absolute brighton

But, back to racing. We were shown the allweather
track; again I marvelled - it looked too
narrow to allow two horses to run full pelt
side by side. “There’s room enough,” said Suzy.
“Horses have to learn to race close to one
another.”
Now to be a small racecourse trainer in this
competitive world is not easy. The competition
is immense. But Suzy and Sergio punch above
their weight and have their share of winners.
“What are the problems?” I asked her. “Well,
Tim, you have visited us on a marvellous day
but this winter was horrible. Snow, hard ground,
ice – for two months there was little we could
do. And of course there’s the recession. Our
owners are treating us kindly but if there’s less
money around inevitably we’ll feel it. Perhaps
the biggest problem of all for us trainers, and
there’ve been many comments in the press, is
the declining prize money. There’s more racing
than there used to be, and consequently even
less money to go around. To enter a race when
the prize money is less than £2,000 is simply not
sensible, and the problem is getting worse.”
Suzy Smith has worked for a number of trainers,
since her career started at the age of fourteen
with the Epsom-based trainer Andrew Denson.
Coincidently, I had a holiday job on the same
estate, just as a hand, mucking out and plucking
poultry for Christmas. I remember watching
in awe as the horses were ridden out in the
mornings. Schooling young horses on a cold,
wet morning calls for skill and courage. Later
Suzy worked in France, and after some nine
years working under various mentors, including
Gardie Grazell, she fi nally got her licence. Her
last hurdle was the Jockey Club, where her
great-aunt helped satisfy the Club’s fi nancial
inspectors.
On our return to the stables Sergio made
us a cup of coffee. Suzy and Sergio are good
company and for two pins Roger and I would
have stayed longer. But there’s little time off
for racecourse trainers and they had a horse
entered for a race in Salisbury on the following
day. Sergio, who comes from Chile, paid Suzy a
compliment. “There’s nobody in the country
with a better eye for a horse than Suzy, and
there’s no doubt that the horses, love this place,
just as we do.”
To learn more about Suzy Smith Racing and
follow the progress of their remarkable fi lly,
Material World, go to
www.suzysmithracing.co.uk
ABSOLUTE PLACES
“ The horses are kept in a small, friendly yard,
and the stables were part of the Tote buildings
for the old course. “We take pride in keeping
our horses happy,” said Suzy”
Suzy and Sergio with Material World
and her owners at Cheltenham
Fallow deer are often seen on the Downs around Lewes.
Picture: The British Deer Society
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