Ollie Sangster to Join Training Ranks

The name Sangster has often been seen among the ranks of owners and breeders, and from later this year it will also feature on a training licence, with Ollie Sangster set to train from his family's historic estate of Manton.

The 25-year-old of course has a background steeped in racing: his grandfather was the legendary Robert Sangster, known with his friends and associates MV O'Brien and John Magnier as 'The Brethren', while his father Ben is also a breeder of note, with Luxembourg (Ire) and Changingoftheguard (Ire) being among his notable current performers.

A former champion amateur rider on the Flat before his height made that pursuit a little tricky, Ollie Sangster's skills in the saddle have most recently been seen in public when accompanying Wesley Ward's runners to post aboard Strike The Tiger, who was tragically killed in a barn fire in March this year.

“I'd say that was probably my most formative time,” says Sangster of his two years spent working for Ward, which had followed stints with David Hayes in Australia and Charlie Hills in Lambourn, as well as a season of yearling prep. 

“I think the way the American system works, it's a bit like Australia, you are sometimes thrown in the deep end a bit and get to experience different stables in different states. So I'd say that was the best time for me and I have a great relationship with Wesley. 

“I've looked after his international runners for the last three years since then as well and I would say I learned more in my time there than I thought I could have learned in 10 years about hands-on horsemanship. Wesley is a real horseman.”

Sangster initially considered starting training in America, but visa issues prompted a rethink. He succeeded George Boughey as assistant trainer at Hugo Palmer's Newmarket stable before spending the last two years with Joseph O'Brien in Ireland. 

“I wanted to spread my wings a bit again and that was really great, actually,” he says of his time at Owning Hill. “Joseph is a good man and great guy to work with; he's a very wise head on young shoulders.”

Now Sangster is out on his own, pounding the yearling sales as he completes the BHA modules required for any aspiring trainer in Britain, with the hope of having everything up and running at Manton by the end of the year.

“I'm going to go to every sale I can and will be trying to pick up a few horses,” he says. 

At Manton, he will share the gallops with resident trainers Brian Meehan and Martyn and Freddie Meade, and he already has a good idea of he lie of the land having ridden out there for Meehan since the age of 12.

Sangster continues, “I get on well with Brian, Martyn and Freddie. I've obviously ridden out for Brian and I rode in races for him, and he's been a good family friend. Anything I want to talk about, well you can't beat someone who knows the gallops.

“Martyn has done a lot of work with the gallops. When I was first back not that long ago we'd had all this hot weather and Brian was working a load of horses up the grass, and I thought to myself, 'He's barking mad, it must be like a road'. And lo and behold, I watched them work and it really was beautiful summer ground. It's amazing how good the old turf is.”

One of the other trainers Sangster has been keeping a close eye on of late is Jane Chapple-Hyam as he is a part-owner of her stable star Saffron Beach (Ire) with his mother Lucy and James Wigan. The dual Group 1 winner had originally been bought as a foal for 55,000gns to pinhook until an injured foot meant she missed her subsequent sales engagements. 

“It's the luckiest thing ever,” he says. “That's partially what's going to give me the chance to get going here, having had that great ride with her. Obviously, Jane and her whole team have done a wonderful job. It's been an amazing journey and hopefully it's not quite over yet.”

While Chapple-Hyam's stable is rightly thriving on the back of some impressive results, Sangster has more humble ambitions for the launch of his own training career.

“I'm only going to be starting with a small number of horses and we'll just go from there,” he notes. “But it's a real privilege. I'm very lucky, obviously, to be getting a chance to get going here. It's always been a dream of mine and I will see how it goes. That's all you can do: trust in what you've learned, put a few things in place, and make a go of it.”