Nigel Tinkler - A Full Circle, or Full Steam Ahead?
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By Mark Rowntree
Four decades have passed since a youthful Nigel Tinkler started training racehorses at Boltby, North Yorkshire. But the unbroken will to succeed through tried and tested methods burns stronger and brighter than ever.
The Tinklers have always been synonymous with success, with Nigel’s mother, Marie Delfosse, landing showjumping’s prestigious Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Wembley in 1953 prior to going on to forge a successful career as a point-to-point jockey. His father, Colin Sr, was raised in Nottingham, working as a stable employee to the North London-based Delfosse family before becoming a car dealer in Scarcroft (Leeds) and then a trainer. Older brother Colin Jr—father to jockeys Andrew and Nicky Tinkler—was also drawn to explore the family lifestyle of choice, namely training racehorses.
Nigel explains, “Basically, I knew nothing else other than horseracing from about the age of seven. Watching the Derby and the Grand National became like a drug to me, and my memory could easily chart the entire history of those great races. For the current generation of youngsters, history is often seen as less important than the present, even with the distinct advantage of Google or Wikipedia.”
Since 1666—instigated by King Charles II—the Newmarket Town Plate has been a similarly fiercely contested annual event. With the lure of a string of Newmarket sausages to the winner, Tinkler, then aged 12, first took to the saddle to compete over a demanding three-and three-quarter–mile circuit. Just over three years later, at Sedgefield on Boxing Day 1973, Nimble Joe became Tinkler’s first winner as a full-fledged jockey.
Tinkler went on to notch an impressive 200-plus winners in the saddle, but the lack of a steady income from riding gradually edged him closer toward the training ranks. Citing the frustration of being taken off horses on the biggest of all stages, he says, “I broke a few bones and all, but the main thing I broke was my heart. I probably did too well too early and wasn’t quite mature enough to deal with the bigger jobs. When I was younger, I was quite ignorant—a cocky bastard—although I did have a lot of enthusiasm to improve and learn.”
Initially Tinkler took over the training licence from his father, saddling his first winner over hurdles (Just Jet) at Wolverhampton in early November 1980, but it soon became clear that he needed his own space.
“I decided to move into training and quite honestly thought that with a dozen or so horses, and if I gambled on them, I could earn as much in one day as in one year as a jockey. I didn’t view this as taking a punt; it was more akin to investing, and that’s how I set off as a trainer, buying the yard and building the stables.”
“The property at Langton (near Malton) was a market garden when I bought it for £49,000. I was told that I was crazy, but I couldn’t keep training from Boltby; my father was getting sick of me.”
“I looked at yards in Middleham and various other properties elsewhere, including the Camacho’s, Roger Fell’s and Malcolm Jefferson’s; but after a year or so of searching, I settled on Woodland Stables. I've never sought to move as I love northern racing; our local racecourses are a lovely way to spend a summer afternoon.”
Tinkler doesn’t seek to mask the fact that gambling played a pivotal role in developing and building the business. “In the early 1980s, I’d be having £2,000 on just four or five horses per year. It was very difficult to lose, and this helped me to build the yard. Ironically, I hardly bet nowadays.”
For the Tinklers, progress didn’t occur by chance. An insightful vision from Colin Sr—long before syndicate ownership was viewed as an acceptable form of ownership—led to the creation, rise and expansion of the Full Circle Syndicate.
“When I first started training, if someone called and said, ‘Can I have a half share in a horse?’, I’d say no, but please do come back when you can afford a full share. Frankly, I was doing alright before my father set up the Full Circle.”
“However, Full Circle provided the opportunity for anyone to buy a horse; my father was well before his time when you look back with Highclere, Middleham Park, Elite Racing and Ontoawinner—all among the current list of successful syndicate operators.”
Tinkler Sr faced an uphill battle in launching the Full Circle Syndicate, having firstly to go to the Jockey Club to seek a change in rules, which at that stage permitted only 12 individuals to own a horse. Shared ownership, even in quarter shares, was considered unusual, and he wanted to have 360 shareholders per horse: hence Full Circle.
Nigel explains; “I said we’d get approximately 100 shareholders—at £450 per year—but after a Cheltenham Festival winner (The Ellier) and a Grand National third (Monamore), we ended up drawing in £13,000!”
Without a shadow of doubt, the rise of the Full Circle Syndicate captured the attention of those closely associated with racing, but perhaps more importantly also the imagination of the general public at large. Far from resting on his laurels, and as outlined by Tinkler Jr, Tinkler Sr was ever so swift in capitalising upon that initial success.
“My father ran a premium-rate tipping line adjacent to Full Circle and was soon receiving weekly dividends of £10,000. For clarity, the Full Circle shareholders had their own ordinary (non-premium rate) telephone number to call for private and confidential information.”
“In those days, before a bar was placed on such premium-rate services, people were simply going to work and calling the tipping line, or in some cases, the sex line! He’d say to me, ‘I’ve got terrible trouble with the phone line; can you give it a ring to check’? Thank you; that’s working fine, and another £2 goes straight into the coffers.”
Partly after stricter regulations were introduced on 0898-style phone numbers, the success and the allure of the Full Circle ebbed away until the syndicate eventually ceased to operate. Nevertheless, as Tinkler is keen to stress, Full Circle played a major role in changing the overall landscape of racehorse ownership.
“Times have certainly changed for the better; racing was once known as the sport of kings, but now it’s the sport for all. In 2022, a small share in a horse with Middleham Park Racing can have you standing in the paddock next to Her Majesty the Queen.”
For Tinkler, National Hunt Racing was always his first love, with horses such as The Ellier, Rodeo Star, Bank View, Sacre D’Or and Satin Lover propelling his training career forward at a rapid rate of knots. The Ellier (under Gee Armytage) took the Kim Muir Chase at the 1987 Cheltenham Festival, while a mere six year later, Sacre D’Or plundered the Mildmay of Flete over those same hallowed Prestbury Park fences.
Ironically, in 1991, it was the ill-fated State Jester for whom Tinkler harboured Cheltenham Festival aspirations. After a couple of years of searching for the perfect replacement, Sacre D’Or emerged. Tinkler recalls: “An owner with John Mackie was seeking funds, so Sacre D’Or became available prior to Cheltenham for £22,000. After viewing the horse, my owner said, ‘We’ll offer £20,000’; but I was adamant that for the purposes of luck we should offer the full asking price. When he went on to win the Mildmay of Flete, the first thing I said to my owner was that it’s a good job you gave the full £22,000!”
By the late 1980s, Tinkler was also beginning to make his mark as a flat trainer, even though by his own admission, and despite notching a combined total of nearly 80 winners (1988-89 season), he’d become a little blasé. “Looking back and being self-critical there was no reason to be running horses worth £15,000 in sellers. I’m totally different now, and I’ve never been as dedicated to training as I’ve been over the past few years.”
“I knew two years before I stopped training jumpers that the flat would eventually become my life. The type of horse that I was buying off the flat could only go so far over jumps. They’d win their novice hurdles and then a novice chase or two, but being flat-bred, they weren’t strong enough to sustain multiple seasons over obstacles.”
“To train jumpers, you’d need to aspire to be competing at Ascot, Cheltenham and Newbury, and unless you had £100,000 plus to spend on a single horse, it was very difficult to do that. For not a lot of money, I’ve had runners at Royal Ascot in addition to horses winning at most of the major flat festivals.”
“My horses have a nice, easy life which surprises some people as it’s not like my general attitude. When I’m with horses, a year is like a click of the finger. I’m lucky with loyal owners who basically throw me the rope, and say, ‘Look, just do whatever you think is best.’”
At a sprightly 36, Rodeo Star remains very much the boss of his plush retirement pad at nearby Wetherby. Bought from Sheikh Mohammed at the Newmarket Sales, and with Martin Pipe acting as underbidder, he was knocked down to Tinkler for £26,000. Tinkler speaks fondly of Rodeo Star.
“He won first time out for us at Newcastle before winning a Tote Gold trophy and a Chester Cup. We took him to Chester on the Monday prior to the race in midweek and worked him around the track under Nicky Carlisle. Immediately afterwards, I said, ‘Right, let’s go and celebrate him winning with a Bucks fizz and champagne breakfast.’ He was a good horse—a very good horse.”
Despite those vividly fond memories, Rodeo Star wasn’t the best horse to pass through Tinkler’s hands at Woodland Stables.
“Sugarfoot was the best horse I’ve ever trained. He won first time out at Ayr as a two-year-old before taking a break. I kicked James Lambie (of the Sporting Life) out of the pub one evening when he had the [audacity] to suggest that the horse must have an injury. I said, ‘He isn’t injured, but he’s our horse and we can do what the f**k we want with him.’
“We backed him each way to win a lot of money (at 40-1) in the 1998 Royal Hunt Cup. He finished fourth under Royston French, but had he been drawn on either side of the track he’d have won that race. He carried 7st 12lb there but was a proper group horse in the making.”
“The next summer he was 107-rated, and with York’s Bradford & Bingley being a 0-105, I rang up the handicapper and said, ‘Look, I’ve got a real problem here. The owner is very unwell (he sadly passed away the following year), and with a real lack of races in which to run, it would help enormously if I could have 2lb back from you in order to race at York.’ I called again from the gallops at 10am the following Tuesday; 105 [rating]. Result: I’d seen him working at home knowing full well that he was a 110-plus horse for the future, and the race at York was ours for the taking! With none other than Kieran Fallon booked to do the steering that afternoon, [he] gave his seriously ill owner such an immense thrill.”
Tinkler’s training methods have demonstrably stood the test of time, and despite recognising that he’s probably become “a little OCD”, that can only be attributable to a deep passion and enduring admiration for the racehorse.
He eludes, “When Ubettabelieveit went to the Breeders’ Cup, I took him, I rode him, I led him up. When I have a runner at Ascot, I’ll go and walk up with the horse from the stable yard. The other trainers staff know what I’m like, but I do think some of them have respect for what I do.”
“When the press approached me for interview straight after Acklam Express had finished second in Dubai, I said, ‘No, I must go and see the horse first.’ The horses are my best friends.”
As a man who has saddled well over 1,000 career winners, Tinkler acknowledges a certain element of change has occurred with regards the training of racehorses, but his spark and vigor for life continue to be fueled by searching for the highest possible level of performance from each individual horse within his care.
“With training nowadays, the big difference is that you can win a 0-60 handicap with an arm in a sling. When I first started training, you’d have a horse entered for a race a month before, and after he’d run, he’d have a few days break before selecting the next target. You trained every single horse to suit his or her individual needs.”
“Some will state that Martin Pipe revolutionised the training of racehorses, but when the five-day entry system was introduced, most started training their horses on a higher rev-counter. Horses are now usually fit and ready to race but, in my opinion, horses being trained on a higher rev-counter leads to more injuries and therefore a shorter racing career.”
“You can’t have a horse spot on for a race if you make the decision to compete only 48 hours before. It’s like making a Christmas lunch and saying we don’t know whether we’re going to eat on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day or a week later.”
It is testament to Tinkler, that although driven firmly by the strength of his own convictions, he seeks to heap praise upon those to whom he is closest, stating, “I wouldn’t swap my staff.”
“My secretary Samantha (Mark Birch’s daughter) has been with me for 28 years. Helen Warrington has been with me for 22 years. She’s one of the main work riders. My wife Kim—I probably should’ve mentioned her first—rides out four or five lots every single day, and I’d be lost without her.”
“Kim and Helen feed off each other, and I’m just there to pick up the pieces. They train the horses as much as I do. It’s not Nigel—it’s the whole unit.”
Despite such praise, Tinkler is vociferous in expressing his opposition to the recent introduction of joint licences in Britain. “I don’t believe in joint licences, and in any case, I’d have to have the entire team listed as the trainer. How far down the line do you go?”
“If ever you were to get into trouble, how do you penalise or suspend two people? A single-named person must be held accountable. A lot of the time owners don’t like to have horses with people who are older than themselves, so perhaps this is a reason for the greater involvement of the younger generation (i.e., Mark and Charlie Johnston).”
Wife Kim is a qualified jockey coach—a form of mentoring, which had it been available in the early 1980s, Nigel believes it may have prolonged his riding career. Kim is a massive influence behind the scenes at Langton.
“Kim coaches our jockeys, and it’s down to her that our riders have finesse. She not only focuses on their riding style, but also advises on their diet and way of life.”
“Many people think that Kim was lucky because she was small and light, but she was only light because she controlled her diet and exercised properly. At 18, she got to 9st 2lb, but by the time she reached 20, her regular riding weight was 7st. That didn’t happen without a fair bit of effort! She was a dedicated rider (the leading female jockey), and she rode us many, many winners.”
“Jockeys have always had a problem with weight. It hasn’t suddenly become an issue, and it always will be an issue. Wherever you place the line, there’ll be a jockey struggling to make the weight.”
Even in the days when female jockeys were under-represented in the sport, Tinkler recognised added value and was willing to offer competent riders mounts. He explains: “My mother was a jockey; she was leading amateur a couple of times, and I soon realised she had a lot of ability and that horses ran for her. I think the horses like the girls, and some ride a good race and are conscientious.”
Harking right back to the Graham McCourt era, a stable jockey has always been viewed as a necessity to Tinkler. “Graham’s determination to win was simply unbelievable—far exceeds any other jockey that I’ve had riding my horses since. He was so strong that he won on horses that shouldn’t have won.”
Hawick native Rowan Scott, described as being “very chilled”, is the current stable jockey at Langton. Tinkler says, “Rowan is a natural horseman, and it makes no difference to him whether he’s riding in a Gp2 in Dubai or a seller at Redcar. He finds it very easy to ride horses as he’s such a natural.”
Understudy to Scott is the bubbly Lancastrian Faye McManoman, who has flourished with an increased exposure to professional race-riding and the ongoing support offered by jockey coach Kim.
“When a horse comes home after, say, Faye McManoman has ridden them, they’ll usually eat their dinner. Often under more forceful handling, horses can come home and sulk. It’s no problem if a jockey (male or female) is less forceful than a counterpart, so long as there is consistency. The important thing is the horses enjoy their race.”
“When Faye first started riding, she was very moderate. She has worked her socks off to improve. She now rides a good race, and her percentage of winners for the quality of horses she rides is solid.”
“For most races, I’m more than happy for Faye to ride, and the owners love her. In truth, I’m very easy to ride for as long as you try to do it my way. It’s not difficult.”
Tinkler is a hearty advocate of placing a supporting arm around an individual in times of need, but he equally craves strong and rigid leadership from the British Horseracing Authority (BHA). Discussing a recent high-profile disciplinary case, Tinkler says; “To think that a jockey fails a breathalyser test in May, but the case isn’t heard until the following February isn’t good enough for the individual concerned, the other jockeys that are riding or indeed the horses competing in those races.”
“It’s not a greatly expensive job to test riders daily. The BHA are testing a few horses per day on a racecourse, and if a horse is unable to produce a simple urine sample, the costs incurred are significant. Given the amount spent on testing those horses, and without having a go at anyone at all, a jockey who is known to have an issue should be tested daily until the authorities are satisfied those issues have been resolved.”
“It’s basically common sense that we should be testing jockeys more often. Plenty of jockeys have needed support in the past, and plenty will continue to do so in the future, but we can’t have the situation where riders are competing under the influence of alcohol, drugs or whatever.”
So, what of the future for a resurgent Tinkler?
“I’d been doing okay training 20 or so winners per year until I got a contact in Hong Kong which resulted in me shifting the emphasis to selling some of the better horses before they’d raced. Obviously, I was doing very nicely out of selling these horses abroad, but some people began to question my skills as a trainer as the total number of winners fell. I addressed that, and the winners have flowed again in recent years. 2021 was my best tally on the flat (41 winners), and as a result, I’ve gained more and more new clients. It’s all snowballed.”
Ubettabelieveit (centre, red cap) was Nigel’s first runner at the Breeders’ Cup and finished third to Golden Pal in the 2020 Juvenille Turf Sprint
“In 2020, we were lucky to buy Ubettabelieveit because in an ordinary year he’d have gone to the breeze-ups, but given the COVID situation, the vendors were in a difficult spot in that they didn’t know what was going to happen. There were two horses that we liked, and I didn’t know which one to pick, so I rode them both myself and chose Ubettabelieveit, which turned out not to have been a difficult decision!”
“It wasn’t easy for us getting into America to see Ubettabelieveit compete at the Breeders’ Cup. We had to change flights in Atlanta, and the customs officer wouldn’t let me proceed. So I asked Max Pimlott [International Racing Bureau] to pass the papers, which stated I was the trainer.”
He said, “We’re in Atlanta; I don’t think anyone will be bothered about what is happening in Kentucky!”
“During the coronavirus pandemic, you couldn’t simply walk in the United States. I was placed in a room for over an hour while all the paperwork was checked and double-checked.”
“The Breeders’ Cup was a brilliant experience though, and Kentucky is simply out of this world. If you had three or four lives, you’d have one of those in Kentucky.”
With an evident sparkle in his eye, and a glowing smile across his face, Tinkler offers a typically frank and forthright assessment of current stable star Acklam Express: “We knew his three-year-old season would be difficult, so we thought we’d be better off running during the winter. At his age, we knew that facing the top sprinters would be like banging his head against a brick wall.”
“He did run a good race in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot (10th), but we thought, Where are we going to take him next? He needed a little time off to mature, so we took him to Cliff Stud (Helmsley) and turned him out with a view to running in three races at Meydan in early 2022. After that, we’ll certainly think about running him in the United Kingdom during the summer—with the King’s Stand a possible starting point. But we won’t make any firm decisions until the end of April.”
As Tinkler’s playful mind turns to a second or third life somewhere exotic (prior to Kentucky), he also acknowledges the long-standing haven of Malton, North Yorkshire as home away from home. With ambitious local trainers Brian Ellison and Julie Camacho equally instrumental to the ongoing improvements at a shared gallop, and with first-class facilities already on offer at Woodland Stables, the future for any prospective Nigel Tinkler inmate remains rosy.