As we reach the midpoint of the current National Hunt campaign, one of the most intriguing and surprising stories is getting underway. Each jumps season brings a raft of predictions on how the year may unfold, but few foretold the return of one of the most successful and popular trainers of the 21st century.
Surprising, but happening nonetheless, as on Friday 12 January, Henrietta Knight saddled her first runners under rules in over 11 years. If Henrietta Part Two proves as entertaining as the first installment, racing fans are in for a treat. For those too young to remember, here we look back at the racing story to date of the evergreen 77-year-old and the details surrounding her welcome comeback.
Oxford Education and Equestrian Success
Born on 15 December 1946, Henrietta’s entry into the professional training ranks came relatively late. Gaining a degree from no less an establishment than Oxford University, Knight initially spent time teaching biology and history at a convent school for girls.
However, the love of all things equine bubbled relentlessly under the surface. Henrietta finished 12th in the 1973 Badminton Horse Trials before serving on the Selection Committee for the British Olympic Trials team between 1984 and 1988. All of that, and she still found the time to send out over 100 Point-to-Point winners from her West Lockinge base near Wantage in Oxfordshire.
Entering the Professional Ranks
Moving from the Point-to-Point sphere to racing under rules for the first time in 1989, Knight made a flying start to life, with her first-ever runner at Bangor-on-Dee immediately taking the trainer on a trip into the winner’s enclosure. And from there, the only way was up.
The emerging training talent married the love of her life, former Champion National Hunt Jockey Terry Biddlecombe, in 1995. One of racing’s most endearingly idiosyncratic couples were a regular sight at meetings, both large and small, for the next 17 years or so, with Biddlecombe becoming an integral part of the training operation and invariably being by Henrietta’s side at all of the biggest days. And there were some very big days!
Simply the Best (Mate)
Ask any racing fan the first thing they think of when hearing the name Henrietta Knight, and we suspect the iconic horse Best Mate will be way out in front as the most popular answer. Many talented performers passed through the Knight yard over the years, but none quite so consistently brilliant as this Jim and Valerie Lewis-owned star.
⏪Henrietta Knight has declared her first runners in over a decade so what better time to reflect on Best Mate’s stunning third Gold Cup win in 2004…
The best ever? pic.twitter.com/V7u96U7Ujq
— The Racing App (@TheRacingApp) January 10, 2024
Going in the Aston Villa Claret and Blue thanks to the footballing allegiance of his owner, Best Mate won 11 of 16 career starts, including six Grade 1s. Sitting pretty at the top of that haul were not one, not two, but three Cheltenham Gold Cup successes in 2002, 2003, and 2004. No horse since the mighty Arkle had landed jumps racing’s most prestigious prize on three occasions! Throw in success in the 2002 King George VI Chase at Kempton, and it is little wonder that Best Mate soon became the apple of the racing public’s eye.
Of course, it wasn’t all about the stable flagbearer. Also owned by Jim and Valerie Lewis, Edredon Bleu won a clutch of Grade 1 events, including the 2000 Queen Mother Champion Chase and 2003 King George VI Chase. Karshi handed the trainer the first of her seven Cheltenham Festival successes when landing the Stayer’s Hurdle in 1997, with Somersby and Calgary Bay being other members of a star-studded cast.
Retirement
If those were the highs, the lows came in the form of the deteriorating health of her husband Biddlecombe. Having long battled health issues, he took a turn for the worse when suffering a stroke, leading Henrietta to make the decision to retire from training to care for her partner in 2012.
Biddlecombe died on 5 January 2014, inspiring Henrietta to pen “Not Enough Time – My Life with Terry Biddlecombe”. Two more books, The Jumping Game and Starting From Scratch: Inspired to be a Jump Jockey, followed.
When not putting pen to paper, Henrietta was doing her best impression of not being retired at all in running a hugely successful Pre-Training, Livery, and Schooling Business – helping to prepare and improve runners from many of the top British training yards. However, she still wasn’t quite content.
The Urge to Return
The wheels for this improbable racing return began to gather pace in November 2023, when Knight stated, “I’ve had over 50 different trainers sending horses here, and they go back and win races, but I’d like to go a step further, and it would be nice to be training those horses myself.” She added, “A lot of people think it’s a very good idea, and others think I probably need a psychiatrist.”
Ignoring those advising mental health assistance, Henrietta promptly reapplied for her training licence. Unsurprisingly, given her impressive CV, that application was fast-tracked, enabling Henrietta Knight to enter her runners from January 2024 onwards.
Starting Small, Aiming Big
Henrietta is not setting out on this endeavour alone, having recruited a capable assistant in the shape of former trainer and jockey Brendan Powell. Recently based with Joseph O’Brien in Ireland and Rebecca Menzies in Scotland, Powell has over 600 winners under his own name. Added to the 700+ registered by Henrietta Knight, that makes for a formidable partnership.
Starting with a small team of youngsters, the pair aim to expand to around 30-40 runners should all go well. Not quite the 80+ of the 2000s but, given Knight’s eye for a horse and exceptional record, it would be no surprise to see the duo back on the big stage. The first step is to get that first winner on the board, but for Henrietta, the ultimate ambition is clear, “I want to be back in that winner’s enclosure at Cheltenham. I love Cheltenham, it’s my dream place, and that’s where I’d like to be again”. We wish her well!
