I WOULDN'T call Robbie Llewellyn's path into training racehorses unconventional rather, enterprising. More on that later. For now, let's focus on the 33-year-old's achievements thus far, some 18 months into his National Hunt training career.
So far, he's secured 27 wins from 167 runs. This season, he's achieved 21 wins from 96 runs a solid 22% strike rate from the 27 horses he's sent out from his yard, just south of the M4 in Wiltshire, which borders the Barbury Castle Estate.
"The two Ascot winners we had in December 2023 are my most memorable," says Robbie as we chat after watching one lot ride out.
"To have a runner at Ascot is amazing, and I was a bit punchy to send Titan Discovery there, but for him to win and then for Top Cloud, who we only paid £8,000 for, to follow suit the next day - it was such a special weekend and it still hasn't yet really sunk in.
"To have walked into that winner's enclosure was a surreal feeling as it's such a special place." From an early age, it seemed almost inevitable that Robbie would work with horses at some point during his life.
“Dad rode in point-to-points and Mum’s brother was the Welsh champion point-topoint jockey and then trained,” he explains.
Robbie grew up in a small village called Wick in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, about a mile and a half from the coast.
“We had ponies as kids and did Pony Club and pony racing with some success, finishing second in the final at Aintree,” says Robbie, who went on to ride in point to-points and rode out for trainer Tim Vaughan at the weekends – before going to fellow trainer Evan Williams for a summer when he was 16.
“I stayed in school to do my A levels and then went to college for a year but hated it, so came back to Wales and worked for David Brace and stayed there for seven years.
Denne historien er fra April 11, 2024-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
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Denne historien er fra April 11, 2024-utgaven av Horse & Hound.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
'Sorry, but I wasn't feeling it'
Fresh from the opening meet, Tessa Waugh hasn't quite yet been bitten by the hunting bug. Without the crisp autumnal air and cheek-pinching cold she hoped for, it's a sluggish start
New pair pull off a win
A former European Championships pony is on form with his new rider, while elsewhere former showjumpers and eventers take ribbons
Lording it over the rest
Horses who have returned from injury, a second generation homebred and a long format specialist score on the final weekend of the British season
Smith hits flying form
A \"her way or no way\" mare helps Zoe Smith to an impressive ribbon haul and a rider beats his own boss to the top spot
Jankorado hits the jackpot
Paul Sims is triumphant despite his interrupted jump-off preparation and a borrowed horse comes up trumps
Peanut
From \"dangerous, scary\" to hedge-hopping brilliance, hunting has been the making of this unstable but very lovable equine character
She's a corker
Communication, says long-standing and highly respected Belvoir master Lady Sarah McCorquodale, is the key to all, as Catherine Austen discovers
Access all areas Cavalier Centre
The Cavalier Centre is a fully accessible, state-of-the-art equestrian centre designed to improve lives through horse-based activities. Ellie May Forrester pays a visit
'Use it or lose it'
Not everyone wants to reach for the pipe and slippers at a certain age. Becky Murray speaks to some veteran horse-and-rider combos for their secrets of human and equine longevity
A new way forward
Worm control in horses is vital, but established methods will not remain effective for much longer. Tim Mair FRCVS explains why and how we need to change