day?

I once wrote a post saying that Neville Bycroft was to train a horse for Godolphin. 

A few people commented wondering if I was on drugs, whether it was April fool's day or just wishful thinking. 

Wouldn't such a story make the racing headlines for all the right reasons? It would capture the imagination and build on hope which we can all appreciate. I guess logically, financially, it wouldn't happen. But when so many of these money owners are literally billionaires is it really an issue? That glimmer of hope has to be worth the pounds, shillings, and pence.  

If I had all the money in the world (a fraction would do) I would find ten small trainers who deserve a change of luck and give them a Frankel 2yo. Any winnings would be given to charity. No doubt a few smaller trainers will read this and wish I was rich!

A few years back a small trainer (I won't name them) had a winner. They come infrequently. Sadly, their success wasn't considered by the Racing Post to be worthy of much comment. I very much doubt they did it intentionally but how appreciating it would be to have these successes given just reward. A moment for others in a busy world to stop and think ''Well done''. To, perhaps, consider if they buy a horse they may be the trainer who gets a chance to be considered. 

I guess so many people root for the underdog. I'm not sure if it is just the poor who understand what it means. I like to think it is everyone because we have all had our days. There is something wonderful about a trainer finding that diamond in the sand. 

It happens. 

Thank God for all those trainers who get up at the crack of dawn with the hope it will last another day - perhaps a lifetime (if they are lucky). Keep believing, because one day your dream ma come true.