A staple of the British National Hunt scene for the best part of 30 years, Venetia Williams continues to compete at the highest level from her Herefordshire base of Kings Caple. Best known to the masses for the 2009 Grand National success of Mon Mone, Venetia has racked up 10 Grade 1 victories over the years and shows no sign of slowing down.
2023/24 was particularly productive for the Williams operation. Ending the season with just under £1.5m in prize money, Williams finished fourth of the British-based handlers in the Championship table, with the big highlight coming courtesy of Royal Pagaille’s Grade 1 success in the Betfair Chase.
Renowned for her prowess in the chasing sphere – particularly on soft ground – Williams is always a name to note when conditions become testing. Here, we highlight the star performers from her 85-horse string and outline those who have made our horse tracker for the season ahead.
Stable Stars
L’Homme Presse
One of the classiest staying chasers in training on his day, this bold jumping front runner has won seven of 11 starts over fences, including the Grade 1 duo of the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase and Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Raced only three times in 2023/24, he mastered Ryanair Chase champ Protektorat at Lingfield before finishing a gallant fourth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. He suffered a bad cut at the festival but is reportedly fit and firing now and likely to be targeted at the major events over 2m5f+.
Royal Pagaille
Having twice finished second in Grade 1 company, this soft ground lover took his turn in the spotlight when landing the Betfair Chase by an easy 6½l. Thereafter, it all went wrong, with an injury sustained in the Cotswold Chase ruling him out for the season. Now back to full health, the defence of his Betfair Chase crown is the obvious major target for the season.
Victtorino
A handicap star for the yard last term, Victtorino landed a pair of valuable contests on his first two outings before tailing off slightly in the latter half of the campaign. 3m on soft ground sees him to best effect, and he may have another big pot in him off a mark of 143.
Seven For the Tracker
The above trio are the most likely to put their trainer’s name up in lights in the big Saturday events. However, there are no doubt plenty of winners in waiting lurking elsewhere in the yard, with the following seven runners, in particular, catching our eye.
- Bucksy Des Epeires – Previously based in France, this Buck’s Boum gelding joined the Williams yard ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Handed an opening mark of 118 and ending the campaign on 121, he made only limited progress over hurdles. However, like many from the yard, he makes far more appeal as a chaser and can make his presence felt in Novice company and possibly beyond.
- Demnat – An easy winner over 2m4f on his debut for the yard, this French recruit was subsequently too slow for 2m and lacked the stamina for 3m. Back down to a mark only 5lbs higher than for that runaway success at Ludlow, he could be one to catch over 2m4f early in the season.
- Galop De Chasse – This eight-year-old boasts a slow but steadily progressive profile over fences and may have more to offer from a mark of 133. Injury all but wrote off his 2023/24 campaign, but his only run was a good one. Lining up in a Class 3 handicap at Newbury, he saw off the Paul Nicholls-trained Kandoo Kid in determined fashion. With that rival now rated 145, there is a decent argument that Galop De Chasse heads into the new season as a well-handicapped horse. Unsurprisingly, he needed the run on his recent comeback at Wetherby, and he looks like one to follow in the early months of the campaign.
- King Of Records – Tried at up to Group 2 level during his flat career in France, this Sea The Stars gelding brings bags of potential to the novice hurdling scene, with 2m likely to be his trip. His form on the level suggests he may be seen to best effect if kept away from soft ground.
- Lemoncello – A winner over hurdles and fences in France, this five-year-old is one of the more intriguing new recruits to the yard. As a half-brother to the Listed winning Saint Par, an opening hurdles mark of 122 looks eminently workable.
- Tanganyika – Another to be sent over fences this season, this Martaline gelding picked up three wins for the yard over the smaller obstacles – most recently when hacking up off a mark of 117 at Newbury. With three of his four career wins coming on heavy ground, he loves it when the mud is flying and may progress beyond a mark of 120 in his chase career.
- The Famous Five – Another recruit from France, this six-year-old took a while to acclimatise but was flying by the end of the season. Finishing off with an easy success at Bangor, the form of that event looks solid, with the runner-up winning in good style at the Aintree Grand National meeting. There may be room to manoeuvre off a hurdles mark of 120, but he will be particularly interesting when sent over fences.
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.
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