Trainer Focus: Evan Williams: Fingerpost Farm Runners to Follow

Achieving success in the Point-to-Point sphere as a trainer and a jockey, Evan Williams had his first runners under rules in 1998/99. Williams waited until 2002/03 for a first win, but the yard soon began to take off - hitting double figures for the first time in 2003/04, his career-best season saw Williams pick up 90 British National Hunt triumphs in 2010/11.

By those standards, a 38-win total was slightly disappointing in 2023/24. However, the yard still surpassed the £500,000 total prize money mark for the sixteenth season in succession, with the standout victory provided by Minella Missile in the Grade 2 Hyde Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham November Meeting.

Fast forward to the current campaign, and Williams Fingerpost Farm yard is well on the way to bettering the 2023/24 totals, with 21 winners and just under £300,000 prize money before the end of December.

Here, we pick out the star performers from the leading Welsh yard and highlight the runners we will follow with particular interest in the weeks and months ahead.

Stable Stars

Libberty Hunter

Libberty Hunter ended his hurdles career with only a Class 4 success but is a significantly better performer over fences. Following three wins in six starts, he now sits on a rating of 151 - a 29lb increase from his initial mark of 122. That rating doesn't make him easy to place, but he already has a Grade 1 third to his name and won’t be out of place in top-tier 2m contests.

Minella Missile

In our opinion, this is the most exciting horse in the yard. Following a Point-to-Point success at Stowlin, Minella Missile made quite the impression in two starts at the beginning of the 2023 season. Having impressed with a winning effort at Chepstow, the Beat Hollow gelding took the step up to Grade 2 company in his stride when seeing off Captain Teague to land the Hyde Novices’ Hurdle. Health issues kept him off for the rest of the season, but he is reportedly now nearing a return and is one to look out for in high-class staying contests.

Four to Follow

Both Libberty Hunter and Minella Missile may have their best years ahead of them, with the latter, in particular, looking like a potential Grade 1 winner. However, the bulk of Williams winners are likely to come at a slightly lower level. Hopefully, the following foursome can do their bit to keep the win-o-meter ticking over.

• Diol Ker – Formerly based with Noel Meade and Gordon Elliott in Ireland, this son of Martaline joined the Williams yard in August. In truth, he has offered very little to date but showed a little more life when sixth in the Tommy Whittle Chase at Haydock. There is still work to do with the ten-year-old, but he is becoming very well handicapped off a chase mark of 115, having been rated high as 149 in April 2023. 

• Everyonesacritic – This tricky customer is no superstar but is another Williams runner who looks well-handicapped over fences. A winner off 82 and reaching a peak of 87 over the smaller obstacles, he has shown enough over birch to suggest he can win off his current chase mark of 80.
• Hurricane Highway – A winner in the Point-to-Point and hurdling spheres, this six-year-old is zero from five over fences but has hinted that his turn may not be far away. Catching the eye when second on his return from a 300-day break at Ffos Las, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him climb a few pounds beyond his current mark of 123.
• Patriotik – Making his hurdles debut in February 2024, Patriotik finished in the first three in his first five outings, with the highlight seeing him land a heavy ground event at Ffos Las by eight lengths. He’s zero from three this season but hasn’t done too much wrong – needed the run first time out, unseated at Haydock, and finished second at a fog-engulfed Aintree. The handicapper has dropped him a couple of pounds for those efforts, and we fancy he may soon be back in the winner's enclosure.

Paul Harrison

Falling in love with racing at a young age, Paul’s passion for sports and betting took him to Salford University, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics with Gambling Studies. Having spent ten years in the employment of a leading bookmaker, Paul opted to go it alone and pursue his dream job as a freelance writer.