FAMILY DAY OUT AS NICHOLLS AND O’BRIEN DAUGHTERS GAIN LARKHILL EXPERIENCE

A week ago last Sunday, Fergal O’Brien trained three winners at Leicester, yet he was at Larkhill in Wiltshire.

So too were fellow licensed trainers Paul Nicholls, Chris Gordon and Kayley Woollacott.

This article first appeared in the Racing Post on Friday 2nd December.

O’Brien and Nicholls were watching their daughters Fern and Olive who were riding at the meeting, Gordon was there to support his wife Jenny, who trains pointers, while Woollacott’s partner Josh Newman was in action. A threat of closure at Larkhill seems to have been resolved and for a unique venue of size and presence it is worth visiting. The next two fixtures are on December 18 and New Year’s Day – it is exposed, so wrap up warm.

Fern O’Brien, who is in her first season of pointing, finished second in the ladies’ race on Grageelagh Girl, although her dad kept well away from the saddling process carried out by trainer Hannah Lewis. He trained the mare last season when she ran at Cartmel on Fern’s hunter chasing debut, scored comfortably, but was disqualified after the weight cloth was jettisoned on the run-in.

“I was blamed for that,” said a sheepish Fergal. “I’m banned this time.”

Fern O’Brien, who was keeping her dad well away from saddling duties at Larkhill

Olive Nicholls, 16, went one better – or a half better – when dead-heating (main image, centre) in the ROR & Jockey Club veteran horses’ race with 17-year-old Molly Landau (main image, left), whose parents Emma and Guy were on hand. There is nothing like a child taking up a sport to bring their parents back to it, for in the 1980s they rode successfully in the South East.

In 1983, Guy, 16, made his debut at defunct Tweseldown on the opening day of the season – February 5, three months later than is currently the norm – and finished third in the men’s open race on Mr Batnac. Kingsclere trainer Ian Balding rode the winner.

During that season Guy enjoyed eight rides and two wins on 13-year-old Mr Batnac, but as Mackenzie & Selby’s formbook recorded: “. . . the diminutive but effective Landau is so tiny he carried six stone of lead in two weight cloths when riding in 12st races.”

The following summer Landau was apprenticed on the Flat to Guy Harwood, and four years later, having eaten extra roasts and switched to Jump racing, he formed an association with Lean Ar Aghaidh which defined his career. They finished third in Maori Venture’s Grand National after making much of the running, then three weeks later won Sandown’s Whitbread Gold Cup. Paul Nicholls finished third on Broadheath.

Guy Landau, who rode the winner of the 1987 Whitbread Gold Cup when Paul Nicholls finished third

Now their daughters are following along, and you will see Molly and Olive hunter chasing next year. They look very good.