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ham on Thursday morning and leave late that morning. He spends the night in the south of England and arrives in Deauville or Paris around midday the next day. On Saturday morning he either does light exercise or has an easy day.” Karl Burke also ranks in the top 10 of British trainers in 2025. Born in England to Irish parents, he was not destined for the upper echelons of the thoroughbred world:“ My father ran an Irish pub in the city of Rugby, and that’ s where my interest in racing was born. Every Saturday we’ d show football and racing.” After five rides, including one flat win, Karl Burke was a modest NH jockey for about ten years.“ I never wanted to train, but I started breaking horses and taking them in boarding. My wife Elaine’ s father was a trainer( Alan Jarvis), which allowed me to see firsthand how tough the job was. We went ahead anyway and at first times, were really hard. We were just surviving.” After several years of hard work and moving between different yards, the Burke family had the chance to put down roots in 2000.“ We couldn’ t afford Newmarket, so we seized the opportunity to buy Spigot Lodge.” This yard in Yorkshire had produced an Epsom Derby winner back in 1849, The Flying Dutchman.“ When we moved in, there were 58 boxes. Today we have 139 and everything we need. The Middleham gallops are excellent.”
A heavy blow But the struggles were far from over, and Karl Burke speaks candidly about them:“ Just a month after my first Group 1 victory with Lord Shanakill in the Prix Jean Prat in 2010, the BHA withdrew my license. The case went back to the early 2000s, at the dawn of Betfair. An owner had entrusted us with horses, and we had also invested together in a property here. When the BHA brought in new rules regarding the use of Betfair, he was banned from racing. Since he was banned, I should not have had any contact with him, even if our communications were about real estate. It was a very heavy blow.” Karl Burke waited three years before getting his license back, and he nearly ended up in France.“ I took my trainer’ s course and exam in France because we were considering selling everything. Fortunately, we didn’ t manage to sell the yard, because since then things have gone very well!” Former owners renewed their trust in Burke, and results soon followed.“ Libertarian won the Dante Stakes and finished second in the Derby, that was a huge boost. Each year we’ ve managed to find a good twoyear-old to win major races. With every sale of one of them, we reinvest in our facilities.” Today Spigot Lodge can boast of being one of the best-equipped yards in England, with an indoor school( handy in Yorkshire!), an equine water treadmill, and a solarium. State-of- the-art equipment and a tightly knit team.“ In recent years my daughters have become more and more involved. Kelly is very invested in the business side, and Lucy is more interested in the horses themselves. They take a huge load off me and have brought in ideas for the yard’ s organization, which allows us to have good staff.” A winning team, with no shortage of ambitions both in England and in France.“ I’ ve been lucky enough to win classics in France, Ireland, and Germany; it would be wonderful to complete the set with an English classic. If Venetian Sun shows us she can stay 1,400 meters in Ireland, that will allow us to dream with her over the winter; and I’ ve got others at home who are just as promising …”
JOCKEY
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By Paul Casabianca
CHRISTOPHE SOUMILLON HAVE FOUND BACK THE DRIVE AND PASSION
Double Group 1 winner at Deauville, Christophe Soumillon enjoyed an August full of emotions. Ambitious, happy and better than ever, the multiple Champi-
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