One of the most enjoyable experiences of owning a racehorse is visiting your horse at the Trainer’s yard. These visits have proved to be highly successful and provide an excellent opportunity for Partners to get to know each other as well as their horse and Trainer. The fact that Partnerships consist of so few members makes this much more manageable and enhances the enjoyment of the occasion.

On the gallops in Newmarket

Following a morning in the yard and on the gallops watching the horses work, the visits are completed by a lunch in the company of the Trainer. Very firm friendships have developed over the years with Partners drawn together by the love of the sport.

Our horses are trained by Mark Tompkins and William Haggas in Newmarket and by Jim Boyle in Epsom. As well as providing first class care and training for our horses, Mark, William and Jim have welcomed our Partnership philosophy and have proved to be excellent hosts.

Trainers

Mark Tompkins began his training career at Flint Cottage Stables, Newmarket in 1979, having been assistant to Walter Wharton, William Musson and Ryan Jarvis. He has trained almost 700 winners, the first of which was Timmatemma in a hurdle race at Market Rasen. In recent years he has concentrated almost exclusively on the flat but has a record of big hurdle race successes behind him, notably the Bula at Cheltenham (twice), The Guiness Champion Trophy Hurdle at Punchestown and the Scottish Champion.

Among the best horses he has trained on the flat was Bob's Return, who won the St Leger, the Lingfield Derby Trial and the Great Voltigeur. Mark, who has more than 70 horses currently in training, has also won the Magnet Cup, the Cesarewitch and last season the Lincoln. He has also had group race winners in Ireland and Germany.

Rowan Lodge

At Mark Tompkin's Yard with Rowan Express

William Haggas started training in 1987 having served an 8 year apprenticeship in Newmarket. His biggest success to date was marrying Maureen Piggott in 1989 and their success has grown each year. Among the most notable winners William has trained are Shaamit, Epsom Derby 1996, Bog Trotter, multiple Group winner in 1992, Superstar Leo, Champion 2 Year Old Filly in Europe in 2000, Group 1 winner Count Dubois and dual 2000 Guineas winner in 2002, Dupont. Most recently, in 2004, William trained Brunel to win the German 2000 Guineas and Chorist who won the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curagh as well as three other Group races.

William has two children, Mary-Anne 15 and Sam 12 and lists his hobbies as cricket, golf and having lunch with the Rowan Racing Partnerships!

Jim Boyle - Brought up within 10 miles of Newmarket, it wasn’t long before Jim developed a keen interest in horseracing. Saturday mornings on Newmarket Heath watching strings work were soon followed by a job with Sir Michael Stoute where the seeds were sown for his future career. There was never any doubt from that point what Jim was going to do for a living, it was just a question of how and when he was going to achieve it.

Jim took a slightly unconventional route to reaching his goal. After further spells with James Fanshawe, Mark Johnston, and Jonny Limb in Kenya, he spent 5 years at Bristol University studying to become a veterinary surgeon. Having qualified, he spent the next two years working in a mixed practice in Surrey before the opportunity arose to join Paul Cole as an assistant trainer and on-site vet. Three seasons with Mr Cole were invaluable in providing the grounding and experience required to branch out on his own.

In December 2001 Jim started training at South Hatch Stables in Epsom. The yard is owned by Jim's business partner John Hopkins and is steeped in history. Sir Winston Churchill owned horses in training with Sir Walter Nightingale in the post-war period and later Scobie Breasley and Reg Akehurst sent out numerous winners from South Hatch.

An immediate splash was made in his first season of training when landing a £12,000 handicap at Goodwood with Parisien Star, followed by an enormously successful punt on the filly Concubine on the home soil of Epsom racecourse. The successes have continued since then and there look like being many more to come in future years.