Every twist and turn of the life of Katie Hanks, nee Merson, has been immersed in racing. ‘I grew up in West Sussex near Plumpton racecourse,’ explains Katie, ‘which is where I spent my Pony Club camps!’
‘I now live in Naunton, Gloucestershire, which is next to Ben Pauling Racing and I can see Nigel Twiston-Davies’ gallops from my kitchen window!’
The racing connections just keep amassing… ‘I can’t count all my years in racing and I don’t think you ever leave it completely!’ Katie laughs. ‘I have made some life-long friends from working in racing. I often showjump with Neil ‘Nelly’ and Caz Chapman, and Fay Shulton, who works for Twiston-Davies. I keep my horse with Annabel England and Simon Claisse, who is the ex-Clerk of the Course at Cheltenham Racecourse. Maddie Webster of Cotswold Personal Touch helps me to look as young as possible and Jane Lloyd is my main contact at Summerhill Equine Vets: both used to be grooms in racing. Plus, my wonderful mum, Lynne Merson, has been secretary for seventeen years to Nigel Twiston-Davies.’
Now a Registered Nurse, Katie, 40, has husband Charlie, who is a Sales Agent in retail across the south west, and daughters Annabel, 12 and Georgie, 10. Plus, Arthur, Katie’s 6-year-old grey Connemara, who, Katie says, ‘thinks he is a racehorse and is a complete hooligan!’ and is confirmation that Katie, despite a career away from horses, will never step completely away from her previous job as a racing groom.
Did you have a horsey childhood? I have been riding since I was about four or five. From the age of twelve until I was about twenty-two, I had a lovely pony called Lucky. We mainly hunted and had lots of fun!
How did you get into racing? My parents were always huge racing fans, we regularly attended Plumpton, Goodwood and Newmarket. When I was sixteen, I applied for a job advert in the Horse & Hound for Richard Phillips Racing. I had to leave a message on the answerphone and when he returned my call, my mum was quite shocked!
Trainers worked for in and in which roles: I was a stable lass for Richard Phillips. My first real job was at Jackdaws Castle, which was an absolute dream. We then moved to the yard at Adlestrop.
I missed Jackdaws, it was home, so back I went to be a stable lass for Jonjo O’Neill Racing! I was also ‘privileged’ enough to babysit a young Tom and Archie Bellamy. (Their dad Robert ‘Bells’ Bellamy used to give them £5 each to take Esther and I to The Plough, they never realised they were actually being babysat and not on hot dates!)
I was also a stable lass to the late DJ Wintle, where I also assisted with all the breakers and pre-trainers.
Then, I worked for the point-to-point trainer Dolly Maude, where I was a stable lass and also helped out with the children. It was lovely to be part of a smaller team and part of the family.
I was a work-rider for Nigel Twiston-Davies’ and his head lad at the time, Fergal O’Brien used to make me ride Mahogany Blaze, who I could not hold one side of. He did four pieces of work a day but had his best ever season that year! Also, the best horse I ever rode – Little Josh – was there too!
Katie riding out for Nigel Twiston-Davies in the 2010-11 season
Photo Credit: Jamey Price
Favourite racehorse: Danegold – he was the nicest horse to look after, he was kind but a character. When I let him and the jockey go onto the racecourse, he would whip round. If it were a new jockey, they often came a cropper and I would feel Danegold’s presence on my shoulder as I was walking back up the chute!!!
Best days in racing: Inching Closer winning the 2002 Pertemps Final at Cheltenham. We knew he would win; he was in flying form and the best in the race but it was a photo finish so that was quite stressful! He worked hard and deserved the win.
Favourite racecourse: Cheltenham – the atmosphere and sense of occasion is electric.
Favourite canteen: Hereford – we used to get cream cakes!
Favourite jockey: I liked Warren Marsden riding my horses, he always looked after the youngsters. Nowadays, I follow Sammy Twiston-Davies and Tom Bellamy.
Best advice you were given about working in racing: That was from Warren: ‘You weigh seven stone wet through, don’t pull, you won’t win!’
Best advice you can give about working in racing: Enjoy it. It is like going to uni, have fun and work hard. You will have bad days and good days, but you will make friends for life.
Did you ever have a racing hero? Frankie Dettori and Desert Orchid.
What did you love about working in racing? Being paid to spend all day with horses – what can be better than that?!
What did you least enjoy about working in racing? Coming back from the races with an empty lorry. That was never a good day, but luckily it didn’t happen too often.
In your opinion, why did the staffing crisis in racing occur? Working in racing is hard. At the time, we worked long days and every other weekend. It was not set up for people with families or other commitments. A lot of staff would leave once they wanted to get married and have children. Hopefully now, the staff retention is better with more flexibility on working roles and hours.
How do you look back on your time working in racing? With very fond memories! It also gave me an excellent work ethic and responsibility. In what other industry would an eighteen-year-old be given the equivalent of a £100k ‘account’ to manage? It is always an enjoyable conversation starter on my CV too.
How has racing changed compared to when you worked in it? The opportunities for women in racing are far greater now. Twenty years ago, it would have been a complete pipe dream to have a woman winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup or the Aintree Grand National (let alone in the same year!), or for a woman to be the yard conditional or amateur.
Is the future of racing secure in terms of animal right etc? I think that the likes of ITV Racing and social media can help with this by enlightening the public to racing and show what an amazing industry it is and how well cared for the horses are.
Best ever racing celebration you attended: Two spring to mind. When Inching Closer won at Cheltenham, I carried the owner’s trophy around The Plough all night…. not sure what happened to that actually?! And, when Little Josh won the Paddy Power in 2010 but being faced with a plate of foie gras the next lunchtime was not one of my fondest memories!
What made you leave racing? I hate being cold, which was not great for working in an outside job! Some of my friends had left racing so it seemed natural. I always rode out on weekends though so I never really felt I had left.
Do you have any advice for people who are in racing and are finding it hard to leave? You spend a long time working so you have to do something you love. Try lots of different things and never be scared to try something completely new.
What retraining did you do to become a nurse? When I left racing, I worked in admin jobs. I never really enjoyed them but I learned the basics of computer skills etc. After I had my children, I was desperate to go back to work but to a job that I wanted to do. I applied for a job as a Health Care Assistant (HCA) at Cheltenham General and absolutely loved it. I was then accepted for a Nurse Apprenticeship Degree programme. This was a great opportunity as it was spread out over five years and incurred no university fees. I have worked in a variety of settings from colorectal surgery, emergency surgery, COVID units during the pandemic, COVID vaccination centres and now, as a Community Nurse based in Bouton-on-the-Water. We work with housebound patients who require nursing care we help with everything from diabetes care, venepuncture, complex wound care, catheter care, chemo and line care, palliative and end-of-life care. It is varied and very autonomous compared to working in the hospital.
Is there anything about working in racing that’s transferable to other careers? Racing to nursing works well – hard work for not much pay, dark sense of humour, dealing with injuries and death, having to work as part of team and being able to communicate with a variety of people, often from all corners of the world.
What’s your advice for someone thinking about a career in nursing? It is an amazing job, which is a privilege to do. Look at hospital jobs online as well as university degree courses. The NHS are great career developers so there is always progression available.
Do you ever go racing now? Yes, we often go to Cheltenham and next year we are going to Liverpool for the Grand National. I was lucky enough to lead up my friends’ horse, Marton Abbey at Huntingdon in a Hunter Chase last season – it was so much fun and it felt like I had never been away!
How do you juggle nursing, a family and horses nowadays? ‘If you want something done, ask a busy person!’ I think that is the best way to describe it!!!
Favourite meal: Roast beef dinner.
Favourite drink: Depends on the time of day…. Tea, coffee, cider!
Favourite snack: I’m a complete chocoholic.
Favourite holiday destination: Portugal and Padstow.
Other hobbies/interests: My horse, Arthur. We have started our showjumping adventures together.
Favourite music: Very eclectic! More rock than Swifty though!
Favourite film: The Talented Mr Ripley – I could watch it every week.
Favourite book: Anything medical, as I’m not too keen on fiction.
Katie married Charlie in 2011, the many friendships she's made through racing and
two chips off the old block in daughters Annabel and Georgie
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