Charlie Deutsch: 'I'll always be grateful for her loyalty - she stood by me'

Charlie Deutsch has said he will be "forever grateful" to trainer Venetia Williams for the way she stuck by him during a prison sentence in 2018 that threatened to derail his career in the saddle.

The 25-year-old was jailed for evading police custody and leading officers on a high-speed chase while over the drink-drive alcohol limit, but he has since enjoyed a remarkable renaissance, crowned by winning the Ladbrokes Trophy on Cloudy Glen last month.

And, as Deutsch told the Racing Post in a major interview for Sunday's paper in which he discusses the lessons he took from his moment of madness and how he put those days behind him, he was delighted that big win came for the trainer he owes so much.

"It means everything really to win it for Venetia," said Deutsch. "It's great she stood by me and she is a loyal trainer. I will be forever grateful really. Hopefully she could see more than just a rider with potential but a person and hopefully she stood by me because of that.

Charlie Deutsch and Venetia Williams after Cloudy Glen's Ladbrokes Trophy winCredit: Edward Whitaker

"I think people nowadays can be quite throwaway and caught up in the heat of the moment, in the old days there was much more loyalty and I think it can be a mistake not to give people another chance, so I'm incredibly grateful that she did."

He added: "To do it for Venetia's team was just the best feeling ever. I'm in the yard riding out nearly every day and everyone works so hard. I've seen a lot of the horses come through from being young horses and that's really special. Cloudy Glen was one of them – I'd have never thought he'd win a Ladbrokes Trophy."

Fittingly, the rider opted to celebrate the biggest success of his career with those who had stood by him.

"The whole team from Venetia’s went to the local pub and Venetia put a tab behind the bar," he said. "I went along and it was great to see everyone so happy. More than the party, it was about being a part of it and that team spirit and the good feelings."

Read more from Charlie Deutsch in the Big Read, available online for Members' Club Ultimate subscribers from 6pm on Saturday or in Sunday's Racing Post newspaper. Click here to sign up.

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