ALTHOUGH the global pandemic has altered many of our plans, spare a thought for Welsh trainer Christian Williams whose shot at the Randox Grand National with Potters Corner was cruelly denied in April.

Rubbing salt into wounds, the virtual Grand National predicted the win for Potters Corner, leaving the Williams team and the whole nation wondering what could have been.

Talking to Williams it is abundantly clear that he is an instinctual and experienced horseman and genuinely loves his horses. As a jockey for trainers Paul Nicholls and Evan Williams he rode over 200 winners and claimed second place on Royal Auclair in the 2005 Grand National.

Williams is acutely aware of the significance of the great race, yet is humble in his acceptance of the cancellation. As a family man with two young children, he is philosophical, making the most of lockdown to reflect and regroup on his fast-growing career as a trainer.

“It’s more important that everyone is alright. We are lucky in some ways as we are a small operation, we might come out of this stronger. I am getting a bit itchy to get back to it now though!”

With abundant pastures and some incredibly progressive thinking at the Ogmore-by-Sea stables, Williams’ training and husbandry are almost radical in their simplicity. His horses reap the benefits of their surroundings with access to 840 acres of sandy hills, paths and streams.

They have an uninterrupted beach lapped by the Celtic Sea to exercise and absorb the healing and strengthening benefits of the cold, saltwater. Ginger McCain, to whom Williams is often compared, famously trained racing legend Red Rum on the beach; the proof they say is in the pudding.

There are 28 licensed boxes and 35-40 horses on-site, most of which are rugged up and kept out much of the year.

Steam-cleaned

“Horses are herd animals; they are happier in groups – we keep them in small groups of seven to eight. I have had way less injuries keeping the horses out – everything is a bit calmer and the horses are more relaxed.”

In more usual times, Williams has 10-12 staff, but since the Covid-19 lockdown, he has furloughed most of those to secure their income and has turned out all but two of the horses, doing most of the work himself alongside jockeys Jack Tudor and Lee Stephens.

The spring clean schedule is delayed until staff are back, then the whole yard will be steam-cleaned, painted and left empty for a fortnight for a thorough cleanse and airing, ready for racing once the government gives the go-ahead.

Williams has had to be trainer, head lad and secretary all rolled into one since setting up on his own, readily admitting that he couldn’t do it without the support of his wife and family, his father Robert in particular.

Robert manages the pastures and is meticulous in its nurture, understanding the symbiosis between his son’s ambitions and the vital care of the land.

“Unfortunately for the pastures, Christian is a big advocate for keeping horses in training out at grass 24/7 - this causes great problems in the wet winter months. We are very fortunate here to have quick-drying, sandy ground but it can still cause problems.”

Robert engages a specific paddock rotation and rests particular fields and his spring maintenance begins in early March.

“In spring we over-sow poached areas after rolling with a heavy roller chain harrow. I sow and roll again with perennial ryegrass to create a thick sward, and we add Timothy fescue and meadow grass with creeping red fescue but no clovers.

“We fertilise heavily in March, May and July for the second flush – unfortunately though, this means we miss early grass.”

Chain-harrow

Robert explains that managing the 200 acres of pasture is easier in winter but from spring onwards can be much more work. “Chain-harrowing to spread the droppings and picking up in smaller areas, regularly rolling to help keep the moisture in the ground – believe it or not we suffer from a shortage of rainfall from May to September.

“I would like to see rain every day with a little less in winter. I like to subsidise grass with haylage in summer and haylage with grass in winter.”

Now more than ever the eyes of the industry are on Williams; having previously trained horses for National Hunt’s leading owner Dai Walters, since striking out on his own he has won both the Welsh and the Midlands Nationals with Potters Corner and is receiving growing interest from owners and breeders alike.

“It’s amazing how one horse can change everything. It needs to stay manageable though; we will have about 30 horses in training by the summer. Those horses will be ridden in the sand pen and fields for the first eight weeks and by August will be living out and training steadily for maximum soundness physically and mentally.”

With a reputation for improving horses, Williams believes firmly in a slow and steady approach with an emphasis on hill work 3-4 times a week, steady work on the sand dunes and a nod to the French way of training, allowing the horses to jump different types of obstacles. Come race day, when Williams’ horses’ run, they’re as fresh as they can be, needing only a little sharpening up on the gallops the week before.

“When Potters Corner won the Welsh National last year, he was out in the field all night, had his breakfast there, was haltered, brought to the Welsh National, ran, won and was back in his field by 8pm!”

Like most of us, the Williams team wait to hear how racing will move forward as lockdown ends and staff can return to work.

“We’ll probably aim Potters Corner for the Welsh National in December and then all things being well, for Aintree again in 2021.”

As for Potters Corner himself, he is blissfully unaware of all the plans as he relaxes in the paddock, minding two French foals, enjoying the warm spring weather and waiting for the lorry to whisk him from the field to his next big win.