I might have discovered the unlikely secret to Venetia Williams' success
David Ashforth suggests it might pay for racegoers to shift their focus in the parade ring

One of the drawbacks of ageing is you tend to look backwards rather than forwards. It’s fair enough, as there’s more backwards to look at.
Anyway, there’s no reason why you should be interested in my Uncle George, who made custard pies for the Doncaster Co-op, while my grandfather, who lived next door, was a coal miner at the Bentley Colliery, proud of having stuck it out for the duration during the 1926 General Strike.
My grandfather had a habit of donating part of his wage packets to a street bookmaker, possibly because he felt sorry for him, while Uncle George suffered from a similar habit. George provided my first encounter with horseracing, although it was a long time before I actually saw a racehorse, even on television. During visits to Doncaster, we’d watch the racing together.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inDavid Ashforth
Last updated
- All hail JP McManus - without him jump racing would be much poorer, and so would an extraordinary number of trainers
- Garage chit-chat, concern for Rossa Ryan's bottom and memories of Broderick Munro-Wilson - they're all part of the daily routine
- Tony Carroll illustrates the constant battle facing many trainers - and Brighton shows the success he's making of it
- Horseracing is a wonderful sport - it just needs a proper marketing budget so people can be told
- All hail JP McManus - without him jump racing would be much poorer, and so would an extraordinary number of trainers
- Garage chit-chat, concern for Rossa Ryan's bottom and memories of Broderick Munro-Wilson - they're all part of the daily routine
- Tony Carroll illustrates the constant battle facing many trainers - and Brighton shows the success he's making of it
- Horseracing is a wonderful sport - it just needs a proper marketing budget so people can be told