Jack Channon

Jack Channon took over the license from his dad, the legendary Mick, at the start of 2023 and not much has changed in terms of performance! Jack’s results have been excellent. with 49 winners in his first year, and he has exceeded that total in his second year, achieving a strike rate of 17% winners to runners and winning his first Group race. He is a young trainer with plenty of ideas and drive, and is destined for the top.

Mick is still on the scene and provides wise counsel. He chips in with his ideas, but Jack is the one who makes the decisions. He has a very professional attitude and big plans for the future. While he values Mick’s advice, he intends to make a success of his career on his own terms, and is fortunate to have such great facilities at West Ilsley.

After a spell training in Lambourn, Jack’s father Mick bought the yard in 1999, and it proved to be the springboard which established him at the very top level, with a list of big-race successes too numerous to mention, but including multiple wins in the Washington Singer Stakes, Molecomb Stakes, Albany Stakes, Nell Gwyn, Dubai Duty Free Stakes, Sun Chariot and the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot. Jack has already enjoyed success in several Listed races, and won his first Group race in his second season, so the sky is the limit.

The historic former Royal Stables were purchased from the Queen, and her personal trainer Major Dick Hern was based there until 1990. The yard was home to numerous stars of the past, not least Her Majesty’s very own Dunfermline, who won the Oaks and the St Leger in 1977. Former residents also include three Derby winners – Troy (1979), Henbit (1980), and Nashwan (1989), as well as the famous Brigadier Gerard.

West Ilsley is steeped in history but has a bright future under Jack’s direction. He has big plans and is refurbishing many areas of the yard. It really is the most impressive training facility we have ever visited.

History of West Ilsley Stables

Originally an arable farm, racehorse training first began at this location when Captain Richard Gooch leased the old farm from the Lockinge Estate in 1919.

After the second world war, things truly gathered pace. First Jack Colling, and then Major Dick Hern, trained a raft of Classic winners thanks to the support of patrons such as the Rt. Hon John Jacob Astor and HM The Queen.

The purchase of West Ilsley by Astor in 1962 led to major redevelopments that gave the yard its unique and slightly quirky configuration still to be seen today.

The yard was purchased by the Queen in 1982, and Major Hern stayed on until 1990, with William Hastings-Bass then briefly sharing the facility, and becoming the sole trainer until 1998.

Mick Channon then bought the place in 1999 and trained successfully there until his retirement in 2023 paved the way for Jack Channon to take over the licence.

Yard Facilities

West Ilsley can accommodate over a hundred horses. The main traditional style courtyard is supplemented by later additions, resulting in an amalgam of yards and barns.

Refurbishment and modernisation is under way. The courtyard has recently been given a facelift, and the old colt’s yard is to be demolished, with a barn being developed near to the indoor ride to replace it.

West Ilsley is quirky and unique, but the gallops have to be seen to be appreciated.

Summer Gallops

Situated to the west of the village of West Ilsley, the Summer Gallops or ‘Sheep Down’, provide a vast array of different challenges including a left handed ‘Derby Trial’ gallop, five chutes that vary from five furlongs to a mile and a quarter, and the only flat gallop in the surrounding area.

The “Trial Ground”, made famous by Nashwan’s legendary workout in the spring of 1989, follows the spine of the The Ridgeway for a mile and a half before finishing at the highest point in Berkshire, landmarked by a cluster of trees and affectionately known as Scotsman’s Knob.

As the name suggests, the Summer Gallops are closed throughout the winter months and only used between April and September to ensure that the surface is always in top class condition.

Winter Gallops

The Winter Gallops or ‘Hodcott Down’ are the main centre of the horses’ training regime.

The six furlong all-weather woodchip gallop is in use all year round, whilst the grass chutes of five, six and seven furlongs can provide a stiff test for every horse.

Situated on the far right is the legendary ‘Gilbert’s Gallop’ that stretches for a mile adjacent to the A34. If you ever drive northbound alongside it, you’ll understand why ‘Gilbert’s’ is such a great asset for conditioning the more stoutly bred charges at West Ilsley.

The varying inclines of the land ensure that the fitness of every horse trained at West Ilsley is virtually assured, with a quality and range of grassland that the team continue to benefit from and maintain after over a hundred years of use.