Stories From The Saddle: Will Badlan

Will (far side) winning at a sunny Cotley on Western Cowboy (Tim Holt)

Farrier Will Badlan – 27 – from Wombourne, near Wolverhampton, ‘rode out his claim’ in point-to-points last weekend, his success on his own Western Cowboy, trained for him by Jo Priest, being a sixth career victory. He caught-up with Jake Exelby following his win, to talk about how and why he returned to the saddle after a six-year hiatus, and the challenges facing a true amateur in a sport that is becoming dominated by the larger operations.

STOP PRESS: After speaking to Will, and before publication of the interview, he took two horses to Howick on Saturday. His mare Sureamsassy - see below for his thoughts on her - won the young horse Maiden with Sam Lee in the saddle, and Avada Kedavra (formerly trained by Nicky Henderson and named after a malign spell in the Harry Potter series!) took the older horse Maiden, with Will himself riding. In the space of eight days, all three horses owned by Will and his mother Jane have won - not bad going, to say the least!

Talk me through your career in racing so far, how you got into point-to-pointing in the first place and how you became involved with Jo Priest’s yard?

My Mum – Jane – rode out for Jo, and I got my first pony from her. I rode ponies, went hunting and team chased when I was young, but the dream of riding professionally died as I got taller.

Mum used to work for Martin Tate, then Paul Jones and Sue Taylor, and I had my first pointer – Grand Fella – with them. We got him at Leominster horse auctions – it wasn’t a racehorse sale!

Talk me through your first rides… and your first win

I had three rides on Grand Fella aged 18, in 2016, when I was still at school. I then went to do my apprenticeship as a farrier, which put paid to pointing for six-and-a-half years – to be honest, I didn’t think I’d go back, as I’d put on a fair bit of weight.

I then bought a horse called Don Carlito but struggled with him – Zac Baker rode him on the track – then found Steady The Ship at Doncaster. He was what I needed – my first competitive horse.

My first win – at Andoversford in April 2023 – was a big joy. I remember the runners were spaced out all over the course (the distance between first and last was over 100 lengths) and we stayed on to win.

Steady The Ship is a good horse – he was bought by Vicki Sollitt and has been running in Hunter Chases.

You’re starting to get more rides. How has your career progressed? 

Steady The Ship was my last ride of the season. My next was on Thatshalfthebattle, at Chaddesley Corbett the following December. He was a maiden, running for us for the first time, and gave me my second win. It was a bit of a shock!

It was hard coming back to the sport after a break, but Jo’s been very good to me and helped me out a lot, giving me rides in Novices races. I try to ride out for her a couple of times a week but don’t have time to ride out for other people. I keep my head down and get on with my work – I don’t ring round for rides.

I got the mount on Stacks Mountain because his owner was injured, and own a share in Llandinabo Lad, who I really like. Jo had wanted him for some time and knew he’d make a good pointer, and I trust her judgement.

How did you become a farrier? Who do you work for?

Because I was quite tall, I knew I’d struggle with my weight, so Mum said it would be better to get a job I enjoyed and ride as a hobby. I had to sacrifice five or six years, as I couldn’t race-ride while I was training, and probably didn’t ride at all for three years.

I trained with Kelvin Lymer near Worcester. He’s not a racehorse farrier, although he does do some young stock – his business is mainly sports horses.

I have my own business now, although there aren’t many racehorses near Wolverhampton! The closest yard would probably be Mel and Phil Rowley.

What has been your career highlight?

It was nice to win at Chaddesley Corbett, my local track, on Thatshalfthebattle. It was also the first time I’d ridden a maiden.

You won a ‘Grass Roots’ race at the weekend. How would you encourage more people like yourself to participate in the sport?

Grass Roots races give people like me the chance to ride against other jockeys of the same ability. It levels the playing field and they’re for more traditional riders, going back to the basics of the sport. Lots of horses were entered and I was rung up for another ride. There must be quite a few riders like me, and more of these races would give them a chance.

One of your wins – Stacks Mountain – came on a disqualification. How and when did you find out about that?

It was after I’d won at Chaddesley Corbett on Llandinabo Lad in December. I looked at the results, clicked on my profile and found I had an extra winner! I’ve had no official notification, but I suppose I wouldn’t get one as I didn’t own the horse.

Which horse (not one of your own mounts) would you most like to ride?

A horse called Boss Robin, trained by John Gleeson, who’s won points and Hunter Chases in Ireland. I think he could win Opens over here. (I ask if Will has his eye on the horse). I couldn’t afford him!

Which other jockeys do you admire?

Everyone I’ve met has been positive towards me. To name a few, Tommie O’Brien – who also rides out for Jo – has been very helpful, Fly McIntyre is always inviting, and I get on well with James King.

I’m six-foot tall and I take my hat off to anyone my height or bigger – like Jack Andrews – who can look stylish. Patrick Sankey was six-foot seven – I’ve shoed for him and his brother Guy.

What's your favourite course?

The more agricultural the track, the better – I don’t like anywhere too manicured because I do team chasing and cross-country rides. I like Ystradowen – a lot of courses like that seemed to close during my six-year break.

What do you enjoy most about pointing?

I enjoy testing my wits by buying something I think I can win with, putting my money on the line. But it’s not about spending the money but working out what to buy – a big part of winning is based on that. Jerry McGrath of Goffs has helped me a lot.

What are you most looking forward to about the rest of the season and what are your ambitions in pointing and racing?

Short-term, I’d like to get Sureamsassy (Will’s five-year-old mare who is yet to complete from four starts) round a course, which is proving quite difficult! That would give me as much enjoyment as a big win, as we broke her in at home and would like to find out if she’s any good.

I’d be happy to get to ten winners in the next couple of years but have no interest on getting a Category A or B licence to ride on a racecourse.

What do you think will happen to pointing after a hunting ban?

I do a little bit of hunting with the Wheatland. If something like team chasing – which is smaller than pointing, but growing, and stands alone – can survive, why shouldn’t pointing?

A lot of point-to-point jockeys team chase – I ride with Joe Stevenson – and it’s a good sport for horses that are no longer competitive enough to race.

What would you do if you were in charge of the sport?

I’d put races on for mares after they’ve won a Maiden, as I don’t think there’s enough support for mares and it can be the end of the road for them once they’ve won – it would be good if they could have more opportunities to win races before going on to breed.

I don’t even think there are enough Mares Maidens – Sureamsassy keeps running into horses that are too good for her. I’d like to have another mare myself, but they’re not given a lot of help.