InterviewRalph Beckett
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'That day changed our lives - everything that's happened since has gone back to that'

Ralph Beckett tells Jonathan Harding about a seismic Epsom triumph and his hopes of further Classic success

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Ralph Beckett at his stables in Hampshire watched by Forest Fairy and Charlotte Wright
Ralph Beckett watches on before Forest Fairy is put through her pacesCredit: Steve Davies

Often a trainer making their breakthrough at the highest level can experience a false dawn. Despite proving beyond all doubt they can do the job, it does not always lead to a sudden influx of owners, nor sadly the overnight doubling of horses in the yard.

Yet the surprise success of Look Here in the 2008 Oaks did prove to be a seminal moment for Ralph Beckett. Indeed, the exquisite pedigrees of many of the horses we watch work at Kimpton Down Stables, which the trainer effortlessly reels off, can be traced back to that afternoon in June.

A framed photo and racecard in the hallway of his home serve as a more permanent reminder of how far he has come since that day and a jumping-off point from which to discuss a filly who not only provided Beckett with his first Group 1 but completely altered the trajectory of his career.

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