Robin Dickin: 'There's no money in training - it's surviving that's the art'

Robin Dickin says he is happy "to have survived" after he announced plans to end his 36-year training career by handing over the reins to his daughter Harriet when the team move into Ben Pauling's recently vacated yard next month.

The Dickins will make the short move from their current base at Alne Park in Warwickshire to Bourton Hill Farm in the Cotswolds in May after Pauling completes his own move to his new purpose-built facility at Naunton Downs.

Dickin, 69, who rode more than 100 winners as a jump jockey with David Nicholson in the 1970s and 1980s and has trained another 437 more in his long career, saw this as the perfect opportunity to make the transition.

He said: "I have to accept I'm 70 next year and I think there comes a time when you need to take a step backwards, especially when family are involved.

"I've had my innings and it will be nice to have my daughter's name on the licence, but as a family we'll be running it just the same. I'll still be involved but instead of having the finger pointed at me I'll be the one doing the pointing!"

Robin Dickin with hurdling star Restless HarryCredit: David Dew

Dickin sent out his first runner in August 1986 and has enjoyed big days with the likes of multiple Grade 2-winning hurdler Restless Harry and Greatwood Gold Cup winner and Cheltenham Festival regular Thomas Crapper.

Reflecting on his long career, Dickin said: "Mixed emotions might be too strong a term, but this is a funny old crossroads in life. Racing has always come first all of my life – I've missed most family funerals and weddings first because I was riding and then because I was training. I would never desert a runner for a family occasion. That's the dedication I've had over the years and now I think it's time to make more time for that sort of thing.

"I haven't trained a lot compared to the big yards, or the 'supermarkets', and I'd like to think my best achievement is being in the top ten 'village shops' each year.

"Most of my career we've been lucky to break even, but there's no money in training – it's surviving that's the art. And we've survived and we're still going to survive and do what we love because we're still passionate and besotted with racing."

The team currently have 14 horses in active training but Harriet Dickin, an event rider who has also been training point-to-pointers, has big plans to expand the yard and hopes to have all horses running under her name and from the new set-up by the end of next month.

Thomas Crapper: 'They bought him for £8,000 and he won them nearly £140,000'

She said: "First of all huge thanks to Dad for supporting me and letting me have the licence. I did my level three with the view that one day I would want to take over, and with the move it just seemed like the right time.

"My licence will be taken out with the address of Bourton Hill, so once we have all the horses moved over during May, I'd imagine by June 1 we'll all be set up and ready to go, and the new facilities are amazing.

"Hopefully by the time we kick off next season we could have ten more and then we'll have loads of boxes to fill. We've got big ambitions and I'd like to think that in the future we'd be at festivals and Grand Nationals – I'd like to train a winner at the Cheltenham Festival as soon as possible."

On the influence her father will continue to have, she said: "We'll very much still do it together, he'll be on site and help me all the way. He can watch the horses from the ground, whereas I like to ride them all every week to get a feel for where they are. He's got the experience and between us we make a good team."

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