I am passionate about National Hunt racing and retaining its popularity, integrity, and continuity, especially in Sussex. I am continuously sad to see the demise of some courses such as Folkestone and many point-to-point courses in the South East which is where my career as an Amateur started in 1985.

My family have lived in Sussex since the 1930s and have a massive history. Granny Eileen Joel being the first lady to win a race against men in the Newmarket Town Plate in 1925, mum following suit in 1955 and myself in 1984 becoming the first 3 generations of females to win a single race.

Grandpa, John Rogerson owned 1960 Gold Cup winner Pas Seul, who earlier had chased home Arkle in many a race. Granny owned Salmon spray who won the Champion Hurdle in 1966 and Athens Wood who won the St Leger in 1971 with Lester Piggott on board. Later, my father owned Aldaniti who won the fairytale Grand National in 1981 with Bob Champion.

When I started training in 1994 (the youngest ever female trainer) my first runner was at Plumpton, Fifth Fusilier, who finished 3^rd. I also had a course specialist called Ruth’s Boy, who won and was placed numerous times with Richard Johnson on board. I only had the pleasure of riding round Plumpton myself once, but managed a 3^rd placing!

I have become re-involved with Plumpton lately due to my involvement with the Bob Champion Cancer Trust, and our race day in October. I’ve raised over £120,000 for the Bob Champion Cancer Trust by partaking in personal challenges such as cycling London to Paris, Lands’ End to John O’Groats, completing the toughest horse race in the world, the 1000km Mongol Derby, climbing to Everest Base Camp,  skydiving, completing the London Marathon and many more! I have also been bringing De Barley Basket to the retired racehorse stable.

The interest in him has been extraordinary and I love sharing his story, both the highs and the lows of retraining, allowing the public a glimpse into the care current and ex racehorses receive.

Currently I am the manager of my mother’s yard at Barkfold Manor in Kirdford, where we take many of Gary Moores horses throughout the year for rest, rehabilitation and pre training, including the gorgeous Nassalam who is aiming to win this year’s Grand National.  I’ve always loved doing this, my job is just to get the horses to chill out, feel great through their bodies, and get ready for racing.

First and foremost I am passionate about horses and racing and I can’t wait to share more about my family’s heritage and our future plans.

We are delighted to announce that we have joined the exciting ROR #HorsesForCourses initiative to showcase the care given and opportunities open to former racehorses once their racing days come to an end.

We proudly present Baron Alco as our ROR #HorsesForCourses ambassador!

For many, Baron Alco will require no introduction, trained by Gary Moore and ridden by Jamie Moore, he won a pair of Cheltenham Bonus series races in the 2016/17 season for owner John Stone and went on to have a thrilling victory in the 2018 BetVictor Gold Cup, defeating Frodon. Memorably for us here at Plumpton, he won two novice classes here in 2016/17 before coming 2nd in the Grade 3.

Baron Alco, or Barry to his friends, is now enjoying a varied life and is a much-loved part of the family. His owner, Diana, describes him as an incredible horse to ride, “he’s so balanced and athletic and always has a smile on his face, his love of life is infectious… he has nothing to prove now, anything he achieves competitively is a bonus!”

Baron Alco’s story is an inspiring example of the potential and versatility of retired racehorses, and with his charisma and presence, we are sure he will play a pivotal role in promoting the program’s mission to support the retraining and rehoming of retired racehorses, ensuring they have fulfilling and purposeful lives beyond their racing career.