Sunday 13 January 2013

Olly Stevens Hits The Training Ranks

Robins Farm is the yard from which Olly Stevens, together with his wife Hetta, will train racehorses for a range of clients. Thanks to the generous support of Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, Olly and Hetta have moved from the USA and relocated to this purpose built training facility in 

the heart of the Surrey Hills. Olly and Hetta would be delighted to hear from you if you are interested in learning more about the operation. Owners and their friends are always welcome to visit at Robins Farm. Please follow the links to find out more about Olly, Hetta, Robins Farm and any horses for sale.

Olly Raised in Newmarket, Olly has long harboured the dream of training racehorses. During his spells working for James Fanshawe, Jessica Harrington, Bob Hess and Ed Peate, Olly worked closely with many top class horses and received an excellent grounding for a career training. For the last five years Olly has been in the USA assisting young trainer Kellyn Gorder during which time the racing stable grew from six horses to over seventy and was fortunate enough to be involved with the development of Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and also Drosselmeyer who won the Belmont Stakes before going on to take the Breeders Cup Classic.

Hetta Grew up hunting in Norfolk and Leicestershire. Having graduated to competing at international level in Eventing, she then transferred her attention to Horse Racing; working for Henrietta Knight, Mary Hambro and Rae Guest. On winning the Alex Scott Memorial Scholarship Hetta travelled to Maryland where she worked for legendary handler Michael Dickinson until his retirement. From here she spent two years with top trainer Dale Romans before joining Olly as one of Kellyn Gorder's assistants.

Robins Farm sits in 50 acres of stunning countryside. Within close reach of London and also many top racecourses it is an ideal situation from which to train racehorses. Acquired by Pearl Bloodstock early in 2012 Robins Farm is the product of previous owner Peter Winkworth's tireless enthusiasm and continual investment. Peter continues to support Robins Farm Racing with both his insight and patronage. We have 3 purpose built American barns designed by Professor Webster of Bristol University to have exceptional airflow thanks to the vented soffits and overhead louvres. The floor, walls and roof are insulated to regulate the air temperature while good light is provided by overhead panels. The three barns are arranged to form a courtyard around a central parade ring. We also have a separate isolation yard. In total we have fifty stables. Robins farm has a good range of all weather gallops built and maintained by a local contractor. The construction is of hardwood shavings, mostly Oak and Mahogany, and gives a very consistent and forgiving footing in a range of weather conditions. We also have a wexford sand canter whose characteristics complement the main gallops well. We have undertaken a series of gallop improvements and drainage work to safeguard this most important asset of Robins Farm. "Hetta and I have both worked at some of the finest training facilities worldwide and are delighted to be starting our training career at Robins Farm. The clean, well ventilated and workable stabling; excellent gallops and quiet location make it a perfect base for us both".