David Dennis eyeing winter riches after returning to training in his own right

David Dennis returns to the training ranks with the first runner as a licensed trainer under rules for over a year at Newton Abbot on Saturday.

Former jump jockey Dennis put his training career on hiatus in March last year, instead joining first Tom Symonds and then Matt Sheppard as assistant trainer.

The moves proved successful with Symonds enjoying his best season with 30 victories and Sheppard recording his most winners since the 2017-18 season with 12, including with horses joining the stables that had previously been overseen by Dennis.

However, Dennis began making efforts to re-establish his own training career in May, sending out a runner in a point-to-point rules race at Aintree, and has since taken up residence on the same training estate at Edgcote in Oxfordshire.

He said: "I went to Matt Sheppard's in January with my horses and things worked out well. At that point I had my mind set that I should stand on my own two feet and try to find somewhere of my own.

"It's hard to find the right sort of places but I'm going to be based at Edgcote. I saw Ben Case at the May sales and he said something might be available and when I saw the facilities it was a place I had to go to."

'We've done plenty of learning over the past few months'

Dennis sent out 155 winners on the Flat and over jumps in his first spell training and expects to have a team of upwards of a dozen to run during the core jumps season in the winter.

The trainer is also hoping to use the learned experiences of working closely with Symonds and Sheppard, and said: "I have 12-15 horses with a couple running at the moment and more of those being ready for the winter.

"The owners who have stuck with me and have shown a lot of patience and understanding, I really appreciate. Fortunately the horses have done well over the last year, so that has helped too.

"Wherever you go you have to learn to adapt and make the most of the surroundings you're in, so we've done plenty of learning over the past few months. Ultimately it's the horses that make the difference and we've been able to do well."

Hahadi will be Dennis's first runner back when he lines up in the 2m5½f handicap hurdle (4.40) and the trainer is optimistic of a positive start from the nine-year-old.

"He's in great form, working well at home and I'm very pleased with him," Dennis said. "He's running a little bit out of his grade, but that's all that's available. I'm still hopeful he'll be very competitive."

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