The Racing Life of Beth Stock

‘I’m away with the fairies so my answers are long – I’m not very straight forwards,’ said Beth Stock, nee Whittle. Yet, I didn’t mind – Beth has a zest for life, bubbliness and gusto that is infectious. Her tangents were interspersed with lashings of laughter, the odd swear word and a passion for all she does. Having been in racing on and off for ten years, she currently works for trainer DJ Jeffreys.

Beth with Lively Citizen

A self-confessed ‘Gloucester girl’ through and through, Beth, 29, married Harry Stock, an ex-jockey turned chimney sweep, last August. They live in Willersley, Worcestershire with their sausage dogs Noodle and Peanut.

Beth owns two horses: Me Time, the showjumper she’s owned for nine years. ‘He’s been brilliant, my absolute rock. He does the jockeys’ challenge at the London Horse Show with Brian Hughes and I have competed him up to 1.30 – Harry hates him and Me Time hates Harry.’

‘Last May, I acquired ex-racehorse Back On The Lash or ‘Lashed Potato’ as I call him,’ she says. ‘I was at Fontwell with one of our runners when my old boss Martin Keighley rang me and said, “We’re retiring your horse and can you have him?” I rang Harry, who instantly said I couldn’t have two horses and then he rang me back, uttered some expletives and said “Because it’s that horse, you can have him”. I absolutely adore both my horses – they’re like my children.’

Something tells me that if it had been a choice between Harry or the horses, then Harry wouldn’t have won!

Me Time at the London Horse Show

Did you have a horsey childhood? I had a very horsey childhood, but not because my parents were horsey. My dad’s a doctor and my mum’s a nurse, and they weren’t horsey. Somehow, I just took an interest in horses; I’ve always loved horses and dogs.

When I was about four, to give me something to do, my parents let me try a couple of riding lessons. I had already quit ballet!

First ponies: My dad did the maths and bought me a pony, figuring it was cheaper than weekly lessons. He was called Prince and we got him off the local lady who did Mum’s acrylic nails. He was a bear but also brilliant. We still owned him when he died two years ago.

Then, I did a lot of showing and working hunter on good Welsh ponies but I soon got bored of that because my attention span wasn’t great. I did Pony Club and, for one season only, I was captain of a really shoddy mounted games team. I had a really good Pony Club pony called Sunny.

       I did a bit of everything until I was fourteen, when I started showjumping, which I enjoyed. I had a really good showjumping mare called DD Dream. She was rotten keen and I couldn’t really hold one side of her but she was really nice.   

Looking back, I was very lucky. Mum and Dad really were great, always upgrading my ponies when I needed bigger ones and paying the livery.

How did you get into racing? I worked on a couple of showjumping yards and, when I was eighteen, I started working for Jason Maguire and I’d happily say I was a pain in his arse. I was a healthcare assistant and went into Jason’s in the afternoons for a bit of extra money.

  Harry had been at Donald McCain’s but moved back home and went to Martin and Belinda Keighley’s. Martin said, ‘Why don’t you get your missus to come in and ride out?’ By then, I was at university so had the time to go in with Harry. I really enjoyed it and then Lash came into the equation, changing everything. The first time I rode him, I hated him – he was only about 15hh and I did flat work to get him into an outline and going better. Then, we just clicked and my whole world became about this bloody horse. At the time, Keighley’s was still traditional and we ‘did’ our own horses, and I had five really nice horses. I loved all of them but Lash was my number one. It’s so lovely when you look after your own horses – you are fully involved and have pride in the job.

       When I finished uni, all my friends had gone home and I felt lost without the sense of community uni had given me. I had got a job as a teacher in Coventry but I didn’t take it because working in racing gave me a sense of purpose. I was always looking for something bigger but racing gave me everything – a purpose and lots of mates.

What did you study at university? I got into do Adult Nursing at the University of Worcester. Four days before I was to start, I was at a showjumping competition and I realised I didn’t want to study that anymore. My mum pointed out that I had to get a degree so I rang up the only uni that I thought would definitely have me: Hartpury, who offered me a place on the Equine Science degree course. That’ll do, I thought, actually not thinking about it at all, which was really stupid. I turned up on the first day without a clue of what I had signed up to do but did achieve a 2:1 with Honours at the end.

Favourite racehorses: Back On The Lash is my absolute favourite without a shadow of a doubt. When Lash won his first race, a Ludlow bumper, I was only riding out but I watched from a bookie’s in Bath. I followed his whole career, even when he won big races after I left and always watched him. When he won over hurdles at Cheltenham and then over the cross-country fences were amazing days. Plus, I won a charity race on him.

I’d also like to mention my favourite at DJ Jeffreys: Lively Citizen (Ozzie). He really has stolen my heart, coming a very close second to my number one. He’s a legend.

Memories with Back On The Lash, especially at Cheltenham

Trainers worked for: Jason Maguire the pre-trainer. Martin Keighley riding out and full-time. Now, I work fulltime for DJ Jeffreys. I’ve been here nearly three years and I love my job. I do a bit of office work, go racing, ride out every day – and it’s ten minutes from my house.

Favourite racecourse: Cheltenham is cool but I really love Aintree.

Favourite canteen: I always judge a racecourse on their canteen…I love Wetherby for the food, Catterick for the homemade cakes and, even though it’s in the arse-end of nowhere, Musselburgh because I have macaroni cheese and chips.

Best day in racing so far: Winning my charity race at Warwick. Afterwards, jockey James ‘Besty’ Best asked wouldn’t my wedding day or my kids being born be my best day but I said no, adamant that it was winning the charity race. And it was, until I saw Taylor Swift live…

Have you ever been a jockey? I just wouldn’t want to be one; I’d be brutal. Firstly, no one would put me up so I’d have no rides and I’d feel sorry for the poor horse.

What do you love about working in racing? I love the feeling of community – that we’re all in it together. Without sounding cheesy, we all have the same highs and the same lows. I love the horses – I love looking after the horses, I never get bored of them and there’s nothing better than seeing a horse I love win. Everyone takes the mick out of me by saying, ‘Is that your favourite too?’ but they really are all my favourites, and my babies. I call them my ‘kings and queens’. I absolutely adore them and do everything for them. Wherever I have worked, I have always loved the horses as well as doing everything from riding out at home to taking them racing.

I love leading up winners. I love the routine but that every day is still different, it’s a good laugh and there’s nothing better than having craic at work. I love the people – you meet so many characters in racing,

What don’t you like about working in racing? Don’t get me wrong: early mornings, cold winters, getting piss wet through a lot isn’t ideal. And I didn’t love falling off five times in two weeks or when I get run away with on the gallops because I’m weak as a kitten. Bad days are shit but if I disliked it, I wouldn’t be in it. Life’s too short to do a job you don’t like. I’ve always loved being busy – I wouldn’t be one for clock watching in an office all day. Collectively in racing, we work too long days not to like it.

Victorious on Lash in the Warwick charity race, a lover of holidays and the most loyal Swiftie

Have you received any words of advice about riding racehorses? Before my charity race, Warren Marston (‘Wozza’) was my jockey coach and when I asked him what to do, he told me not to be pushing with my hands in front but to squeeze him into the bridle. Before the course walk, I hadn’t realised Warwick was downhill round the back. I remember texting him (because everyone else had their jockey coach with them. Mine was in the bar, perhaps) that I didn’t know it was downhill. He texted back ‘You Win’ – that was his advice! When riding out, Wozza always taught me how to improve, whereas my husband still shouts at me and says I can’t ride.

Best day out of racing: My wedding day, which was amazing and really boozy… Getting Back On The Lash… Seeing Taylor Swift at Wemberley last year. When she came out on stage, I cried. I’m the biggest Swiftie in racing, no one else comes close.

Favourite meal: Lasagne.

Favourite drink: It is champagne but I don’t want to sound like a right ponce. It used to be gin but I switched onto vodka.

Favourite snack: Mini Cheddars. I eat a bag of Mini Cheddars every day.

Favourite holiday: My honeymoon to North Ibiza was amazing. We missed the flight – I read the landing time instead of the take-off time and we had to rush to Gatwick. But he’d married me by then!

Harry isn’t a great flier – he has a two-hour window so I go to places like Menorca with him, and join my parents when they go further across the world and I’ve been to some really cool places. In 2024, we visited Miami during the horrendous tornado and were the only people sat with cocktails as it started. I love skiing – about four years ago, I went to an amazing ski holiday to Morzine.

Favourite music: I have a really weird music taste and am a big music geek: Taylor Swift to The Smiths and anything in-between.

Favourite book: The last book I read was Confessions Of A Sociopath by M.E. Thomas, which was really weird but a good read. The Day Of The Jackal by Frederick Forsyth is great too.

Favourite film: I’m a next level film fan, especially rom-coms and anything trashy for sixteen-year-olds. I do love Love Actually; when Sam runs through the airport to tell Joanna he loves her always makes me cry.

Favourite TV program: I love series like Friends.

Hopes/dreams for the future: To continue to be as happy and content as I am – I have everything I need, including a great husband. One day, even though it’s a terrifying thought, we’d like a family.

Once, I had an idea to make Christmas bunting on the side but my sewing machine broke. The bunting business was a non-starter, so was designing my own clothes.