CHELTENHAM winner Paul Henderson has swapped training horses for looking after their teeth.
The popular handler announced he was quitting the training ranks having been ‘priced out’ of the sport.
PAPaul Henderson says he was ‘priced out’ of the sport[/caption]
He trained nearly 150 winners during his 18-year career, with his best horse Doitforthevillage giving him a big winner at the home of jumps racing in 2017.
Hampshire-based Henderson has been struggling to make ends meet in recent years.
And with the big jumps stables only getting bigger, he felt it didn’t make financial sense to carry on.
So having recently qualified as an equine dentist, he will keep horse’s gnashers in shape instead of getting them fit on the gallops.
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Henderson told the Racing Post: “The bigger yards have got bigger and there’s much more money involved so it leaves the smaller guys out of it.
“We have always been a yard which tries to buy value horses, but they’re not there any more and it means we’re competing with our horses, which cost 10,000 guineas, against those costing somewhere between 50,000 to 200,000 guineas.
“We always try to target the races with a bit more prize-money, but in those novice races you’re up against expensive point-to-point winners, and in the handicaps you’re bumping into rivals who are very well handicapped.
“It’s difficult because the money is talking. There are certain yards which are very fashionable and subsequently they can command things.i
“If you went to one of the top trainers with 20,000 guineas to spend, they’d offer you something costing 50,000 guineas.
“I will still get to work with horses with the dentistry, which is something that has always interested me.
“We’ve just been priced out.”
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