Florida beckons as Noel Wilson looks to resurrect training career

Noel Wilson, who gave up training last November, is set to go "back to basics" when he heads out to Florida with partner Alex Porritt this month, but he hopes eventually to resume the career he was forced to give up for financial reasons after nearly 20 years.

"Alex and I are going to the pre-training centre at Ocala and going back to basics," he said. "We're going to start riding trackwork. We had a good look when we were there two weeks before Christmas so we've got contacts.

'No light at the end of the tunnel' - finances force trainer Noel Wilson to quit

"The main aim is to get into the breaking and pre-training side. I hope the training side will come afterwards but I'm not going out there expecting to jump into things quickly.

"I want to find my feet and once you get horses it's easy to get the place to train them, it's not like over here where you have to try and find a place to rent."

Wilson, 53, sent out just under 200 winners in his British training career and is looking forward to his new venture.

Noel Wilson had his first winner as a trainer with City Gent (ridden by Calvin McCormack) at Musselburgh in 2001Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

He said: "Ocala is the biggest breaking and pre-training place in America, the weather's good all the year round and everybody seems to send their horses there to be broken and pre-trained.

"We saw enough to think we can fit into it no problem and I hope the training side will fall into place as we go forward."

The man who won the National Hunt Chase as a jockey on Ushers Island in 1993 has been getting back into the saddle in readiness and said: "I'm back riding out. Phil Kirby has been good enough to let Alex and I ride out every day – I've lost a stone already!

More to read:

Financial pressures force trainer Mark Tompkins to retire after 40 years

Financial pressure forces Grade 1 winner Nick Mitchell to quit training

Sandra Hughes stuns sport with news she is to quit training

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