Richard Guest moving to Newmarket after 'an offer too good to refuse'

Richard Guest has revealed "an offer too good to refuse" is behind a decision to switch his training operation from West Yorkshire to West Suffolk.

The 54-year-old is in the process of moving his family 150 miles south from Wetherby to Harraton Stables at Exning near Newmarket where he has been set up by businessman Simon Lockyer.

The ambitious project will entail Guest running the 43-box yard in tandem with his existing operation at Ingmanthorpe Racing Stables.

Guest, who partnered Beech Road to win the 1989 Champion Hurdle, will be in familiar company in Newmarket where his brother Rae trains and his four sisters live, including Lady Cecil.

Lockyer has ambitious plans to have 100 horses in training over the next few years, while the northern branch of the operation will become a pre-training and recuperation yard.

Guest, who has trained for Lockyer in the past, could saddle his first runner from his new base at Southwell on Thursday where Aces N Kings holds an entry in the mile maiden contest.

Lady Cecil, one of Guest's sisters, is based in Newmarket

He said: "I received an offer too good to refuse from Simon and he wanted me to take over at Harraton Stables. It's an exciting offer and the plan is to keep Ingmanthorpe and use it as a pre-training yard."

Guest, who has trained nearly 400 winners in a training career that has spanned 17 years, will take over from Shaun Keightley, although he insists there was no fallout with Lockyer.

He said: "I've been sharing a flat with Shaun over the past few weeks so there has been no fallout. Simon has big plans and we intend to go to the breeze-up sales and buy the backward ones that nobody wants. They will go to Yorkshire and, when they are ready to gallop, will come back to Newmarket."

On Lockyer's ambitions as an owner, Guest said: "Simon's a lovely man who likes a bet, but is not a gambler in that sense of the word. It means as much to him if he wins a 0-50 handicap as it would a £100,000 handicap, especially at Kempton which is near where he lives."

The partnership even have their own retained jockey in the shape of Derby-winning rider Martin Dwyer. Guest added: "We're lucky to have a rider of Martin's calibre on board and hopefully have a fruitful association with him."

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