STABLE Talk with Gloucestershire trainer Martin Keighley

THE LIFE OF A TRAINER IS NON-STOP FROM 5AM!

I AM often asked what a trainer gets up to on a regular day.

My alarm goes off at about 5am and I get cursed by my wife Belinda if I am too noisy and wake either or both of our sons Freddie and Harry.

The first hour of my day is spent race planning because it is an hour in the day that I know I won’t be interrupted by my phone ringing.

The first lot pulls out at 7.30am, before then I’ve had to decide which horses are doing what and also who is riding them.

I still ride out when I can, which I enjoy, but on a schooling morning I need to be on the ground to help swap jockeys on and off different horses.

No day is the same and the yard has an ‘open house’ policy where owners can pop in whenever they wish to, so there are often owners here.

I am obviously going racing quite a few times every week and I try and utilise the time spent travelling in the car to make my phone calls.

I also do a lot of the tractor work on the grass and all-weather gallops myself too and there is always rolling, spiking, mowing etc. to be done.

Although I mostly decide myself which races the horses run in, some owners are more hands-on and have more input than others.

I also often run ideas past Alain Cawley or Ian Popham about certain horses and Warren Marston is always on the end of the phone with good ideas too.

Belinda helps with the administration side, so when we’ve got the boys to bed in the evening we can often do entries and declarations online.

Life as a racehorse trainer is pretty much 24/7 and because I am so hands-on it is important that I do make some family time whenever possible.

Luckily Belinda, Freddie and Harry all love coming racing so we often combine a day at the races with an overnight stay.

That’s especially the case in the summer when we have runners at Newton Abbot. We try and stay nearby and go to the seaside the next day, which the boys really enjoy.

For more information about Martin’s stable, visit Martinkeighleyracing.com

NICE TO RECEIVE PRAISE FROM THE 'ULTIMATE PRO'

WE had three runners at Sandown last weekend and although none of them won, they all ran really well.

All For Free and Havingotascoobydo both finished second and Any Currency was fourth.

I was delighted with them all as they would all prefer further but they all did us proud.

This week Havingotascoobydo and Champion Court have both enjoyed a lovely week out in the field where they have been out overnight too.

Luckily the weather has been kind and they have looked really happy when we’ve been to check them and we hope they can stay out for another week.

After this short break, where they won’t have lost much fitness, they will have a ‘prep’ race somewhere small in February before the Festival.

They both have a few options at the Festival and I won’t be rushing into deciding which race they go for.

I was surprised but delighted to read that Richard Dunwoody has mentioned me as one of the trainers to watch out for this year.

He was stable jockey at David Nicholson’s yard when I first arrived and is definitely someone I really look up to.

He was the ultimate professional when he was racing and it is a real boost to know that he thinks we are a yard on the up.

WARREN HAS GONE FROM TOP JOCKEY TO CRACKING COACH

WARREN Marston came up yesterday to watch Danny Hiskett, our conditional jockey, schooling over hurdles and fences on a variety of horses.

Warren retired from the saddle in April and, among other things he is doing, he has become a jockey coach and has been assigned to our stable jockey Ian Popham and Danny.

It’s part of a pilot scheme, funded by the industry, to develop and extend the training and support available to jockeys in the workplace.

The British Horseracing Authority has recently qualified a number of coaches in a UKCC Level 3 Coaching qualification and it is a huge step forward in the support they give young jockeys in their career development.

The coaching covers all aspects of their development and will include the technical aspect of their race-riding as well as issues such as nutrition and general welfare.

The overall aim is to provide the industry with jockeys that are fully rounded sportsmen and women who will represent us, our owners and the industry successfully.

It’s a job I think Warren will be brilliant at because there will be no situation these boys have been in that he’s not experienced and he knows when to give them encouragement and also when he needs to motivate them too.

It was definitely a bit odd having him stood next to me on the schooling ground instead of on a horse!