Team

Ed started training in October 2010 when he rented a small 24 box yard within St Gatien Stables in Newmarket. From there he sent out his first runner which was Riggins, a Listed winner on November 27th 2010.

Since then Ed has grown the business gradually which has seen him relocate no less than four times. His nomadic existence finally came to an end in December 2016 when he and his team settled at Kingsdown Stables in Upper Lambourn.

Jack started in racing in 2006 where he worked for Luca Cumani in Newmarket. It was here where he progressed through the ranks and went from Stable Lad to Head Lad. In 2013, Jack joined Ed's team and has been with him ever since. 

Jack has had many successful and memorable days racing whilst working for Ed. In particular Stormy Antarctic's win in the Craven and the day when Ed had a 5 timer back in June 2015, however Jack managed to saddle the only two runners that didn't win on the day! He is an extremely talented rider but has long retired from riding yearlings and one of his favourite horses on the yard is of course Stormy Antarctic, who he regularly rides out.

Jack makes sure that all things horse related are done to an exceptionally high standard. He ensures that the yard runs like clockwork and plays a key role in the daily management and care of our horses. 

Rafe joined the team in January 2022 as Racing Secretary. After studying Environmental Management at the University of Manchester, he spent two years in the Racing Post Marketing team before moving to Australia to work a breeding season with Coolmore in the Hunter Valley. During his time out there, he also did a short stint with trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace at their Caulfield hub in Melbourne, working with horses such as Loving Gaby and Away Game. 

Upon returning to the UK, Rafe joined Richard Hannon’s yard in East Everleigh and progressed to be Pupil Assistant before starting his new role here with us in Lambourn. Rafe enjoys playing golf, football and cricket and is a big Oxford United and Warwickshire fan. 

Libby has grown up with horses and started here in January 2019 after she graduated from the Royal Agricultural University in 2018 with a degree in International Agriculture and Equine Business Management. She has previously worked for several industry professionals including SackvilleDonald bloodstock agents and has spent several years shadowing different trainers and agents over the years at sales. She has also worked for Goffs UK, Tweenhills Stud and spent a season out in New Zealand as an eventing groom. Aside from living and working in Lambourn, she also has a bloodstock business back at home in Herefordshire where she pinhooks both flat and national hunt foals. 

Libby is responsible for keeping the owners up to date on their horse's progress. She is often seen out on the gallops taking photos and video footage of horses to send to the owners, as well as going racing. She also manages our website and social media to keep everyone up to date on runners and latest news. 

Having previously ridden for Ed for a number of years, George re-joined the team in the summer of 2020 and assists Ed with race planning, entries and jockey bookings. 

George had a very successful career in the saddle riding a total of 1,364 winners, he has many notable wins under his belt which include a first classic win in the St Leger on Harbour Law in 2016. Since his forced retirement from race riding after suffering a serious fall at St Moritz's White Turf meeting, George now divides his time between jockey coaching, his role at Ed Walker Racing, as well as working as a pundit on Racing TV.

After many years of living on the restricted diet that comes with being a jockey, George has a renewed love of food which he is very expressive about!

George has written a book 'Taking My Time' which tells both the tall tale of his life as a jockey, and the story of a second life emerging from the aftermath of his fall. This is available to purchase from Amazon here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Taking-My-Time-George-Baker/dp/1910497894

Clare started with us in October 2020 after studying an online accountancy course so she could combine riding out with a more office based role. She studied Business Management with Human Resources at Winchester University while riding out for Brendan Powell. After finishing University, Clare worked full time for Brendan doing a variety of roles including being his amatuer Jockey. Whilst working for us, Clare continues to ride out and also drives the Equisave Horse Ambulance at various race meetings. Her role here includes managing the accounts, Human Resources and staff wages.

Charles comes from a racing background in Moulins, central France. His Uncle and Godfather both train flat and jumps so he grew up around horses and was in the saddle from an early age. 

Charles went to university to study Chinese however he spent more time riding out in Chantilly so decided uni was not for him! He then got his first job as Pupil Assistant in France for Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte for 4 years before returning to Newmarket after he had previously spent time at Michael Jarvis's during his summer holidays and loved it. He then became Assistant Head Lad for Roger Varian where he rode and looked after some of the very best horses. 

Charles works very closely with Jack and is responsible for making sure that all horses are happy and healthy. He has the support from our Assistant Head Lads and will check every leg on every horse twice a day. He is also a very talented rider and is one of our most experienced work riders. 

Sam joined us in April 2020 and started riding at the early age of 7 doing dressage lessons. She went straight to the racing school after finishing school at 16 and got a job riding for Tim Pitt in Newmarket. After two years there, she went to work for Ed when he trained in Newmarket and after a stint at a pre training yard and stud, Sam is now back with us here in Lambourn. 

Matty has been here since June 2018 as Assistant Head Lad and has now progressed to Pupil Assistant. Prior to this, he worked for his local trainer Tim Reed back home in Northumberland. Coming from a hunting background and riding from a young age, Matty has always wanted to work with horses and also has a keen interest in the bloodstock industry.

Matty has gone from strength to strength during his time at Kingsdown, proving to be a popular member of staff and a naturally talented rider. He is the regular rider of some exciting horses in the yard and is a great asset to the team.

Georgie joined us in June 2021 having previously worked for both Roger Teal and Owen Burrows in Lambourn. She comes from a racing background and has also showjumped from a young age, as well as studying a degree in sports massage. Georgie is in charge of travelling the horses to the races, as well as riding out and helping on the yard. 

Elouise joined us in February 2020 after graduating from The British Racing School where she was Head Girl on her course. She has previously worked at riding schools and learn't to ride at the young age of 5, therefore has plenty of experience with horses. This is her first job in racing and in 2022 she was awarded the David Nicholson Newcomer prize at the Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards which was a fantastic achievement. 

Molly has been around horses from a young age and has competed in many equestrian disciplines before studying at the British Racing School in 2015 at the age of 16/17. When she graduated from racing school, she went on to work for several trainers including Ralph Beckett, Andrew Balding and Brendan Powell. She has prevciously held a license as an amateur jockey for Brendan and had five rides, being placed in three so she brings a great deal of experience to the team and is an excellent rider.

Kelly has previously worked for several trainers including Richard Guest, Andrew Balding, Karl Burke and many more. She is extremely experienced and has also been Head Girl and done plenty of travelling within various jobs. Before she got into racing, she used to teach at Doncaster College Equestrian Department whilst being a qualified riding instructor. 

Kelly has ridden as an amateur and is proud to say that her first ever ride was a winner! She married Jockey Liam Keniry in 2020 and is a very valued, enthusiastic member of the team.

Umesh joined us in July 2019 after previosuly working for Henry Candy. He is an experienced rider, loves going racing and is rarely seen without a smile.

Rosie has ridden from the age of 4 and has tried almost every discipline including pony racing, polocrosse and eventing. Roise decided that she wanted to have a career in racing so applied for the British Racing School where she started in May 2021. Once graduated, she knew she wanted to come to Lambourn so was thrilled when she got the job with us. In the future, she would love to gain experience travelling and also maybe get out her licence. She is a great asset to the team, always smiling, enthusiastic and is a joy to have around. 

Originally from Poland, 'Westy' as he is known around the yard is one of Ed’s longest serving member of staff having worked for him since 2013. He has moved around with Ed from yard to yard before happily settling in to Kingsdown. He can often be seen accompanying horses at the races and looks after our stable star Stormy Antarctic, which has enabled him to travel to several different countries over the years. Westy is of course most excited about Stormy this year and is very hopeful of the yard being able to secure a first Group 1 victory.

Tina joined us in August and brings a wealth of experience to the yard. She has worked in racing for over 20 years and has always lived and worked in Lambourn. She has previously worked for both flat and jumps trainers including Richard Hughes and Marcus Tregoning and we are delighted to have Tina on the team. 

Papa is famous around the yard for always having a smile on his face! He has worked at Kingsdown since January 2018 and is a valuable member as he not only helps on the yard but can ride out too. He has previously worked in Ireland for Andy Oliver and also Jonjo ONeill before joining the Ed Walker team. 

Kishore has a wealth of experience and knowledge, in particular travelling horses and taking them racing. He has previously worked for Kerry Lee before joining the team at Kingsdown in January 2018. He is often seen leading up at the races and sales, aswell as being a top yardman at home.

Josef was first introduced to racehorses when he was 17 and immediately fell in love with them. He then started working for a trainer in Slovakia, followed by moving to the UK where he worked for Mark Pitman and Charlie Egerton. He loves all aspects of training and is constantly learning. He could not be more helpful in and around the yard and is a very popular member of the team.

Anser joined us in March 2019 and is a vital member of the ground staff team. 

Harry joined us in March 2021 and is a vital member of the team, providing a highly professional service in all aspects of farriery including shoeing and specialist remedial care. He manages the day to day care of the horses feet in the yard, including fitting shoes and racing plates on when required. 

Mikael is a key member of the team and has previosuly owned several horses in the yard but he is also the resident chiropractor, continuously assessing and treating the horses and keeping them in top tip condition! Mikael trained in Sweden before moving to the UK where he successfully trained just down the road from Kingsdown Stables. He can often be seen out on the gallops in the mornings and in the evenings around the yard closely followed by his beloved dog Josephine!

Dannios originally joined us as a 'hack' back in 2010 but got so fit that Ed decided to run him in his mother Gilly's colours as a suprise for her birthday. He amazed everyone and gave Gilly a memorable day when he won! He then went on to win 5 races that year before retiring in 2011 to become an invaluable lead horse.

During 2019 Dannios had the important role of being lead horse to our now retired superstar filly Agrotera, even attending Royal Ascot to pony her to the start. Surely the highlight of his year! After a well earned break, he came back in to work for his duties as lead horse to the yearlings and has now gone back in to the paddock for another holiday. He certainly lives the dream and is well and truly spoilt, as he should be.