Venetia Williams - Aramstone
Born in Scorrier, Cornwall in 1960, Williams is now based at stables at Aramstone, in Herefordshire. Her one and only attempt at riding in the National ended up with her crashing out at Becher’s on the 200-1 shot Marcolo, and being rendered unconscious and detained in hospital with a whiplash injury.
A fortnight later, in her very next race Williams suffered an even greater blow when she fell in a novice hurdle at Worcester, breaking the ‘hangman’s bone’ in her neck and having to spend three months in traction. This ended her riding career, but some may say it was for the best when you consider that she made rapid progress in her horse training career and now has the amazing feat of a Grand National winner under her belt.
A noted self-motivator, Williams gained expert training knowledge working with Martin Pipe and Barry Hills, Colin Hayes and John Edwards, before setting up on her own in 1995 with just nine horses. It was no surprise that within three years she had more than 60 horses under her wing.
Her first success was with Teeton Mill, who she trained to win the 1998 Hennessy Gold Cup, followed by the King George VI Chase and went off as favourite in the 1999 Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Other wins by Williams include the Ascot Chase, the 2000 Welsh Grand National, the Scottish Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham’s Grand Annual Chase and Cleve Hurdle (3 times). Twenty-four years after Jenny Pitman was immortalised in Grand National history by training the winner Corbiere, Williams became the second woman to win the National with Mon Mome, ridden by Liam Treadwell, who was making his National debut.
It was not however her first entry to the National, she had thirteen previous attempts, fourteen if you include her entry as a jockey. However, Teeton Mill and the prolific hurdler Lady Rebecca; who won the Cleeve Hurdle three times; have, until Mon Mome, been the best that Williams has trained. Stan, her other runner in the National of 2009 unfortunately fell at the seventh fence. We will have to wait and see if she has any more surprises for us in the 2010 Grand National.
