'I had it out with him' - owner Syd Hosie blasts trainer Ralph Smith after split

Owner Syd Hosie hopes the BHA will soon grant him a permit to train his horses after he parted ways with salaried trainer Ralph Smith following a disagreement.

Hosie, whose best-known horse is the smart second-season chaser Lieutenant Rocco, last year gave Grade 1-winning trainer Nick Mitchell the chance to resurrect his career at Sandhills Farm in Dorset, but that relationship came to an end in the summer before Smith was installed in October.

The new partnership got off to a dream start when Mascat, Smith's first runner for Hosie, won at Wincanton, but they have not seen eye-to-eye over training methods since.