West Ilsley Stables & Gallops
West Ilsley Stables
The site of Hodcott, on the eastern side of West Ilsley, made its transition from arable farming to racehorse training when Captain Richard Gooch leased the old farm from the Lockinge Estate in 1919 .
It wasn’t until the post war period though, that things truly gathered pace. First Jack Colling and then Major Dick Hern trained a raft of Classic winners thanks to the support of patrons such as the Rt. Hon John Jacob Astor and HM The Queen.
The purchase of West Ilsley by Astor in 1962 led to major redevelopments that gave the yard its unique and slightly quirky configuration we still see today.
When the yard was purchased by Her Majesty in 1982, Major Hern stayed on until 1990, with William Hastings-Bass briefly sharing the facility before becoming the sole trainer at Hodcott until his retirement in 1998.
Mick Channon assumed the mantle of both owner and trainer in 1999 until his retirement paved the way for Jack Channon to take over the licence in 2023.
The Yard
West Ilsley has the capacity to accommodate over a hundred horses. The main traditional style courtyard is supplemented by later additions, resulting in an amalgam of yards, barns and equine facilities that must have made sense to somebody at the time.
Moves are afoot to redevelop and modernise much of the existing site. The courtyard has recently been given a facelift, the old colt’s yard is on its way out, with a barn being developed near to the indoor ride to replace it.
In addition, considerable attention is being given to upgrade the staff houses that surround the stables.
West Ilsley is quirky and unique then, but the gallops are something else entirely……..
Summer Gallops
Situated on the western side of the village of West Ilsley, the Summer Gallops or ‘Sheep Down’, provides a vast array of different challenges including a left handed ‘Derby Trial’ gallop, five chutes that vary from five furlongs to a mile and a quarter and the only flat gallop in the surrounding area.
The "Trial Ground", made famous by Nashwan’s legendary workout in the spring of 1989, follows the spine of the The Ridgeway for a mile and a half before finishing at the highest point in Berkshire, landmarked by a cluster of trees and affectionately known as Scotsman's Knob.
As the name suggests, the Summer Gallops are closed throughout the winter months and only used between April and September to ensure that the surface is always in top class condition.
Winter Gallops
The Winter Gallops or ‘Hodcott Down’ is the fulcrum of our horses’ training regime.
The six furlong all-weather woodchip gallop is in use all year round whilst the grass chutes of five, six and seven furlongs can provide a stiff test for every horse.
Situated on the far right is the legendary ‘Gilbert’s Gallop’ that stretches for a mile adjacent to the A34. If you ever drive northbound alongside it, you’ll get the idea of why ‘Gilbert’s’ is such a great asset for the conditioning of the more stoutly bred charges at West Ilsley.
The varying inclines of Hodcott ensure that the fitness of every horse trained at West Ilsley is virtually assured, with a quality and range of grassland that we are very proud to continue to benefit from and maintain after over a hundred years of use.
