Tim Vaughan Trainer Talk - A Day at Pant Wilkin Stables
15 minutes At The Winning Post, we recently had the pleasure of visiting Tim Vaughan Racing for a private tour of the yard; a racing establishment steeped in history, tradition and National Hunt excellence. Set against the backdrop of the Welsh countryside, the visit offered a fascinating insight into the daily workings of one of the sport's most respected operations.
However, it quickly became clear that Pant Wilkin Farm is far more than a traditional training yard. Alongside first-class gallops and training facilities sits an on-site equine hospital, providing immediate veterinary care and rehabilitation.The site has also evolved into a thriving business hub, with staff accommodation, holiday lodges, an on-site gym, and even a purpose-built play area, creating a truly rounded environment for both horses and humans.
From meticulously run facilities to the outstanding care shown to every horse in training, Tim Vaughan Racing is built on experience, professionalism and a genuine commitment to welfare — not just for the horses, but for everyone who works and stays at the yard.
The tour provided the perfect opportunity to sit down with Tim and discuss his career, training philosophy and what life is really like for owners behind the scenes.
Here, in an interview with Abigail from The Winning Post's editorial team, Tim shares his story, his approach to training and what makes ownership at Pant Wilkin Farm both rewarding and truly unique.
Tim, how did Tim Vaughan Racing begin, and how has the yard evolved over the years at Pant Wilkin Farm?
Tim Vaughan Racing originated in 2006, when I was riding in point-to-points myself as an amateur jockey. I bought and trained a horse prior to that, and it won. From there, a couple of owners that I rode for asked me to train a point-to-pointer for them - that's how it all started. We had a few pointers and a few winners; it was all going smoothly. Then, one of the owners, Andrew Lowrey of Optimum Racing, said, "Look, I want to run it under National Hunt rules, can you run it for me"? To which I said I haven't even got a licence, it was impossible. That horse was moved to another local trainer, Evan Williams, and it bolted first time out for him. He said, "Look, you can obviously train, the horse has only left you a short period of time ago, why don't you get a licence?"
It was never something I sought in my life. I was just something that sounded like a good idea. We sought to get a licence and got a permit originally. We had our first run, with a horse called Lonesome Man at Aintree, with Richard Johnson on board. We raced it in the June meeting, and it absolutely bolted up, 21 lengths. And of course, if you recall, with point-to-point racing at the time, it was £100 prize money. I owned this horse myself and at 23 years of age, it just won around 7/8 grand. I thought this is the way forward, this is living!
From here, we trained some more and came to the decision to get a public licence. I was still working in the background as we only had three or four stables. We expanded a little bit and got up to around eight stables. Then, in 2007, I saw Pant Wilkin, not as it is now, it was just green fields at the time. I thought the condition of the land worked perfectly for a gallop, so I found out who the owner was, rang them and asked to come and have a look. The conversation unraveled, and I went away that night, theoretically buying the place, but at the time, I was around 24 and did not have any money. I woke up the next morning and thought, what have I agreed? I came up with a plan of agreeing a fixed price but to lease the land in the first instance. I needed to get in, spend money, put gallops in and try to get planning for a house. This was to elevate the price of the land. Then I could get a mortgage and buy it from the owner.
Unbelievably, he said, "Yes, no problem." Four years and two months later, I triggered the option agreement and bought it all. I owe a lot to him. Of course, I have paid my dues for it, but in fairness, if it wasn't for the way we structured it financially, I would not have been able to get a place of this magnitude. We have continuously developed it, and thankfully, it has worked for us. I just took off.
I went full-time with the horses in July 2008, and we had plenty of winners. I was loving life. The phone was off the hook, horses were arriving and it just took off. We went from about five horses to 165 at peak. It was a phenomenal period in our lives where you could just not foresee it; it was impossible! I was building barns as quickly as I could, and luckily, we kept winning; which gave us the freedom to keep building.
2. You quickly built a reputation for placing horses exceptionally well. How central is race planning to your training approach?
When I started, it was the key element. It really was. I had no background in racing. I looked at it purely as a mathematical equation and what I felt was the right approach. A lot of the horses I bought, I felt, were not placed in the right races. That was the key ingredient. For instance, if I were running a human athlete in the Olympics and the same athlete in a mum and dad's race in the local primary school, it's fair to suggest that the mum and dad's race would be easier for them to win. A lot of the horses I was buying were ones that were getting placed or finishing 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th in higher grade races. I was getting them, putting my personal touch on them, and putting them in the system. I would then drop them massively in grade. I felt horses gained confidence then and would win at a lower level. From there, they could progress and fulfill their ability. So, I would say race planning was one of the key ingredients.
More lately, that has massively changed. The race planning system has been altered and tweaked by the powers that be; the BHA. It takes that edge out of it now. The game is much more driven by who has the fastest horse, it's not about the way you place them quite as much. Certainly, it's far, far harder to get an edge in today's race planning system than in the early days. There used to be lots of loopholes and we really exploited them, which enabled us to thrive as we did.
3. Which moments or achievements in your career stand out as the most defining?
It goes without saying that if any trainer has a Grade One winner, it's a phenomenal feeling. I think probably training my Grade One winner Saint Are in Aintree was definitely a key moment in my career. We also won a Scottish Grand National with Beshabar.
Lastly, it was training a winner at every racetrack in Britain. It showed the length, breadth and width of the country we would travel to train winners. From the outset, I have always said let's go wherever is right for the horses. We have always been about putting the horses in the right race, whether that be in Mexico, Perth, Plumpton, or Fos Las, we would go. It's a lovely feat that we achieved around 7 years ago now.
5. What are the key principles that guide how you train horses day-to-day?
The key principles of training are that they are well cared for, first and foremost, and we treat them like highly tuned athletes. We try to replicate as much as we do with a human. Of course, horses cannot speak, so I try to apply as much common sense as I can, asking myself how I would feel in this scenario. Now, everyone has their own system. But with us, they are fed well, they work hard, and no different than a human athlete, they need the right food and the right training regimen. Then, we focus on their minds and get them to enjoy life. I think that is the key thing; plenty of food, plenty of work, cared for in the right manner, and also ensuring their minds are happy. We will work them to a certain level and then once they are fit, we can play about with them. For instance, we take them hacking. A big part of it is having a happy horse.
6. How do you adapt your methods to suit different types of horses and temperaments?
We have a standard regime that works for our horses. They tend to have a Sunday off, unless they are running on Monday or Tuesday. Mondays are very easy days where we limber them back up into the mindset where they are working. Tuesday, they will then have a work day. On Wednesdays, they have a steady day. Thursday, we may school them over jumps. Friday is a work day and a bit steadier Saturday. We will then tweak that. Of course, if we have a young filly who is only 3 years old, she may only work once every other week. If you have a big fat gelding who is older, he will need a bit more graft, so they may work Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. It's really instinctive and we like to see how they are feeling. We collaborate with jockeys and work with the team to ensure they're happy and thriving. So, we have a core system, but then we tweak it accordingly.
11. How closely do you work with jockeys on tactics and race feedback?
We work with jockeys on tactics, of course, and I am always keen to absorb everything. I am very instinctive, so when a horse runs, having ridden myself and being involved in the sport, I get a fair angle on things. For instance, whether the horse wants further in trip, shorter in trip, needs a blow etc. I have been watching millions of races throughout my life, so you get a fairly good understanding of it. What I really need to know from the jockeys is whether it's hanging left? Is it hanging right? Does it have a breathing problem? These are the things I cannot see or feel by watching a race on a screen. It's our job to get the very best out of the horse, keeping it in a well-conditioned state to run to the best of its ability.
What do you think makes a successful relationship between trainer, owner and rider?
The relationship is a massive part of it - I think more so with the trainer and owner. It's all about trust. You build training on trust. The one thing you need in training is patience. No matter what anyone tells you, they blossom at different times, no different than an athlete, a child - they need time to blossom. It is no different with a race horse. Some mature quicker, some are edgy, some are anxious, some are relaxed, it's all different personalities. It's our job to go through all that and work it out with the horse, again, to give them the best you can. We are very fortunate that we have lots of owners who have been with us for many years, and they understand the system.
What ambitions still motivate you, and what would you most like to achieve next?
What motivates me - I love the system, I love the industry, and I love the community. In an ideal world, we would build back up to the numbers that we formally had, and we would have nice animals that can compete on the big days and win the big races. I suppose when I was younger we were in the top 10 for around 10 years and I had aspirations of being a champion trainer but I suppose when you get older you become more realistic. The amount of money and investment we would need from owners at this time seems unlikely, as it is for nearly 99.9% of all the trainers out there. We know it's getting more and more polarised now. But if we can have our share of nice horses to run on nice days and win for our owners I am happy. It's about keeping owners happy and enjoying it for me.
Obviously the industry had a slight win with the government's U turn on a racing tax increase. What do you see as the biggest challenges for horse racing going forward?
The challenges, where do you start? It just goes on and on, doesn't it? I think as an industry we are now competing on a like-for-like basis with football, rugby, golf etc. People only have the same pound to spend. We have to get them to spend that pound on racing, not rugby, not football, not the cinema. There are a multitude of opportunities that they now have; we need to be attractive to an audience, and I think we are very quick to criticise the bookmakers or say they are charging this and that. But the reality is, bookmakers can now present a book on anything! From first goal scorer in a Botswana football game to table tennis in Taiwan. It's so diverse now. I think we need to start appreciating what they bring to the sport. They pay the levy and they invest a lot of advertising in the sport.
The industry does have a duty of care to the horses and give them a lovely life after racing. The challenge is we now live in a woke society, and the minority have a lot to say, they are not educated in an appropriate manner in my eyes, but they get a lot of press coverage. They don't really understand, they just want their voices to be heard. But unfortunately, society is such that the press and social media can support that, and I think that is a huge challenge, overcoming the perception that running horses is not abuse for entertainment. I think that is the biggest factor going forward. For instance, in Australia and America, they barely do any jump racing now.
At Winning Post we are very passionate about making horse racing accessible to all, and not reserved for the rich and elite. Your ethos feels very similar when it comes to horse race ownership. Can you tell us a little bit about the Tim Vaughan Racing Club?
For me, it's all very well if you have key established owners with lots of wealth coming at you, that's fine. But, in reality it is not today's society for the majority. I like to think of myself as a relatable character, and my buzz from racing is seeing owners happy. There is no better feeling than selling a horse, nurturing a horse, seeing it win, and watching the owners get that buzz out of horse racing.
Bringing that to a wider audience is important to us. We are putting entry brackets in where we can literally have anyone in. We have set up the Tim Vaughan Racing Club, where people can pay monthly, just over £50 a month, or a one-off £400 for a 12-month membership. It's a reasonable rate. If you go to the cinema 5-6 times a year, you will spend that sort of money.
We can then take them up a tier where they can have a 10% share in a £10,000 horse or a 10% share in a £20,000 horse. We try to tier it all the way up to accommodate everyone and what suits their budget. The racing clubs seem to have gone well. We are picking up members. I think we have around 70 now. Realistically, for us to make it all work, we need around 150.
What horses do you currently have for sale that you feel are particularly promising?
We have a few there. It all depends on the budget. We have a horse called Calme Olympien, who won first time out for us. He is a real dude of a character, just a nice horse. He has a nice way about him. He comes out of the stable every day and looks like he wants his work. We got him in July, gave him his 12-14 weeks, took him to the race track, and he won. We couldn't have asked for any more from him. I have not sold him yet, and he is priced very, very reasonably.
Jet Steel is another one who finished third in a bumper last time out. We have a 10% share in the available. He is giving his owners some fun already, he has been third and fourth in two bumpers and will go hurdling now.
Two nice horses there that will hopefully give owners plenty of sport.
Finally, if you could choose one horse, past or present, who would you like to train?
I think now you could go into Willie Mullins' yard and pick out any of his top 20. I think the one I can relate to best is Kauto Star. He was so tough, so resilient, and he kept coming back year after year after year. He won two Gold Cups, and was second in another. He won all the big races. He was very diverse in what he could do - I would dream of landing on something like that. Every time he went on the track, he wanted to win. That's the thing. It does not matter what level of availability a horse has. If it tries, it's there and puts its whole head out for you, you cannot ask for more. They can only run as fast as they can.