“So, what are we doing today?” asks Hugo Palmer.
“Ideally, a light-hearted behind-the-scenes look at Manor House Stables. The funnier, the better,” I reply with a smile.
There’s a mischievous snigger from the adjoining office.
“I suppose you better come too then,” Hugo opens the door and rolls his eyes at an amused Michael Owen.
Sat in front of a Classic-winning trainer and England footballing legend, I feel an air of distinct trepidation, but nothing breaks the ice like a good old-fashioned game of Mr and Mrs.
“What’s your favourite thing about each other?” I ask.
“Hugo is everything you want in a trainer,” says Michael. “Racing is his passion, not his job. I can come in and ask if he’s seen the filly that won the two o’clock at Nottingham – he’s seen it, knows the pedigree and has an opinion. Classic-winning trainers don’t grow on trees and I think he’s the most underrated two-year-old trainer in the country.”
“Michael is the best loser you could possibly imagine,” responds Hugo. “Racing is about winning but you do lose a lot. For someone who has won at the highest level, to take losing on the chin as he does, makes my job unbelievably easy. His enthusiasm is infectious – whether that’s serving drinks behind the bar in the owner’s lounge, getting people to buy a horse or at the sales.”
“And the most irritating?”
“When Hugo took the job, it used to be Mondays,” Michael laughs. “For the first three or four months, he was driving between here and Newmarket, getting used to the place and organising things how he’d like them. On a Monday at around five o’clock, I’d have a voice note, usually about eight minutes long, of all the things that had p***** him off. I’d be relieved if it was only four minutes.”
“His obsession with being centre of attention is the funniest thing,” says Hugo, provoking outraged laughter from Michael.
“We had a racecourse gallop at Southwell with some two-year-olds and Michael’s daughter Gemma [Owen] was riding on the racecourse for the first time ahead of the Magnolia Cup [charity race at Goodwood]. After the gallop, the horse jinked and dumped her into the rail. We rushed to her, Michael jumped the rail and as soon as he realised his beloved first-born wasn’t injured – ‘I’ve still got it, did you see how fast I was?’”
The pair are warm, funny and clearly friends.
“We don’t fall out that often, do we?” smiles Hugo.
“No, but it’s good to be able to say something to each other and know it’s taken the right way,” responds Michael. “If one of us isn’t happy with something, we have the relationship where we can both say it.”
There’s an obvious respect for each other’s individual talents and they share a united determination for improvement.
“You need to know the end game before you set off, and the end game is for Hugo to be Champion Trainer,” explains Michael. “I can’t do it on my own, so the only way to be number one in the country is by outside investment.”
“There’s a cohort of trainers who can do the job and do it well,” adds Hugo. “The difference between where they finish in the trainers’ table is the raw material they have to work with. The greatest thing about Manor House Stables is the people who drive in the gate and think they might want a racehorse, almost always go away owning one.”
Arriving at Manor House Stables is a ‘wow’ moment, a snapshot to be recaptured time and time again. The gates open to a view of the valley, the sweeping drive leading down to the nestled horseshoe of buildings, topped by a glass-fronted owner’s lounge which affords views of the gallops and the network of stables behind.
I’m given a tour of the state-of-the-art facilities by Michael and I’m struck by the set-up. Away from the bustling racing hubs of Newmarket and Lambourn, in the middle of the Cheshire countryside, the yard is unrestrained by land boundaries and each American barn has it’s own position and space.
“I need to get on with building that stable block as Hugo moves in soon, and I don’t think he’ll want the view out of his bedroom window,” laughs Michael as he points out temporary stabling.
Back in the owner’s lounge, with Michael managing bar, the pair sit down for a further chat.
“The big goal is progress,” explains Hugo. “It would be good to get the monkey off our back with a first Group 1 winner from Manor House Stables and we’re not going to win one without running in them. I know Michael wants me to be Champion Trainer and of course, I want to be, but the jump to there is massive. We’re ahead of where we were last year and finishing in the top ten is the goal.”
With thoughts looking ahead to the future, Michael reveals a project that has me immediately excited. A six-part Amazon Prime documentary covering the life of the Owen family, with Manor House Stables and Gemma Owen’s journey to the Magnolia Cup as key storylines.
“I feel like the documentary is a massive opportunity for racing to get what they have been crying out for: encouraging a new audience,” says Michael. “We will have the football audience through me, the young, fashionable audience through Gemma and the traditional racing audience will have the opportunity to see how the yard works.
“I’ve spoken to different bodies in racing about becoming involved and I’ve hardly had any help whatsoever.
“I’ve been disappointed with the industry for not getting behind the idea. I want to show everything that is great and good about racing and I’ve worked hard to get this platform but no-one wanted to contribute in any way, shape or form. It’s been such a poor response.
“I’ve always loved racing, but you need mugs like me spending all the money they’ve ever earnt to raise the profile of the game and encouraging famous people into the sport – sometimes I wonder why I’m doing it.”
Hugo listens carefully, equally passionate but measured in his response.
“What racing needs, is for more people to buy more horses,” he says. “In Australia, there's an incredible statistic that one in around two hundred people have a share of a horse. You will get young people watching the documentary and thinking, I want to get involved, I want to join a syndicate. It moves the industry forward."
“If this ends up being a Clarkson’s Farm, with a second and third series, it could be of huge benefit to the sport,” points out Michael, with Hugo nodding in agreement.
I walk back to the car, which has been parked haphazardly over two spaces and politely not mentioned by anyone, reluctant to leave. Built by a footballer who was inspired by the best to make the best and managed by a trainer with an unmatched attention to detail, Manor House Stables is the place for any racehorse enthusiast.
I can’t wait for you to see it too.
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