Alan King – Trainer

Alan’s fiery passion for horseracing ignited long before he started training. As a mischievous young Scottish lad, he would rather watch Brown Chamberlain and Burrough Hill Lad than participate in geography or history lessons! Alan knew exactly where his future lay, and after leaving school he quickly began working for the renowned trainer David “The Duke” Nicholson. For 15 immensely successful years at Jackdaws Castle, Alan learned everything he needed to know from the best in the business and was destined to take up training himself. When “The Duke” retired in 1999, Alan seized the opportunity to put his skills to the test. He took over at Jackdaws Castle before moving to Barbury Castle six months later. Alan has been at Barbury Castle for 22 years and counting, and has never looked back. Training racehorses isn’t easy, but Alan’s first big win came with Anzum in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot in December 1999. This was followed by many more victories, including his first Cheltenham Festival win with Fork Lightning in the Festival Trophy Handicap Chase. Alan has trained 16 Cheltenham Festival winners to date. He has also achieved great success on the flat with his current star, Trueshan. Edwardstone is targeting some of the biggest jumps races on the calendar, and Alan’s love for the sport has never been stronger. “The Duke” passed away in 2006, but his pupil has more than honored his legacy. Betgoodwin is thrilled to sponsor Alan and his yard at Barbury Castle and wishes him and his team a very successful season.