Barber family seeking new tenant for famous yard as Harry Fry opts to leave

Richard Barber's famous yard and gallops at Seaborough in Dorset, the home to Harry Fry since 2012, will be available to rent from next summer after the trainer gave his notice to leave at the end of the jumps season.

Fry is set to leave the premises after making an amicable agreement with the Barber family, and owners with horses in the yard have been informed of the position.

Jeremy Barber, son of the late Richard who died last month aged 77, said: "It has been a hugely successful yard and gallops, initially for my late father, and subsequently for Harry. The gallops have been used to good effect by countless other trainers.

Richard Barber: legendary figure in the point-to-point communityCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

"Harry has given his notice to leave in the summer of 2020, and we are beginning our search to find a new tenant, or possibly two or three if splitting the yard proves to be a workable solution. For a couple of seasons, until my father retired from training, he and Harry trained at the premises from separate yards.

"There are 72 boxes, although there is room for another ten or 20 boxes, horse-walkers, two all-weather gallops and 35 acres of turn-out, plus staff accommodation."

Paul Nicholls, Britain’s champion jumps trainer, has also had a long association with the yard, using it for many years as a satellite base that was overseen by Richard Barber.

Nicholls said: "I have been associated with the Seaborough yard and gallops for many years, and know it was a great base for Richard and has been a marvellous location for Harry. The gallops are some of the best in the country – it would make a great base for any trainer."

Paul Nicholls: 11-time champion jumps trainerCredit: Edward Whitaker

Richard Barber trained point-to-pointers and hunter chasers at the yard from 1986 – the year in which he saddled his first winner – until retiring at the end of the 2014 season. He leaves behind a legacy of winners and successful riders that may never be matched.

He trained four Cheltenham Festival winners, plus a winner of Aintree’s Foxhunters’ Chase, and more than 1,000 point-to-point winners. Numerous other point-to-point and licensed trainers have used the gallops at Seaborough, none with more success than Fry, who prepared Champion Hurdle winner Rock On Ruby for Paul Nicholls when Manor Farm was used as a satellite facility for the Ditcheat operation.

In the past five years Fry has trained 222 winners from the yard, and saddled Unowhatimeanharry to win Grade 1s in Britain and Ireland. During that time he has gained patronage from a wide-range of syndicates and leading owners, headed by JP McManus and Paul and Clare Rooney.

Anthony Honeyball and Barber’s grandson, Jack, train from nearby yards but also use the gallops daily, giving rise to the term ‘little Lambourn’.

The Racing Post understands Fry is sourcing a new training base.

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