Venetia Williams (born 10 May 1960) is an English
racehorse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
trainer specialising in
National Hunt
In horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Republic of Ireland, National Hunt racing requires horses to jump fences and ditches. National Hunt racing in the UK is informally known as "jumps" and is divided into two major distinct branches: ...
racing. She is based at stables at
Aramstone in
Herefordshire
Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...
, England.
Williams was born at
Scorrier House
Scorrier House, located near the village of Scorrier, Cornwall, England, UK, is a country house and the seat of the Williams family of Caerhays and Burncoose, Williams family. Scorrier House is also home to an important Cornish garden, Scorrier Ho ...
,
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
and began as a racehorse trainer at Ty-Pengam. She was an amateur National Hunt jockey until forced to retire after suffering a broken neck in 1988. She worked for racehorse trainers
Martin Pipe
Martin Charles Pipe (born 29 May 1945), is an English former racehorse trainer credited with professionalising the British racehorse training industry, and as of 2021 the most successful trainer in British jump racing.
The son of a West-Count ...
and John Edwards before taking up a licence to train herself in 1995.
Her most successful horse to date has been
Mon Mome
Mon Mome is an AQPS racehorse, which won the 2009 John Smith's Grand National at Aintree Racecourse, run on April 4, 2009. It was ridden by Liam Treadwell and trained by Venetia Williams. He won by 12-lengths at odds of 100–1, making Mon Mom ...
, winner of the 2009
Grand National
The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Liverpool, England. First run in 1839, it is a handicap ...
. This victory made her only the second female trainer to win the race, after
Jenny Pitman
Jenny may refer to:
* Jenny (given name), a popular feminine name and list of real and fictional people
* Jenny (surname), a family name
Animals
* Jenny (donkey), a female donkey
* Jenny (gorilla), the oldest gorilla in captivity at the time of h ...
. After the race, even Williams was shocked by the outcome, stating ''"How can you ever expect that? It's unbelievable."''
Grand day for bookies as dark horse Mon Mome wins National at Aintree
www.guardian.co.uk, 4 April 2009, accessed 12 April 2009. She also trained Teeton Mill
Teeton Mill (19 May 1989 – November 2014) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse who competed under National Hunt rules. He originally competed in hunter chases, which are confined to horses who have taken part in fox hunting, and won five ...
, winner of the Hennessy Gold Cup
/Ladbrokes Trophy
The Coral Gold Cup is a Premier Handicap National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run ...
and King George VI Chase
The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run at Kempton Park over a distance of ...
in 1998.
She trained Something Wells to a win in the Freddie Williams Festival Plate at the 2009 Cheltenham Festival
The Cheltenham Festival is a horse racing-based meeting in the National Hunt racing calendar in the United Kingdom, with race prize money second only to the Grand National. The four-day festival takes place annually in March at Cheltenham Rac ...
, saddling the first two home, less than two hours after winning with Kayf Aramis in the Pertemps Final
The Pertemps Final is a Grade Three National Hunt hurdle race in Great Britain which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 ...
at the same meeting.
See also
* List of female Grand National jockeys
References
External links
BBC website profile
1960 births
Living people
British racehorse trainers
People from Herefordshire
{{UK-horseracing-bio-stub