Training Career

In 1986 Bryan was encouraged by some of his owners to return to Lambourn to take out a full license and this he did starting with a few jumpers and building up to over 30 horses from his base at Hill House.

Sadly a couple of years later following his divorce the string was reduced to only a handful of horses and things were looking tough to say the least. However with true Yorkshire grit and determination Bryan managed to stay afloat and in 1990 he met his present wife Victoria who was the equine sport therapist to Lord Huntingdon's string and also an amateur rider and point to point jockey. Together they set out to make the business work and Bryan spent many Sundays on the eventing circuit using his skills as a rider and trainer to help a number of eminent event riders with their show jumping.

Amongst those he trained are British Team member Rodney Powell and Olympic Gold medallist Andrew Hoy. Vicky was also involved with the physiotherapy of the event horses and together they paid off the debts and set about filling the yard up with horses.

In spite of his background in National Hunt racing Bryan began to attract more flat horses and soon he trained his first flat winner - two year old filly Sharp Gazelle who won a Maiden Auction Race at Bath. The owners' of Sharp Gazelle were a small partnership of businessmen who are still involved with the yard and who collectively "skint the bookies!!".

I'll never forget that day - it was like the turning point for us and thanks to a steady stream of moderate owner bred horses we managed to improve on our score each year.'

Then in 1995 through his connections with eventing and showjumping Bryan was introduced to Luis Alvarez Cervera who sent him SIL SILA. she was a sweet filly that showed she had something special but could be lazy at home and if you were a gallop watcher you certainly wouldn't have picked her out as a future classic winner. However there was something about her that made her special and Sil Sila duly won her maiden at Warwick followed by the Listed Radley Stakes at Newbury her only two runs as a two year old.

The following year Sil Sila won the Group 1 Prix de Diane Hermes (French Oaks) at Chantilly beating the winner of the Irish Guineas Matiya. The race was run in the third fastest time ever and the fastest time for ten years.

Bryan's string increased to about thirty horses the following year with the emphasis on the flat and the quality also improved, thanks in a large part to Bryan's good eye for a horse, particularly at the yearling sales. In 1998 he trained the winner and third horse home in the inaugural running of the Doncaster St Leger Sales race with 2 year olds Boomerang Blade and Patriot winning over £200,000 in prize money in one day.

In 1999 he won the Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury with 2 year old Don Puccini and things continued to get better - by 2003 he had his best season ever with 39 winners.

2004 saw Monsieur Bond as the star horse in the yard with wins in Group 2 and Group 3 company. This year also saw the first Sheiks horses trained from Hambleton House with Sheik Rashid, son of Sheik Mohammed, placing three horses with Bryan.

Bryan has come a long way since his days as a jump jockey. He has proven that given the ammunition he can produce the results. Since moving to Berkley House Stables in Upper Lambourn he now has a string of around 50 horses. He and his wife Victoria work as a great team with their skills complementing each other. Their 3 year old daughter Beth looks like following in her father and mother's footsteps and loves going up the gallops or pottering around the yard.

Bryan prides himself in making his training set up a friendly affair with emphasis on individual attention for the horses and the owners however small a share in a horse they own. He has run several successful racing partnerships which he believes are the way forward to attract more people into the game and none better to advertise this than the success of sprinter Don Puccini in the Weatherby Super Sprint at Newbury in July 1999 who won over £70,000 for his owners The Tenors. A partnership made up of ten enthusiasts several of whom were first time owners they enjoyed a taste of the big time and with his record Bryan knows it can happen again