Yesterday, we had one fabulous day in the company of Rebecca Curtis, Gearoid Costelloe, owners Alan and Geoff, her staff and her horses. The Racing Horse was given total access and honesty to all the day’s activities and no questions were left unanswered. We would like to take this opportunity in thanking them all for their candour, friendliness and hospitality!

It was quite unique to see how Rebecca goes about her business and the way her team operate. Her motto is to adapt to your own facilities and use common sense as far as each individual horse is concerned. Each and every horse is given a routine/schedule specific to that horse only. There is not a job-lot mentality at Fforest Stables, something that was made obvious to us within minutes of our arrival.

Rebecca Curtis understands the importance of development

Even with two young children Rebecca loves getting up in the mornings and training horses. She loves to take on the untouched individual and developing it into the finished article. Her reward is seeing young horse’s progress over the months and getting them ready to race. Of course the downside is that so much can go wrong with horses physically and, when their owners have invested in them, it’s not much fun telling them bad news!

The influx of good young horses are the key

It is not a secret but the most significant aspect of her success has been the steady influx of good young horses. The yard has ambitious plans for raising quality but underpinned with a strong youth policy. As the more experienced bumper horses move forward there are an equal amount of unraced youngsters with even more potential coming up behind. The quality is being driven upwards and this is the plan for the future!

Her figures since 2008/9 shows an extraordinary upward curve and now we know why!

Both AP McCoy and JP McManus have acknowledged the good work

Rebecca’s partner Gearoid was particularly helpful to The Racing Horse. He took valuable time to describe to us every horse in the yard in detail including its breeding, its traits and current status. His understanding, knowledge and enthusiasm made for riveting listening. He and Rebecca have worked as a team and developed a strong reputation in sourcing and acquiring young untouched individuals. The two businesses work well together – the agent and the trainer. Both AP McCoy and JP McManus have acknowledged this point and are now supporting the cause in a major way both with time and money.

Teaforthree destined for greater things

Can Teaforthree win the Welsh Grand National?

We spent time with every horse at Fforest Stables and some special time with Teaforthree (Rebecca’s favourite horse). She genuinely hopes this will win a Welsh Grand National and who knows even an Aintree Grand National? We went into his box to make a fuss of him and he was a real gent, giving us a sign he could be a little special! It is worth remembering that this son of Oscar has not had much racing yet it is a superb jumper. He has notched three wins from six chases including the Jubilee National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham over four miles. There is a lot more racing to come from this horse.

The Racing Horse view

The Racing Horse visited the stables of Rebecca Curtis and was not sure what to expect. We found a breathtaking environment in which to train horses. We found a plan, a team that enjoyed their work, total professionalism and attention to detail, a love and understanding of the horse and a willingness for hard work. In such a short time they had already secured a strong base and because of how they operate are not under so much pressure, they can look after and take their time with their horses. The day was a joy for The Racing Horse and we will follow the career of Rebecca closely and wish her all the success...

To view the facilities at Fforest stables and find  the latest news from Rebecca Curtis please visit: http://www.rebeccacurtis.co.uk/facilitiesvideo.htm