The Racing Life of William Humpreys

William ‘Will’ Humphreys didn't have huge family connections to racing but he was captivated from a very early age: ‘All I ever wanted was to be a jockey and I was fascinated by racing and racehorses. When I was in a highchair, my mother put me in front of the racing on the television.’ His late father worked with big cars as a panel beater and his mother was initially a secretary, who went into nursing after raising the family.

Will with Nobel Yeats

However, Will, 60, did have tenuous links to racing. ‘My grandfather was very into horses. He worked in Ireland, was a head groom, taught ladies side-saddle and had point-to-pointers. I never found out his connection to horses until after he'd passed,’ explains Will. ‘Saying that, all members of my family like to bet and Dad took us to Hereford Racecourse as they frequently raced on Saturdays, and if there was any racing on at Ludlow.’

Once a National Hunt jockey, Will’s biggest winner was on the Neville Callaghan-trained Royal Derbi in the Wensleydale Juvenile Hurdle at Wetherby in October 1988. He retired in the autumn of 1996 with seventy winners.

Will is now the Racing Specialist for Baileys Horse Feed. Yet, he is still involved in a yard, helping out when he can, through wife Kate, who is assistant trainer to Robert Waley-Cohen. ‘I used to spend a lot of time riding out in customers’ yards but I ride out less than I did. I’m getting a bit older now!’ Will chuckles. ‘Mostly, I ride out at home on Kate’s horses and get to sit on some very nice ones. In fact, in my time, I've ridden out two Cheltenham Gold Cup winners, Charter Party and Long Run, and schooled an Aintree Grand National winner in Earth Summit. That's not bad, is it?’

Adding to those chasers steeped with illustrious careers, Kate also trained Katerino to win consecutive Aintree Foxhunters’ in her twenty-plus years at the helm. Through her job, Will, Kate and son Henry live on the Upton Viva Stud estate, Warwickshire. They have a thirteen-year-old black Labrador called Breeze and a chocolate Labrador called Betsy, who's nearly a year old.

Did you have a horsey childhood? When we visited my aunty in Wales, I’d sit on one of her ponies and my dad would lead me up and down the beach. I didn't start to learn to ride until I was about eight when I went to a local riding school. It was run by Peter Dickin who had been in racing and came back to run the riding school with the help of his younger brother Robin, the former trainer. Peter always knew I wanted to be a jockey so, after I learnt the basics, he taught me how to ride short.

I was about thirteen when I got a pony and joined the Pony Club, which means it wasn't until my late childhood years that I gained more riding experience.

How did you get into racing? Growing up in Shropshire, my first involvement with racehorses was through a lady called Betty Sykes who had a permit and trained on the edge of Ludlow. Dad got chatting to her through a chap called Alan Robinson who used to help Betty with her horses. She bred Comedy Of Errors, who won the Champion Hurdle twice for Fred Rimmel. At weekends and after school, I used to muck out and then ride Betty’s old hunter, an ex-racehorse.

Which trainers have you worked for? In the summer of 1981, I went to work for David ‘the Duke’ Nicholson and spent over ten years with him. I went there as a lad but obviously with the intention of getting rides. The Duke was renowned for having an academy, as his father Frenchie did, for jockeys so luckily, I got a position there.

In between, I was a stable jockey for David Gandolfo for a couple of seasons. As I lived half a mile away, I rode out for Nigel Twiston-Davies and in my last year of riding, I was totally freelance.

Will on the Robin Dickin-trained Winabuck 

How do you reflect back on your riding career? When I look back, I made some right decisions but also some bad ones. I was very lucky to be at the Duke's, through which I rode for a lot of other good trainers: Martin Pipe, Ian Balding, Fred Winter, Neville Callaghan and Captain Forster. I also rode winners for Nigel Twiston-Davies, Callaghan and obviously, I rode winners for the Duke. I got to wear Peter Melon’s, or rather Mill Reef’s, colours through Ian Balding.

I rode for the Princess Royal, who I also spent quite a lot of time with when she'd come to ride out for the Duke. I used to ride out one of her horses, Cnoc Na Cuille, every day – he was a saint to ride and a bus but had no mouth and would run off with everyone. I rode him on the track and finished a close second to Run And Skip. Having a connection with the Princess Royal was something else – sometimes we’d ride out just me and her. My mother was a complete royalist so the fact I was spending time with the Princess Royal was the highlight of my career for her. She thought it was amazing and it actually was amazing! If any horse was being suited for the Princess, I’d come in on a Sunday afternoon to have a sit on it or school it before Princess Anne would ride it. Or she’d watch me school it once so they knew it was all right.

Best horse you rode: I rode Waterloo Boy on the track. Before he ever ran, I remember that he was thought to be useless. Pieces of work were orchestrated by the head lad who was on the biggest three-mile chaser. Waterloo Boy ran in a bumper at Ludlow ridden by Amanda McDowell – he was last turning in, passed one and took off, and just got out nodded on the line.

The Duke then ran him over hurdles but I couldn't ride him as I was injured. I went to saddle him up and he unseated Jimmy Frost at the first. I rode him at Towcester and finished fourth, and I came second on him at Wincanton – then Richard Dunwoody got on him! He was an uncomplicated, saint of a horse.

Will on Cnoc Na Cuille, owned by HRH Princess Royal

Favourite racecourse: I loved riding round Ludlow. I'm from Ludlow, I had my first ever ride round Ludlow and I rode plenty of winners round there.

Is there a former racecourse that you feel is a shame that shut? The old jumping tracks of Wolverhampton and Nottingham – they were very fair tracks and I rode winners round both.

How have aspects changed for jockeys? I don't think they have as much fun! I think, we enjoyed it more. As all racing is on TV these days, everything gets scrutinised and jockeys get criticised for even doing wrong on the way down to the start.

Your Opinion and Will at Newbury

How did you get to start working for feed companies? Like any career, race riding is like a pyramid: it climbs to a peak and then comes down the other side. When I was coming down the other side, I started riding horses that weren't very good and I came through a couple of bad injuries. I was riding horses for the money, not because I was enjoying it. And, if you're a jockey you do it because you love it – if any jockey say they do it for the money, then they're lying. The money is an added bonus but not the reason you do it.

Someone said to me to see JETS (Jockeys Educational and Training Scheme), who had just started up. I spoke to Dana Mellor, Stan Mellor’s daughter, who was running it then. After a good chat, during which I wondered about being an assistant trainer, she suggested I went on the racing industry course at Hindlip College near Worcester. It was a fairly intense two-week course that covered everything from turf management to tendons, feeding to going racing and welfare of the horse.

         After actually packing up riding, I went to see Dana again. I still didn't have a clue what to do: did I pack in sixteen years of experience and start doing something new? But I rather

I put it to good use. Dana asked what I found the most interesting on the course and I answered the feeding. I was always on the opposite weekend as the head lad so I'd done the feeding when he was off and on holidays, which I always enjoyed. Through Dana, I was put in contact with a lad called Mark Harrington who used to ride and worked for Dana's father. I was invited to a Baileys race day at Newmarket. I went up to the box to meet Mark and give him my CV. At the time, there were no jobs going and to earn money in the meantime, I kept riding out.

I had an interview for Dodson And Horrell, was promised a job but I never heard from them again. I was offered the job of groundsman at Warwick Racecourse but it was given to someone else due to my lack of experience. I became a bit fed up but Dana kept pestering me. By chance, she said Mark Harrington was leaving Baileys and had put me forward for his job.

I had an interview, through which we talked more about racing than the job. Paul Venner, the head of Baileys, had had a horse at the Duke’s called Bigsun, which I’d broken in. We spent forever talking about Bigsun, about how they’d had it for ‘pointing. Paul said offered me the job and I was there five years. I then went to Dodson and Horrell for twelve years.

After a change of management, I went to work for Topspec for seven years, who employed me to do a bit of racing but also the stud side.

During COVID, I got stir crazy and was approached by an all-weather surface company, Equestrian Surfaces, to work for them; they wanted to get into racing and my name had been mentioned. After twelve months, I was offered the chance to return to Baileys, which I jumped at with open arms. They’re a great team and great products to work with.

Middle of the picture: Will on Connaught River (big white blaze) as the Duke surveys his string

Describe your role: I look after existing customers and I look for new customers. I strive to help people get the best out of their horses. Supporting yards with feeding regime and supporting through any issues they might be having

How has feeding racehorses evolved? When I first started, people fed oats and mixes so you’d be trying to balance up the oats but now hardly anyone feeds oats. I can't see racing ever reverting back because of the fact that oats may explode so you have to store them in an oat house, and oats invariably have to be shifted and bruised – it’s a lot easier and more cost effective for a manufacturer to make a compound feed.

Favourite food: I'm a big lover of an Indian. 

Favourite drink: I don't drink alcohol. It would have to be tea. When I visit customers, I drink a lot of tea so I have a bladder like a hippo! I never turn down a cup of tea because I get more time with customers.

Favourite snack: Marmite on toast. I do like Marmite!

Favourite holiday destination: Seven years ago, we went on safari in South Africa with a couple of friends and it was the best holiday ever.

Favourite book: Patricia Cornwell and J. R. R. Tolkien novels.

Favourite film: Lord of the Rings.

Favourite music: Billy Joel.

Other interests: Golf and I still enjoy riding out.