Joss Saville Racing

Joss Saville Racing - PRESS RELEASES

Apadi a winner again after 2 years

Apadi appeared back to his best when he bravely outstayed Meltonian to win the Hill Residential H'Cap Chase at Huntingdon yesterday (27/08/07) Revitalised by a change of scenery Apadi was having only his second run for new trainer Joss Saville and enjoyed his first win in well over 2 years. It appears that Joss has renewed the veterans enthusiasm for racing.........."Owyn Nelmes rode a grand race...."

Later in the day Farington Lodge ran a steady race considering he seemed unsure about going right handed and the ground was a bit lively.

He beat the horses he was expected to beat but.......

College City out again just two days after his facile victory in the seller on Saturday,also at Cartmel, and back over fences put in a courageous battle but was pipped (3/4 of a length) to the post by a David Pipe horse returning after a 700+ day lay off.

" He lost nothing there " said new trainer Joss Saville after the race " The rest were beaten a long way and David Pipe's horse could be a lot better than a grade 5 at Cartmel."

A winner is a winner

It was always going to be a risk putting College City in a seller but the horse would have benefited from a boost to his confidence after so many races in such a short time.. Having his first run for his new trainer Joss Saville College City pleased all his connections with a fine victory under a sympathetic ride from jockey David Cullinane, at Cartmel yesterday (25/08/07) showing that all his old enthusiasm had been rekindled.

Worth the effort

it has taken a lot of time and hard work to get Farington Lodge to the level of consistency that he is showing at the moment. His win at Uttoxeter yesterday (30/07/07) was well deserved even if the second, the former Cheltenham Festival winner Fontanesi looked less than keen to battle. "Although he's nine farington Lodge has only recently filled his frame being such a tall gangly horse. Might well go on to better things now especially over fences " said trainer Jos Saville.

Horse Racing: Panama gets Saville off the mark
HEXHAM

Published: 24/04/2007 Racing Post (Sport) by Colin Russell

JOSS SAVILLE sent out his first winner as a licensed trainer when Panama At Once, the mount of Tom Messenger, made a winning debut over fences in the 3m1f novice handicap chase, making most of the running and drawing right away to win by 28 lengths.

“He ran very well and we are pleased.” said the winning trainer, who is based a stone's throw from the late Tony Dickinson's old yard at Gisburn.

Saville looked set for a double when his Star Of Raven jumped the last in front in the 2m41/2f handicap chase, but he was worn down on the run-in and beaten a neck by Gee Aker Malayo.

A little Star in the making

Horse & Hound 12 FEBRUARY 2004

The new hunter chase
season opens at Wetherby.
Tony Coleman reports

STAR Of Raven gave young brothers Joss and Niall Saville their first success under rules when landing the season’s opening contest at Wetherby last Saturday.

The diminutive mare, pulled up on her reappearance between the flags at Alnwick, jumped well out of the testing ground under 21- year-old Niall Saville to beat Master Wood by three lengths.

This was a first training success in Britain for Joss Saville, who, although only 25, has already held a full training licence in Ireland.

“I think that was quite a good performance and I know she has improved from last year,” sad Saville. “My worry was how she’d jump a bigger fence and go on the ground. She is small, but she’s now proved she can jump a fence and I don’t think that size does matter.”


Star Of Raven (Niall Saville) wins the hunter chase season’s opener at Wetherby

Joss’ first Interview

Point to Point and Hunter Chase April 2004

THE ENDER INTERVIEW

JOSS SAVILLE knows a thing or two about good horses. After all, working for Irish trainer Willie Mullins just about guarantees you the chance to sit on some of the choicest national hunt thoroughbreds in the world and in Florida Pearl they don’t come much classier than the evergreen 12-year-old.


Joss and Niall Saville with Star of Raven

Now training a team of point to pointers at Bingley in West Yorkshire, Saville recalls the day he first cast eyes on the multiple Grade One winning chaser: When (Tom) Costello’s delivered him Willie said throw some tack on that and take it up to the gallops.

‘He was a big hairy thing. Looked like a big carthorse and a mane down to the floor and a big long tail. He didn’t even look like he was broken.

‘I said are you sure he’s ready to canter and he replied ‘he should be, he won a point to point last Sunday! So I gave him a canter and I went wow! This is a serious horse and looked like he’d just come out of the field.’

These days Saville has the redoubtable Sue and Harvey Smith as his very close neighbours. Well, more like employers as he trains his string in their old yard, whilst educating and disciplining some of their future inmates through their formative years.

Saville explains: ‘It’s the original yard that they used to train in and I train a few young horses for them and run a few of them in point to points.

‘I’ve learned an awful lot from them and it works quite (well) because I’m left to do my own thing.

‘I’m my own man and I do what I want with the horses without having any pressure on me and without having to pay any bills either. I just do my job and have.(nothing else to worry about.)

‘Most of the horses are either my point to pointers or young horses that are getting ready before they move into the top yard.’

Involved in the world’s greatest sport throughout all his working life so far, Saville has crammed plenty into his 25 years on this planet. Training pointers in Ireland, holding a full trainer’s licence and training and riding in the States, which is just for starters.

It all began in his mid-teens, Saville recollects: ‘I rode in point to points in the Yorkshire area for my dad when I would have been 16.’

Shortly after that (he went) as amateur rider for Willie Mullins, joining on his seventeenth birthday and staying for around 18 months. That year-and-a-half taught him plenty: ‘At the time he was renowned for training bumper horses and I had a good time,’ while adding, ‘I learnt how to make a horse faster and train speed into horses.

Following his time at Mullins (there followed) a year’s stay with the Smiths as an amateur rider as well as partnering a few point to pointers for his father Nick before a move to the United States and destination Maryland, before a spell back over in Ireland.

Saville(‘s) job across the Atlantic was pre training the two-year-olds for an owner at a stud. He also rode around 15 winners under national hunt rules over there.

Things were swinging along nicely in America until a mix up with the processing of his visa, while visiting in Ireland, resulted in him being unable to return to his job.
A season training a couple of point to pointers in Ireland preceded a move to The Curragh and the taking out of a full trainer’s license. Once again problems intervened as Saville takes up the story: ‘The foot and mouth came and stopped us.

‘I had bought quite a few horses at the sales and they were held up at the docks coming over, just as foot and mouth was out, and Ireland closed all the borders and wouldn’t let horses into Ireland from England.

‘I had eight horses - all with owners - stuck in England through until the following September or October of that year and by that time I was financially drained.
‘I carried on until about March then came back to England and Harvey (Smith) asked me if I would come over to help him.’

Things have started very encouragingly in his second season training point-to-pointers from his current location and the plan to take out a full licence again at some stage in the future must be more than a probability.

A double at the opening fixture of the new Yorkshire season at Witton Castle in February only confirmed the well-being of the string.

As the lottery advert reminds us constantly ‘you’ve got to be in it to win it’ there is a plan hatched out for the former recalcitrant Omni Cosmo Touch, with some big hunter chase events very much on the agenda.

Saville, who always accompanies the gelding down to post as the American-bred has disgraced himself on numerous occasions in the past by planting himself at the start for his former trainer, confirms ‘he’s going for the Foxhunter’s and he’s qualified because he’s won two open point to points.’

Star of Raven is the apple of Saville’s after the mare caused an upset in hunter chase company at Wetherby last month when proving three lengths superior to the useful Master Wood.

She was with me in Ireland and I always thought a lot of her and she just keeps on surprising me. She's such a little mare but she’s got so much guts and she jumps so well,’ said Saville.

The regulars in the Yorkshire Point to Point area have soon become aware of the skills of the well-travelled young man who has quickly made a big impression and Maryland’s loss is very much West Yorkshire’s gain.

With Niall doing the steering, the brothers Saville look set to have a very exciting future ahead.

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