Bill waits 26 years for winner !

BEING a racehorse owner is, for the majority, an expense justified by the fun the sport provides and that magical moment when your colours pass the post in front.

However for Bill Davis he has had to wait a long time to experience that euphoria, 26 in years in fact.


Owner-breeder Davis has continued to have horses in training despite never making the winner's enclosure, but finally on Wednesday his luck changed when Ayr Of Elegance justified odds-on favouritism in a 1m4f maiden at Lingfield.

Davis was overcome with emotion watching on from the stands, and said: "It's fantastic, it's so wonderful. At last I've got one [a winner]."

Trainer Philip Hide was also emotional, and added: "I'm sweaty. You just worry what will go wrong. You can't believe anyone would keep horses for 26 years without a winner, it's madness!"

Long overdue

The road to the elusive first winner for Davis has not been straightforward, and he has had more than his fair share of bad luck with Ayr Of Elegance.

Last May she was awarded a race having been beaten a nose, but then had it taken away again upon appeal.

Then, in August, she was joint-favourite for a race but contrived to ruin her chances by getting her nose wedged in the grill of the stall.

Thankfully there were no problems this time, with jockey George Baker able to steer her home by a length and a quarter.

Davis told At The Races: "That was terribly disappointing when it was taken away as I thought at last I've broken the mould.

"I just enjoyed [owning horses] but the end product is you want a winner. At last I won one, but I never had a penny on it."

Well done Bill i must say we have been very fortunate/lucky over the years with our reasonably cheap purchases but maybe we have a few Bill stories in SA?

I know how he feels!!

i would have chucked in the towel, 20 years ago i'm sure........ hope he can rake up a DOUBLE on the trot !

Elvis, probably before your time but I am sure RobF will remember.

There was a trainer who had never had a winner in (I think) 50 odd years he trained. One day at Clairwood in the 1960's he eventually had his first winner!. He was leading the winner into the number 1 box, has a massive heart attack and unfortunately passed away.
His surname was something like lava pierre, but I cant recall the exact spelling RIP...................

Country, I don't know the details but I'm guessing that you are thinking of Tinky Lariviere-he had very few winners (he was called the Xmas trainer by some)
He did have some winners though cos he trained a winner on my very first day on a racecourse...a horse called Black Knight
I do remember being at Greyville one day when a horse called FUNCTION (trained by Aubrey Roberts)won a maiden for an owner who had owned horses for over 20 years and it was his first winner!!!!!
The whole racecourse gave him a cheer!