Emotions were running high at Carlisle racecourse as young trainer Anna Slack sent out her first runner from the Eden-based stable where her late father Ken trained.
The 22-year-old has taken out a permit to train from Stoneriggs, near Appleby, and started the new chapter with Tico Times, who was unplaced in the 2m4f handicap chase last week, won by Knocknamona.
It makes her one of the youngest licence holders in the country, “which is quite an achievement in itself”, said her aunt, Dianne Sayer, who trains at nearby Hackthorpe.
Dianne was also represented, with two runners at the meeting, and said that seeing Anna following in her father’s footsteps was what Ken would have wanted.
After Ken died in 2019, at the age of 51, Stoneriggs was kept going by Dianne as a satellite yard, with Anna acting as her assistant and being
in charge of the horses there.
An active racing family, Ken’s mother Evelyn (Anna’s grandmother) is a former permit-holder and his father, Arthur (Anna’s grandfather) is a successful breeder and owner.
Having now branched out on her own, Anna is the third generation of her family to train racehorses, and has charge of Tico Times for Evelyn and Tonto’s Spirit, Cartmel’s most prolific horse, for Arthur.
Anna told the Herald: “I’ve been going racing for as long as I can remember so finally having a runner in my own name did feel very surreal.
“It’s been a fairly long process to get the licence with some hard work along the way.
“I am very lucky to have two lovely horses to care for every day. Tonto’s Spirit has been with us a long time and it would mean a lot if I could get him to win.
“I have a horse owned by each grandparent who both love having horses at Stoneriggs and going racing is something that they look forward to and keeps them going.
“I feel very proud to be the third generation in my family to train.
“My dad had so much passion for his horses and the days driving home after getting a winner with the song The Gambler playing are those I will never forget.
“Him becoming a trainer definitely brought us closer in the last four years we had together.
“I couldn’t have got this far without the support I’ve had from friends and family, especially my aunty Dianne who gave me the opportunity to be her assistant for the last few years and get a feel for what it’s like to be a trainer.
“I can’t wait to continue my training career and hopefully it won’t be too long until I’m in the winner’s enclosure!”
Of Anna, Dianne said: “She is a dedicated, talented and determined young person and it has been a privilege for me to be part of her journey.”
