Work ethic and personal bonds – National Horseracing College celebrates 40 years

Just days after the National Horseracing College celebrated its 40th anniversary, the sad news came through that one of its guiding lights, journalist Howard Wright had died at the age of 79. Wright was an ardent advocate for the North’s racing college and its many graduates. It is no small tribute to him that many of those learners to have benefited from the courses run at the centre based close to Doncaster have kept very strong ties with the organisation and each other.

No surprise, then, that the NHC’s milestone event in mid-August felt like more like a large family gathering than a business-like ceremony. Some form of military precision will be ever-present with CEO Stephen Padgett marshalling procedures, but a warmth and light touch pervades the College’s operations, not least in the pastoral approach and aftercare offered to the graduates as they pass through the ranks to employment.

Guests mingled with the learners, hearing of the long working days fuelled by a full English and timely tea and toast moments that bookend days of expert tuition. Passing a  GCSE in work ethic is a given for those that enter the College, whether they be destined for the weighing room or equipped to pursue another route into the racing world.

Much has developed over the intervening four decades and many graduates have become recognised stars in the sport. Others have chosen to stay closer to home, like Zoë Horne, part of the class of ’96 but now enjoying a second stint working to market the opportunities the NHC offers – 500 annual training outcomes, currently.

Great things are happening off the Great North Road in Doncaster, of which Howard Wright was justifiably proud.