By Jacob Pritchard-Webb
As the world continues to get smaller, with improved air travel, better roads and train lines, jockeys are country hoping more and more to ride in races around the world. France is certainly no exception especially in the national hunt game. Three names that certainly need no introduction are James Reveley, Felix de Giles and Charlotte Prichard. All three turned a working summer holiday into a full-time residency after enjoying their time and realsing that the grass is infact greener. All three have dominated the game, winning numerous graded races and all three taking the title of champion jockey. Before them it was Dean Gallagher and Phillip Carberry who turned their focus on to the Parisian jumping game that led to a full-time tenancy and multiple major wins. I myself made the move and loved it whilst it lasted, a decision I would make 100 times over.
It’s the change of pace compared to Ireland or the UK that is the big appeal. Throw in some very good prize money and a side order or fantastic cheese and wine and why wouldn’t a British or Irish jockey decide to stay. Avid viewers of jump racing in France would have seen another British name to don the race card regularly. From 2019 to the middle of 2024, he grew quite a reputation for being a steady pair of hands who was reliable and strong in a finish. Since July 2024 though he’s not set foot in a French weighing room and that’s because he has done something that not many ex-pats do, he moved back to the UK.
I am of course talking about Nathen Howie. The thirty-year-old jockey from Cambridge made a slow start to his riding career in France in 2019 but had a breakthrough year in 2023 riding 31 winners and amassing over a million euros in prize money. So why the sudden abrupt end and move? I sat down with him in his home in Red Lodges outside of Newmarket to ask about his old life and new.
“From a young age I was always sporty, whether it be football, rugby or any sport including a bit of pony club but after three weeks I was bored of that. Boxing was something I fell in love with, and I still regularly try to take part and train in, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was eighteen years old pot washing in a restaurant and my stepdad Steve said to me why don’t I go to the British racing school. Racing has always been in my blood with my Mum having worked in racing all her whole life and is currently a head girl for John Godson and my dad having had a few rides himself back in the day. I was pretty unsure but seeing my Mums horse Knockara Beau win the Cleeve hurdle at Cheltenham for George Charlton and legendary Czech jockey Jan Faltesek made me take the leap in to racing.” Howie made the move from Newcastle where he was living at the time leaving the pot washing life and started the 12-week course at the British Racing school in Newmarket at 19 years old in February 2014. “I’d never really sat on a horse before starting this course let alone cantered one. The first four weeks are just a taster where they start you from the beginning teaching you how to trot and then moving on to cantering. I stayed on and did another eight weeks at the school where we lived for the whole duration as well and I really enjoyed it but was very different to anything I had done before.”
Graduates of the AFASEC would notice how different it is to the French program of getting youngsters in to racing. After his 12 weeks Howie was sent straight into full time employment, ironically with one of his Mums former bosses Chris Wall. “I used to go when I was younger into Chris yard, so it was funny how it was my first job. I Loved it riding the flat yearlings when they arrived and I still put quarter marks on my horses before pulling out every lot, that’s something he was very particular on and drilled into me. I sat on a few good horses too like Mr Win who ran in the Bunbury cup handicap at Newmarket. One I had a lot to do with and rode every day was mix and mingle, she was special. I took her to Newmarket for the 1,000 guineas in 2016 where she got hampered and finished 7th but that was a great day. Chris gave me my amateur license and my first ride too at Newbury in an amateur race on a horse called ataman, he finished last and ended up jumping but it was a good experience. It was a great experience, but it was coming up to the winter and I fancied a change once I knew I wasn’t going to be light enough to be a flat jockey”
The move to France never fazed him because in the winter of 2017 he took a three-month trip down to Australia to work for John Sargents and Les bridges. This most defiantly prepared him for a life abroad working in different environments he states. He sips on his tea before starting this part of his story with a smile, probably from remembering the sandy beaches and fosters beer. “It was great fun other than the really early mornings. I would ride 8 or 9 lots a day and be done by 10am trying to beat the heat. It was something different, I learnt a lot about pace and making the pace with the beeper on my helmet and on a Friday, we would jump loads of horses out of the stalls which I really enjoyed especially when the orders was to jump out and treat it like a race. I did a few trips to the races which was different, but I enjoyed all the free time out there. I got to go to the blue mountains hiking over a weekend and then mixed things up with a few city trips to Sydney seeing the Opera house.”
As good as the aussie sun is, home was calling and his preference for English flat racing was still strong at the time. Upon returning home another crack at his weight was on the agenda and a new job at none other then John Godsons began in February 2018 “I was buzzing to start at Johns full time and where do I start. To sit on Stradivarius and do one of his first solo strong canters up the al bahtri the well know all weather gallop was unbelievable. I even sat on enable and roaring lion on the odd Sunday too trotting them, to be able to say I got to ride these three horses is something I am very proud of. I did really enjoy it there; the money was good but wasn’t there to long. I started to really want to race ride but wasn’t willing to get my weight down for the flat, so I decided to have a big change up and move to Tom Georges and give national hunt a go.”
Moving never phased him and he reflects on the people who he met and helped him during his time in the picturesque Cotswold’s like Paul Hainey who he still relies on for advice today. Paddy Brennan, Johnny Burke, Cieran Gething’s and Adrien Heskin are all top jockeys who use to come into George’s stable on schooling mornings and give him advice to he says. As he takes another sip on tea, I ask him what was the biggest difference he found with this particular move? “The jumping. I’d never really done any before except a few cross poles in the school at the British racing school. It took me awhile to get schooling at Toms and it was happening quite slowly for me even though I took out my conditional license in the February of 2019 I never rode in a race for him. I did travel a lot going racing with his horses which I loved. Going over to Punchestown which was brilliant and leading up Singlefarmpayment in the grand national where he finished 8th was unforgettable. Living in the Cotswold was something I didn’t take for granted either being in the countryside and up in the hills where I use to go running and cycling a lot.”
Grafting all winter led to a conversation with Tom’s son Noel about summer plans and he mentioned France. Looking around his living room there’s plenty of evidence from photos on the wall that France became a success for Howie. “I went out there to get schooling experience but I’m not sure how I ended up at Francois Maire Cottin, but he was brilliant. The fact he spoke English was a big help as I spoke absolutely zero French. The intention was to never stay in France full time it was just to get more experience schooling because I wasn’t very good that I certainly remember. Being 24 with no point-to-point experience and only one ride under rules three years earlier defiantly left me at a disadvantage in the UK but Cottin got me jumping immediately. I was all over the place when it came to jumping a horse though, couldn’t get the pace right, rode too long, didn’t help the horse or use himself properly, it was a steep learning curve, but Francois must of taking a liking to me.” Five weeks into his French exchange Cottin gave Nathen his first ride on a horse called fee du bosc a four-year-old filly having her first career start at Dieppe. They finished 10th but it was a completion and therefore a success. He found out through another staff member that he got the ride and had to borrow all his riding gear and saddle for his first race. On The journey home Nathen recalls vividly with a chuckle and smile that on the journey home Cottin rang him to ask him if he wanted to stay. “I can barely remember the race it was over so quick. As I pulled up one of the other jockeys was having a go at me in French, so I cannot tell you what his problem was, but he wasn’t happy. Luckily someone else stood up for me as we walked back into the weighing room, but I was buzzing so much I really didn’t care. I just remember wanting to go again straight away. Then when he offered me the job full time to stay it was a shock and I had to carefully think about it because I enjoyed Toms but looking back I’d of been stupid to have refused.”
A year with Cottin lead to 25 rides which was exactly what he wanted to do and a trip down to Cagnes sur Mer where his best finish was third on a horse called Dolly Light. Nathen and I rode in the same race together at Dieppe where I’m proud to say I beat him, something when I remind him always makes us laugh. The lack of success though made him consider a change and a mutuel friend mentioned moving to Mickel Seror who needed a young jockey.
“When I moved to Mickel’s I didn’t really want to race ride probably because I wasn’t getting anywhere with it and lost the drive to keep going. I was learning a lot from him though, and he was pushing me in the mornings which I enjoyed but there was a lot of competition on in house with other jockeys and I lacked confidence in myself and my riding ability. It wasn’t until the following summer in June 2021 that I had my first ride for him so over a year since id ridden in a race but in that time, I’d thought about it a lot and trips home to the UK had helped me decide what I really wanted to do which was give it one last push. Amazingly it couldn’t have gone any better. I rode a horse called Anny Glory at Compiegne in a claimer on his third career start after two very disappointing efforts so there was no pressure. I schooled her day before I she felt great so that gave me confidence, but he told me before that she’s not a cadeaux for me. We went flat out, I was out the back just getting him to jump well and it fell into my lap as the leaders dropped away and she stayed on strongly to win which was surreal. I remember thinking where are the fireworks which is really weird but that’s what I was almost half expecting.” He bursts out laughing realizing how strange that sounds but it’s different for everyone in this game and a winner is a hard thing to do. By the end of 2021 six months after that first ride for Seror he had 49 rides and six winners including a new connection with Donation Sourdeau de Beauregard and an Auteuil winner on Le Comtesse bleu. In 2022 he had 198 rides and 17 winners but 2023 was Nathen’s breakthrough year riding 31 winners and amassing over a million euros in prize money. On reflection I asked him what was his best day in the saddle? “I want to say winning the 2nd division of the quinte on Gold for Nizzy at Auteuil for Donation Sourdeau de Beauregard who I loved riding for, and it was even better that the horse was owned by Mickel too. I won on a horse called Redneck for Donation who was a very tricky ride so to get his head in front was pleasing. He also gave me my only ride in a group three on a horse called Mandurose, we finished 3rd. I believe I was at my best however, the day I rode a treble at Cagnes sur Mer. It was the 11th of December, and I won a claimer for David Windrif who was a big supporter of mine on a horse called Speed de Cerisy, Spes Energical was my next winner, and she was my favorite horse to ride in France for a good friend, Sam Sutton. I topped the day off with another win for the boss and David Dahan on Great Feeling. I don’t think I’ve given another horse a better ride then I did that day on Great feeling, everything just fell right for me on the racetrack, and it was a great feeling if you pardon the pun. I was very lucky to get the support I did including from Alexi Acker as well he is a good friend of mine now and I went east a lot for him. I enjoyed riding at Compiegne the most though it’s a very fair track. The memories cover his living room and kitchen wall having a total of 58 winners by the middle of 2024 but a bad fall on Kiroga for Beauregard left him with a broken leg and a slight rethink. “Not all great things last. I was unhappy with a few things in France, and I was missing my family back home in the UK and fancied a change. I did my recovery in France to begin with but returned back to the UK to use the great Injured jockey fund facilities for my leg and realized how much I missed home. I went back to France, and it just wasn’t the same being there and I was a bit sour to it all so I moved back with no plan.” A plan came to fruition though for Howie and a riding out job for James Owen, a trainer taking the UK racing world by storm by training all sorts of winners over both codes came up alongside doing a physio, rehabilitation and sports coaching online course. “The plan was to ride out on some good horses which I did on the likes of Ambiente friendly, 2nd in an English derby and East India Dock who was third in the triumph. After a few schooling sessions though I got the bug again and asked James if he would hold my license and give me a few rides over jumps in England. This summer I’ve had two, one a Worcester and one at Stratford both on a horse called Star Legend for James finishing third both times. It was great to be back racing and I didn’t feel there was too much difference compared to France.” So, what’s Howie’s plan for the future? “There is not real plan, just keep trying to get a few rides for James this Winter whilst studying and go from there, who knows I might come back to France one day.”