RHYS FLINT TRAINER TALK - A DAY AT CHERRY HILL STABLES
8 minutes Inside Flint Racing: Family Values at the Heart of a Growing Welsh Yard.
An Interview with Rhys Flint
From the rolling hills of South Wales, Flint Racing has quietly but confidently built a reputation for blending strong family values with progressive, modern training methods. Based at Cherry Tree Stables in Bridgend, the operation is very much a family affair, led by father-and-son duo John and Rhys Flint, who officially joined forces on the training licence in 2024. Adding to the hands-on approach, Rhys's wife, Arabella, plays a key role in running the yard day to day, ensuring the smooth management and care of every horse in training.
With John bringing decades of hard-earned experience and Rhys contributing valuable insight from his years in the saddle, the Flints have created a welfare-first, forward-thinking setup that continues to grow in both quality and ambition. At Winning Post, we were delighted to be invited to Cherry Tree Stables to go behind the scenes and see first-hand how this close-knit team is shaping the future of Flint Racing.
Rhys, can you tell us about the origins of Flint Racing — how it all started and how the yard has evolved over the years?
Dad had point-to-pointers when I was younger, so I was born into it. He first had a permit with just three or four horses in training. Then he came across a horse, Fair Along. He won two races with it, then sold it to Phillip Hobbs. That's how I got my connection with Phillip Hobbs.
When I started riding more and more, he started growing as well. He ended up taking out a full licence then.
I retired from riding around seven years ago now, but I have always been here helping Dad in the yard. Around two years ago, I joined him and went on the licence.
When you joined your father on the training licence, what were your shared goals for the future of the yard?
I don't think we had goals as such. I think we just both wanted to find the best horses and get the best out of those individual horses, many of which are quite old now. We have retired eight horses this season and bought a lot of new stock. Moving forward, my goal this season is to get every horse, especially the new ones we have bought, to win a race.
Flint Racing is very much a family-run operation. Your wife is in the business, your father too, all living and working in the facility. How do you think that influences the atmosphere and the way you work with owners and horses?
It allows us to be a lot more relaxed in a sense. For instance, Dad could go racing, but if we need him somewhere else, we move things around, it just fits in - we are very flexible. If it's horrible weather one day and we want to ride out a lot later than usual, we can.
I suppose a lot of trust goes into it as well.
If I am away from the yard, I know Aranaella or my dad will be looking after the horses well.
You've spoken about offering a personal and individual approach to training. How do you tailor routines or environments to bring out the best in each horse?
Because I am very hands-on, I see all the horses out every day. If a horse only drank half a bucket of water, I would know. It's about being around them so often that if they do need anything, I would like to think I could get on top of it quickly enough. It's a big benefit when you are doing most of the work.
Your facilities are a major asset. Can you tell us more about how features like the carpet gallop have improved your training regime and horse welfare?
The carpet gallop, I think, is great. We school off it. We had woodchip before, which we liked, but the carpet has a lot more sponge to it; it's great for the flat horses. In the summertime, they just bounce through it. We never have any leg issues or anything like that. They are galloping up there every day, and they never come off it stiff - I think it's a massive asset.
We also have the turning out pens and the horse walkers too - We have got pretty much everything we need right now.
Schooling seems to be a key focus for your National Hunt horses. What's your approach to developing jumping confidence and technique?
I think good groundwork at the start is very important, getting them over trotting poles and getting them in and popping. Once a horse goes in and pops, they can do anything. They can come in on those longer strides after. If they can only go up on these longer strides and cannot go in and pop, that's when they are going to fall or make mistakes. This is why we get the foundations right first and build them up quietly, then build the speed after they have those foundations. That's the key to getting horses jumping well.
Welfare is clearly a priority at Flint Racing. What are some of the key principles you follow to ensure happy, healthy horses?
We prioritise getting them out of their boxes. They go on the walker twice a day and are ridden most days. They tend to have one day off a week, which is usually a Sunday. But if they are racing, that'll change.
Every horse has their hay made individually to them, and their feed - we are very on top of this. I think it's the same with any sport - diet is key. That's why we have invested in the weighing scales this season.
We love them looking well, healthy and happy. When they get turned out in the pens, they just love it.
They are rugged up well in the wintertime. They wear a sweat sheet on the way to the gallop, the sweat sheet then comes off, they are ridden, and the sweat sheet comes back on. They are very rarely without a rug or some sort of coat on them in the winter.
Can you give us an insight into the current horses in training — any standouts or exciting prospects for this season?
They are all new at the moment. I am just finding my feet with many of them. I am probably not going to know where I am going to be with them for a month or so
I need to find out more about them and will then know what the best route for each horse will be.
But I am sure Lusaka will win a race next year at some point. It would be nice to nick another win for Amateur too.
I would like to think that the horses we have recently bought are nice ones. Before, we dabbled in ratings at around 52, the lower handicaps. All the horses we have bought recently have been around the 70's mark and running to that as two-year-olds. So, I am hoping that as three-year-olds, they could go on to be 80+ rated horses.
Which horse in your career has been the best you've ever trained, and what made them so special?
Lusaka would probably be my favourite. We bought him off Ollie Murphy and he won four. He has always won at times when we needed him to.
I think we have done well with Amateur too. He won the West Wales National twice and should have won it a third time, but he was very very unlucky.
So it would have to be between Lusaka and Amateur for two different reasons. I probably couldn't split the two of them to be honest.
What gives you the greatest sense of satisfaction in training? Is it the winners, the progress, or the partnerships that you are forming behind the scenes?
A lot of our owners are friends that I speak with every day. So for me, if I can get one of their horses to win, that's great - I get more satisfaction out of doing something well for my friends than I do for anything else.
Do you currently have any horses for sale?
No, not at the moment, they have actually all been snapped up. I am hoping to get three or four more by the end of January, though.
What is it that you look at in a sales market?
Consistency. I like a horse that is always trying its best and has a good attitude. Aside from that - what trips they have been running over, their age etc. But the main one for me would be their attitude.
A bit of speed as well. I have bought horses in the past that have been quite slow and stay on, thinking that if we ran them over a further distance, they would be alright. But, our gallop is quite stiff and you can never really put speed back in them if they are slow. But if you have got one that has loads of speed, you can tune them up a little bit and get them to stay on then.
As long as they have a good attitude, their head is down, they have their ears back, and are trying.
Lastly, when you are not training horses and in the yard what do you enjoy doing?
At the moment, golf. But I do go into a lot of hobbies. It was swimming and then it was cycling, then fishing - I think I have an obsessive personality.
Thank you for your time today Flint, and best of luck with the upcoming season.
