'I had to fly back from Saudi on the day for the awards before flying back the following day but it really was a great evening'

Catching Brian Taylor on home turf is easier said than done but, having just about navigated his way through airport security at Heathrow, this is as good a time as any to speak to a man in high demand.

Taylor was waiting for a flight to Bahrain when we chatted, but next month it could easily be Qatar or Dubai and, with the Breeders' Cup just days away, you will find him in California until the weekend. Welcome to the life of a flying groom.

Taylor has been travelling horses to and from foreign climes for 38 years and is trusted by many of the biggest owners and trainers in racing to ensure a safe passage across the world.

Out of sight at 30,000 feet above the ground might mean we hear little of Taylor's line of work, but when it comes to ensuring the best thoroughbreds from across the world can compete against one another on the racecourse a lot rests on the shoulders of flying grooms.

"It's a manic time of year," says Taylor, waiting for his bag to emerge from the airport scanner. "There's all the international racing plus the horses from the sales. I'm just travelling as a passenger today and picking horses up in Bahrain. They're young horses, homebred in Bahrain, who are coming over for a bit of grass and then they'll go back."

The son of the Derby-winning jockey of the same name, Taylor spent his youth dreaming of emulating his father's Epsom win on outsider Snow Knight in 1974, but mother nature had different ideas. Instead, a chance meeting got him a sales position with the British Bloodstock Agency and, more by accident than design, he was soon shipping horses across the globe.

"Every jockey's son wants to be a jockey," he says. "I can remember a lot of things from Dad's career but I realised when I was 12 and already bigger than him that I wasn't going to be a jockey."

Brian Taylor (fourth left) with the other award winners at Ascot in FebruaryCredit: Dan Abraham

Taylor also recalls the early days of his career in the sky and flying a yearling to France. At the other end he brought Triptych, the first filly to win the Irish 2,000 Guineas, back with him to run in the Champion Stakes. When he watched her winning at Newmarket, he knew he had found his calling.

"That's when I got a buzz for it," he says. "There's nothing better than going abroad anywhere and bringing some money back for the owners. Winning, that's what it's all about."

The expansion of the global racing calendar and the growing willingness of owners and trainers to travel their horses means that what was once a very seasonal job is now a year-long profession, yet the principles behind what makes a successful flying groom never change.

"I try to keep an eye on them all the time but at a distance," Taylor explains. "If nothing is wrong, I let them find their own feet. Take-off and landing is pretty straightforward for them but if anyone is misbehaving or anything has gone wrong, we sort it out.

"It's a bit different on a runners' flight. You've got a feeding regime and whatever time the trainers want us to feed the horses, we do it. Keeping them hydrated on a flight is a big thing but we can open things up just like they're in a stable and they can get their heads down.

"The equipment is so much better than when I first started and there aren't many problems we can't sort in the air. And, on the Breeders' Cup flight, I have two vets aboard which helps. We travel yearling, weanlings and all sorts but I'd say 90 per cent are fine on the plane and it's the ten per cent where we earn our crust."

Taylor has been based with the bloodstock shipping company Luck Greayer for more than a decade and has flown with runners from some of the biggest yards in Europe. The names Golden Horn, Ouija Board and Enable trip off his tongue and he is undoubtedly at the top of his game.

"I've done work for John Gosden and Sir Michael Stoute for years," he says. "Then there's Andrew Balding and the Ballydoyle work. We're Ballydoyle's UK agents. They have their own two flying grooms and I do the groundwork and meet the aircraft."

Taylor was there to greet City Of Troy when he travelled to Southwell last month and was on the same flight as the Derby winner when he left for Saturday's Breeders' Cup Classic last weekend. Equine stars don't come much bigger than City Of Troy, but Taylor admits that the work is not all glamour and most trips are fleeting nowadays.

"You used to go to India and be away for a week flying around but nowadays it's there and back," he explains. "It might sound glamorous that I'm going to Bahrain today but I'll be back tomorrow. It's not only the racing. There's the Olympics and showjumpers and it can get to you from time to time, but racing is my passion."

If City Of Troy were to win the Classic, his victory would slot neatly into the list of big-race successes to which Taylor has contributed.

"I hadn't flown a winner of the Arc before Golden Horn, so he was a bit special, and I've taken winners to the Japan Cup. But the Breeders' Cup is my thing. I stay out there for that one and bring them back. It's a special meeting."

"I hadn't flown a winner of the Arc before Golden Horn, so he was a bit special"Credit: Edward Whitaker

The 59-year-old, born and bred in Newmarket, was among the winners at the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards in February, but it was roughly 12 months ago his name was first put forward for the dedication category.

Learning his peers had gone out of their way to nominate him meant as much as lifting the trophy itself for Taylor and he urges employers and colleagues not to miss the opportunity to put their unsung heroes forward this time around.

"It was a huge thrill for me because it was the lads from the different yards I work for who nominated me – that meant the world," he says. "I had to fly back from Saudi on the day for the awards before flying back the following day but it really was a great evening. I was gobsmacked to then win my category.

"I'm away from home all the time and it's down to my wife, Julie. She's brought up three kids all on her own. That's what was great about winning the award; I had the chance to thank her and she had a great night as well. That made it all worthwhile. The awards are a great thing and I'll be nominating a couple of people myself this year."

A total of £128,500 will be shared among the winners at York racecourse on February 24, with prizes extended to the employers and colleagues of the individual award winners.

"It was great for my company as well," says Taylor. "I'm the guy everyone sees but behind me there's a very big office that does all the paperwork and all the organising. I just turn up at the airport and collect the horses. They do all the hard work. It was nice for them and nice that this side of what is a vast industry was recognised."

Nominations are open until November 5 for the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards. The awards are an opportunity for employees from across the industry in Britain, such as training yards, studs or administrative roles, to be celebrated for their hard work and dedication. Find out more by visiting thoroughbredawards.co.uk.

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