Epsom racecourse

Aintree racecourse;Ascot;Ayr;Bangor;Bath;Beverley;Brighton;Carlisle;Cartmel;Catterick;Cheltenham Festival;Chepstow;Chester;Doncaster St Leger;Epsom Derby;Exeter racecourse;Fakenham;Folkestone;Fontwell Park;Glorious Goodwood;Hamilton Park;Haydock Park;Hereford Racecourse;Hexham;Huntingdon;Kelso;Kempton Park;Leicester;Lingfield;Ludlow;Market Rasen;Musselburgh;Newbury Racecourse;Newcastle;Newmarket;Newton Abbot;Nottingham;Perth;Plumpton;Pontefract Racecourse;Redcar;Ripon;Salisbury;Sandown Park;Sedgefield;Southwell;Stratford;Taunton;Thirsk;Towcester;Uttoxeter;Warwick;Wetherby;Wincanton;Windsor;Wolverhampton;Worcester;Yarmouth;York Ebor

Champion NH Trainers

2004-05 M Pipe

2003-04 M Pipe

2002-03 M Pipe

2001-02 M Pipe

2000-01 M Pipe

1999-2000 M Pipe

1998-99 M Pipe

1997-98 M Pipe

1996-97 M Pipe

1995-96 M Pipe

1994-95 D. Nicholson

1993-94 D. Nicholson

1992-93 M Pipe

1991-92 M Pipe

1990-91 M Pipe

1989-90 M Pipe

1988-89 M Pipe

1987-88 DRC Elsworth

1986-87 NJ Henderson

1985-86 NJ Henderson

1984-85 FT Winter

1983-84 MW Dickinson

1982-83 MW Dickinson

1981-82 MW Dickinson

1980-81 MH Easterby

1979-80 MH Easterby

1978-79 MH Easterby

1977-78 F.T. Winter

1976-77 F.T. Winter

1975-76 T.F. Rimell

1974-75 F.T. Winter

1973-74 F.T. Winter

1972-73 F.T. Winter

1971-72 F.T. Winter

1970-71 F.T. Winter

1969-70 T.F. Rimell

1968-69 T.F. Rimell

1967-68 Denys Smith

1966-67 Ryan Price

1965-66 Ryan Price

1964-65 P.V.F. Cazalet

1963-64 F.T.T. Walwyn

1962-63 K. Piggott

1961-62 Ryan Price

1960-61 T.F. Rimell

1959-60 P.V.F. Cazalet

1958-59 Ryan Price

1957-58 F.T.T. Walwyn

1956-57 N. Crump

1955-56 W. Hall

1954-55 Ryan Price

1953-54 M.V. O'Brien

1952-53 M.V. O'Brien

1951-52 N. Crump

1950-51 T.F. Rimell

1949-50 P.V.F. Cazalet

Examine the list of National Hunt Champion trainers and it is evident that there are periods of domination firstly by Fred Winter and then by Martin Pipe. Little doubt that building a strong team of racehorses is a challenge in itself, but once you have that strong team then if you can keep them fit and healthy the odds remain in your favour to retain your championship.

How much harder is it to build a number of teams over a number of years, but that is the feat of Peter Cazalet in 1949-50, again in 1959-60, and yet again in 1964-65.

Peter Cazalet trained a dozen miles from Lingfield Park Racecourse at Fairlawne, near Sevenoaks in

Kent

. He received the support of the Queen Mother who, after the death of George VI, decided to extend her interest in National Hunt racing and placed her horses under the care and direction of Peter Cazalet. The Queen Mother had dined with steeplechase jockey, Lord Mildmay of Flete, in 1949. One of the most gifted of riders, Mildmay persuaded Elizabeth that he should buy her a horse, to be shared with her daughter, Princess Elizabeth. Mildmay rode for Cazalet, a martinet who ran his stable with the precision of a barracks. During the summer of 1950, Mildmay drowned while swimming off the south Devon coast and left his horses to Cazalet, and among them was Manicou, which became the Queen Mother's second steeplechaser. After a preparatory outing at Fontwell, he won at Kempton Park, Sandown Park, and then took the renamed King George VI Chase.

The Fairlawne years produced a string of high-class jumpers that became a part of jump racing's folklore; Double Star (17 wins), Chaou II (17), Makaldar (15), The Rip (13) and Laffy (12) were all favourites with the public.

In 1973 Cazalet was dying of cancer. His last runner for the Queen Mother was Inch Arran in the Topham Trophy at Aintree. The big grey soared over the Grand National fences to win easily. Cazalet was too ill to travel. He and the Queen Mother watched the race on television. As soon as Inch Arran had crossed the winning line, the telephone rang. It was her elder daughter Elizabeth saying: 'Well done, Mummy. Well done.'