Ben Fogle - Country Diary

The Sunday Telegraph - 23/05/2010

Newmarket at 5.45am is an extraordinary place. As 3,000 racing horses leave their stables and head to the gallops, the human population only outnumbers the horses by three to one.

I was there last week to see my racehorse, Firebeam, under the watchful eye of trainer William Haggas. But before that, I had an early rise to visit some of the most famous trainers of this Suffolk market town, where racing dates back to 1174.

First stop was Freemason Lodge stables, home to arguable the most famous trainer of all, Sir Michael Stoute, a former Bajan with an impressive stable of thoroughreds. It was a joy to watch 30 horses and their stablehands warming up on the all-weather indoor circuit. The early morning sun cast its beams through the roof, illuminating the horses' impressive muscles. After a warm-up, the horses trotted out into Newmarket's dedicated horse lanes towards the Bury Side gallops where Sir Michael could watch them at work.

It is estimated that one in four residents is employed in horse racing and much of Newmarket is still owned by the Jockey Club. The gallops are open to all for a fee, so it was a surprise to find a dozen rival trainers at the same location. Next it was on to Michael Jarvis's stable, home to an impressive Who's Who of horses: I wandered past Elizabeth Hurley's, Lady Bamford's and Sir Alex Ferguson's steeds before meeting one of the Queen's horses, to which I bowed. Once again, I followed the horses as they took to Warren Hill, a gallops which overlooks the town and consists of three all-weather canters. I could feel the vibrations as a dozen horses thundered past. Finally it was on to William Haggas's stable where I was met by a deafening noise that sounded like a train running through the yard. Haggas has one of only three horse running machines in the country, whch he uses mainly as a form of physio for horses recovering from injury.

I wandered through the stables and finally caught a glimpse of Firebeam: he really is a magnificent beast, with plenty of definition over his shoulders and quarters. I'm hoping he'll make his racing debut in August. He's currently recovering from a cough, which brought to mind the law that Newmarket had forbidding people to blow their nose in the street (according to The Strange Laws of Old England by historian Nigel Cawthorne). The law was introduced not to protect the Newmarket citizens, but racing stock like Firebeam.

The Sunday Telegraph - 23rd May 2010