Hearing Clive Banwell’s racing stories in his gentle, singsong Welsh burr, his love for the racing game was all too apparent; I could’ve listened to him all day. After getting past the astonishment that he’s seventy-six, Clive chuckles at my surprise, ‘It's amazing as everyone that were in my classes at school are dying off.’ His hair hasn’t even gone grey – it must be all those days racing that are keeping him youthful. His memory was so sharp and detailed that I felt I was there in those memories.
Having worked straight from school in a factory as a tailor's cutter for forty years, Clive is Head of Travelling for the successful trainer Christian Williams. ‘When I was working in the factory, they once called me into the office and the personnel manager said about my near-perfect attendance but pointed out I was never in the same Thursday in March every year. I'd always go to Cheltenham Gold Cup day. I went to my own to watch Mill House run but he unfortunately fell – he never fell but he ironically did that year. At the end of his career, I was in tears watching when he won the Whitbread Gold Cup with the David ‘the Duke’ Nicholson riding.’
Yet, before his job now, Clive was always heavily involved with point-to-pointers, of which his own Yeats Ace won six before she sadly was lost to colic. ‘David Gibbs, father of Bradley Gibbs, trained in the village – I led up loads of winners for them and rode out there too. I loved owning my ‘pointers, which I had to train in the dark after working in the factory.’
Clive on Pientre Bleu 'hitting the last but least I wasn't hailing a taxi!', that signiture smile
and with the winning Yeats Ace, jockey Bradley Gibbs and wife Carol
Clive is a worker, never content at standing around. ‘I don't like being in the paddock just legging up the jockeys, which, having been with Christian Williams since he started, I could certainly do. I'd rather be leading the horse up. I like making friends with the horses I don't know, even with the youngsters or the ones running for the first time. Getting to know them, I find is often a calming influence.’
Racing has its stormy times but so does life. In 2020, Clive knew he wasn’t feeling right: ‘I started losing weight, which started off as a good thing but it went too far and people started commenting on it. I ended up being under eleven stone – at the worst point, I dropped to nine stone, seven pounds – the doctor did tests and I was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer. I was strong enough to have the whole treatment over a twelve-month period. I got through that then I was signed off as clear.’ There’s always a silver lining and, as ever, that was the racehorses at Christian’s yard: ‘Luckily, I hadn't missed any racing because the lockdown came.’
‘During my illness, I continued to go down to Christian’s and then he had a runner at Southwell, which I was well enough to take. Once, my specialist rang me when I was leading up at Bangor but he couldn't hear the horse’s footsteps due to the rubber surface round the paddock. Christian commentated that I must have been ringing a bookmaker but it really was my specialist.’ Clive sounds wistful for a moment, ‘Without a doubt, racing kept me going and kept my mind off the cancer. It would’ve done me no good just to sit in the house – I tell everyone who is ill to never give up hope and that it can't stop you doing something you love.’
‘Of course, cancer has been all too evident again with Betsy’s illness. It's bad enough when adults get it but when a kid does...’ Clive suddenly sounds sombre – Betsy is Christian’s six-year-old daughter, who is fighting acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, making those memorable days alongside the yard’s flagbearer Kitty’s Light all the more poignant.
Clive and his wife Carol live in Ynysybwl in the county borough of Rhonda Cynon Taf, which was once a coal mining area. They have a son Rhys and a four-year-old grandson called Jude. Clive doesn’t have any pets but, in the past, had two long-living Jack Russell terriers.
Did you have a horsey childhood?
I learned to ride on a cob called Toby, who belonged to my neighbours. I used to go with them when they sold firewood from their horse and cart. I rode back to the field when they turned him out but unfortunately, he was sold to be a pit pony. I loved that little horse and somewhere I have an old photo of me dressed as a cowboy sitting on him.
What is your first racing memory? I can remember my father my taking me point-to-pointing and racing. When I was seven, I remember going to Chepstow and watching the Welsh Grand National. I couldn't believe that all those decades later, I actually led up the winner of a Welsh Grand National in Potters Corner. Without my father, I guess, I might never have been introduced to racing.
Cap Du Nord winning the Swinley Chase at Ascot in '23 and
a winner at Clive's beloved Hereford
How did you get into racing? I always loved horses. I wrote to the late trainer Fulke Walwyn but it was impossible to get a job there. He did reply over the phone, telling me to get an old point-to-pointer, which I did.
Were you a jockey? I rode in ‘points for a couple of years but I didn't have a winner. I trained more than I rode, having ten winners.
How did you start working for Christian Williams? I knew Christian vaguely through ‘pointing and Bradley Gibbs was working for Christian at the time – and we arranged for our ‘pointers to go down to Dai Walters’, which is where Christian trained at the time. We went on the gallops with Christian and he said to me, because I was out to work at the time, if I ever wanted to go racing then I was welcome to go with him. I started to go racing with Dai Walters’ horses. Then, Christian said he was going to get a licence but couldn't expand at Walters’ because there was so many horses there. A few pals banded together to get some syndicates up and Christian left with about five horses but no licence. His brother did the yard work whilst Christian and I travelled the country together. Things have just got bigger and bigger and now, after only seven and a half years, he's one of the top steeplechase trainers in the country.
How many winners have you led up? The first winner I ever led up was one of my own horses called Laputum. I bought him to ride in ‘points, and he was placed every week.
More recently, I've led up the majority of Christian Williams’ winners. As an estimate, I have a lead up one hundred and thirty winners in all: about forty-four in the last four seasons for Christian and before that, I led up fifty winners for the Gibbs family.
Potters Corner winning the Welsh National, Catboy winning at Fontwell and the Midland National trophy
What are your most memorable moments working for Christian Williams? The first big winner for Christian’s yard was Limited Reserve. At the time, there was no stable for him to live in so before going racing, we had to traipse to the field to get him in before going to Haydock. He won the Betfair Exchange Hurdle in 2017, which was the yard’s first televised win. When we got back about midnight, we put all his rugs back on and turned him back out in the field. He went on to win a big race at Sandown too.
Kitty's Light is the best I’ve led up, winning the Eider Chase, Scottish National and the Bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown all on the bounce in 2023 and finishing fifth is this year’s Aintree Grand National.
Potters Corner was bought off Dai Walters with a leg and went on to win the Midland Grand National in 2019 at Uttoxeter and then won the Welsh Grand National later on that year. It was brilliant, especially as he was the first Welsh horse to win it in about forty years. He's in the yard now, so I still get to see him, and is looked after by Harriet, Jack Tudor’s sister. At this summer’s rounders match to raise money for Betsy, I took my grandson up to the field to see him. It's always great to see them looked well when they retire.
Win My Wings won the Scottish National in 2022, Kitty was second and then won the following year, which was another brilliant day.
Cap Du Nord won a load of races and I led him up every time, Five Star Getaway was another brilliant horse and Uno Mas won fourteen races, of which I led him up twelve times. In fact, I took Jack Tudor to Fakenham for his first winner on Uno Mas. In those days, Jack was fairly quiet and didn’t speak on the way up or on the way back. In fact, I think he was asleep all way.
Also, I’ve led up four winners at Cheltenham – Uno Mas won a boys’ race there, Strictlyadancer and Win My Wings for Christian, plus a mares’ hunter chaser called Frelia at the evening meeting for the Gibbs family.
What do you love most about racing? The horses. I kept all the horses I owned until they died – I got very attached to them. After having a few foals, I kept an old broodmare until she was thirty, one of her foals until twenty-nine and I also bred a cob out of her and he died a relative youngster at nineteen!
Favourite racehorse: I started to get interested in racing through Mill House and Arkle. My favourite was Mill House.
Favourite racecourse: My father always took me to Hereford so I love it there.
Favourite overnight: I really enjoyed Cartmel. We stayed in a place that was called something like the Grand Hotel about twenty minutes away and it was brilliant. I also led up one up for Sheila Lewis, which was a winner!
Favourite point-to-point track: The Curr Point-to-Point at Chepstow. I used to love that track.
What do you love about point-to-pointing? For me, it was a way of getting into racing and started me having my own horses.
Grandson Jude, Kitty before his Scottish National and Clive with Rachel Blackmore
Is there a point-to-point trace or racecourse under Rules that has shut but you wish hadn’t? Lydstep in Dyfed was a popular one that’s now gone.
Racing hero: Lester Piggot. I remember him winning so many races – he even retired and came back just as brilliant.
What type of boss is Christian Williams? I can’t really say Christian is my boss because he’s my friend. If you do something wrong, he’ll tell you straight – he can lose his temper but it’s all forgotten the next day. He’s brilliant and so clever; he remembers everything from years ago.
The hero Kitty's Light
Which is your favourite win of Kitty’s Light so far? It’s hard to pick because they’ve all been so good but his Scottish National win is first. To win the Scottish National then to come out and win the Bet 365 really stands out.
What was it like to lead up Kitty’s Light in the Aintree Grand National? Kitty actually won the best turned out prize; John Wilcox comes racing with me – he used to work for the Skeltons’ years ago in showjumping – and he loves plaiting up for the chance to win the best turned out, but I always lead Kitty up. Three out, I thought Kitty was going to win the Grand National – even though he didn't, he still ran an absolute blinder and was best of the British.
How has racing changed for the better? The reduction in the use of the whip is a big thing. I don't think the whip should be totally banned because you've got to have a whip, but I didn't like to see jockeys hammering horses.
How has racing changed for the worst? I never saw the problem with the starters having a whip down at start, and giving it a crack behind the runners but they're so worried about what the public thinks nowadays. I heard these people want to stop donkey rides on the beach – when will all this stop?
Do you have any race day superstitions? Betsy is looking good and full of beans now but she’s still getting treatment. Due to her story, a lady got in touch whose young daughter Kitty had leukaemia and Christian invited them up to visit. Sadly, Kitty had lost her battle with cancer but her mother always followed Kitty’s Light. She brought up a crystal that had belonged to her Kitty, saying it might bring a bit of luck. Christian said, ‘Don’t give it to me, give it to Clive for the Grand National.’ So, every time I go racing, I have that crystal in my pocket. I leave it in my coat because I hate the thought of seeing the family and not having their Kitty’s crystal on me.
Favourite meal: I like steak.
Favourite drink: Before having cancer, I used to enjoy a couple of pints of lager.
Favourite holiday destination: As a young lad, I used to love going to Guernsey to visit my uncle. There were lovely beaches, and the weather was sunny. Now, Carol and I go on cruises. We once did all the mediterranean on a cruise. I get bored sitting by a pool all day so what I enjoy about cruises is getting off at the different ports and going off for the day, and also the food is delicious.
Favourite film: I enjoy the Liam Neeson film Taken and I love any Clint Eastwood films.
Favourite music: Anything from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
Other hobbies and interests: I don't have any really apart from racing. I'll even tape the racing and watch it again in the evening.
Victorious in the 352nd Newmarket Town Plate with Goldencard in '22
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