'It will be absolutely gut-wrenching for me' - owner Mike Newbould on his Doncaster dispersal

A poignant subplot will play out at the Goffs UK August Sale on Wednesday as longstanding owners Mike and Eileen Newbould disperse their racing and breeding interests. 

The couple’s colours - black jacket with a white cross of Lorraine, white sleeves and cap - have been a familiar sight on racecourses around the country for many years and have been carried to some notable victories along the way. 

Northern trainers such as Brian Ellison and Micky Hammond provided plenty of the Newboulds' winners, and more recently they have struck up a fruitful association with Dan Skelton, who has sent out the likes of Captain Chaos, Third Time Lucki and West Cork to some significant successes. However, Mike explained that a deterioration in his health has prompted the “gut-wrenching” decision to call time on their involvement. 

“The reason for the sale is I’m not in the best of health, so if anything happened to me then Eileen would be left with 20-odd horses, which isn’t a clever thing to do,” he said. 

“I take chemo on a daily basis and, very slowly, it’s getting worse. There’s nothing that I know about that’s imminent but all I’m doing really is tidying up my affairs for my dear wife. I nearly did it last year but Dan talked me out of it.” 

Newbould has been a passionate and committed owner for four decades, notching up more than 100 victories in the process. Despite spending “well in excess of a seven-figure sum” on his racing endeavours, he has clearly lost none of his enthusiasm for the game, which is why he said attending the sales on Wednesday will be “absolutely gut-wrenching for me.”

He added: “The key for me is that if you get paid the right sort of money, then you’re going to feel a bit better about it. Inevitably at least five or six of these, in my opinion, are going to be good horses.”

Two of the aforementioned talents, namely Third Time Lucki and West Cork, are among the 12 lots being offered through Jamie Railton, with the draft containing a mix of proven performers, well-credentialled youngsters and breeding stock. 

Explaining how he first became involved in racehorse ownership, Newbould said: “My father took me racing as a youngster and I caught the bug, particularly the National Hunt bug. Eileen and I have been married for 54 years and we’ve owned horses for 40 of those. 

“I owned a printing business and had a lot of clients that were racing fans, so I drifted into going with them. I got involved in ownership one leg at a time before I decided I didn’t really like sharing racehorses, so that’s when we started out doing our own thing.

“It goes all the way back to a horse bought for me by Gordon Richards via Peter Doyle. The horse was called Committed Schedule and he was put down only last year when he was into his 30s. He won half a dozen times. He never attained any major heights but did well and obviously kept me interested.” 

That interest yielded plenty of memorable moments, with the Castleford Chase victory of Yorkist and Captain Chaos’s successes in the Grimthorpe and Swinley Chases offered up as particularly cherished memories. However, the giddiest high came during the winter of the 2021-22 season when Third Time Lucki and West Cork both won at the Cheltenham November meeting. 

“The highlight would be having a double at Cheltenham with a winner on the Saturday and a winner on the Sunday of the November meeting,” said Newbould. 

West Cork (left) wins the Greatwood Hurdle to cap an amazing Cheltenham November meeting weekend for the NewbouldsCredit: Alan Crowhurst / Getty Images

“We expected Third Time Lucki to win as he’d won his first novice chase there in October, but West Cork had been off for 631 days. I had my granddaughter with me on the Sunday and we weren’t expecting too much to be honest, but to win the Greatwood Hurdle was a great thrill. It was unbelievable.”

Although better known for their exploits in the National Hunt game, the Newboulds also owned the Listed-winning sprinter Stormy Girl, who showed a high level of form for Rebecca Menzies before being sold to Paddy Twomey for 310,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale in 2020. 

“I haven’t dabbled much on the Flat but I’ve been quite lucky the few times I have,” said Newbould. “The year before last I had a filly with Becky Menzies called Stormy Girl and she won the Flying Fillies' Stakes at Pontefract. She went to the sales and made a lot of money, but I still didn’t break even that year!” 

With a mark of 148, Third Time Lucki (Lot 85) is the highest-rated chaser to be offered at auction so far this year. His current owner believes that the eight-year-old, who has won nine races and two Grade 2s, still has his best days ahead of him. 

“They’re all fit and well,” he said. “Somebody is going to buy ‘Lucki’ and straight away they’ve got a Saturday horse. They could be going to Cheltenham, Sandown, Kempton, anywhere. I just have a feeling with this horse that we haven’t seen the best of him yet. 

"It’s exactly the same with West Cork (84) too. We’ve been a bit unlucky with him but there’s been no major injury and I think he’ll come back this year and win a big handicap hurdle somewhere.” 

The lightly raced William Of York (48) may not have achieved quite as much as Third Time Lucki or West Cork, but heads to the Doncaster ring on a steep upward curve having won his last three starts. 

“Dan and I probably got William Of York wrong, although that’s probably more me than Dan as I was pushing to run him,” continued Newbould. “Once he got his ground he ran at Wetherby and won despite still being green, and now he’s won three on the bounce. 

"He’s going to be a two-and-a-half or three-mile chaser in time, and he can start this year at novice level so he’s going to be exciting for somebody.” 

Arguably the most promising offering of the dozen is the classy looking Lathan (18), an unraced four-year-old son of Doctor Dino who was sourced at a cost of €90,000 from last year’s Goffs Land Rover Sale. 

Dan Skelton: integral part of Newboulds' enjoyment in National Hunt arena

“He could top the sale,” said Newbould. “The story with him is that Dan bought him for me last year and we were going to run him in the new three-year-old [Junior National Hunt Development Hurdle] races. 

"Every time we had him ready, along with Dan’s other classy three-year-olds, he said we can’t find the right ground so we’re not going to risk them. Dan loves him though and he’s the sort of horse you just know there’s longevity in.” 

More of a long-term prospect is the strapping Goonhilly (46), a son of Mount Nelson who has shown significant promise in a pair of bumpers, including when a neck second to Paul Nicholls’ well-regarded Ioupy Collonges on debut. 

“I bought Goonhilly after he finished second in a bumper when he was beaten a short head by a good Paul Nicholls horse,” said Newbould. “What I liked about him was that this Nicholls horse went past him twice and he kept fighting back. 

"He’s going to be a two-and-a-half or three-mile chaser. He’s a lovely horse. His breeding suggests he’s going to be a good’un and Dan loves him too.” 

The Newboulds are not the only owners offering a partial dispersal at Doncaster on Wednesday as Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown House Stud also sends its annual draft, with the seven lots including Highland Charge (79), a Grade 3 scorer and a recent winner at Kilbeggan, and the Grade 1 runner-up Irascible (80). 

Goffs UK August Sale factfile

Where Goffs UK sales complex, Doncaster

When Selling begins at 10am on Wednesday

Last year’s stats From 246 offered, 177 sold (72 per cent) for an aggregate of £1,697,800 (down 34 per cent compared to two-day sale in 2021), an average of £9,593 (no change) and a median of £6,000 (no change)

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