Gihan Arnolda, the first trainer of black or Asian heritage at Flat racing’s headquarters in Newmarket, has made a remarkable start to his training career, recording five winners from 33 runners and banking £50,000 in prize money within his first three months. His string is outperforming every other Flat yard in Britain according to Timeform’s “run to form” statistic.
From East London Streets to Newmarket Stables
Arnolda’s journey to Cadland Cottage Stables at the bottom of Warren Hill began in the east end of London, where he slept rough as a teenager. His mother died of leukaemia when he was very young, and his father was “off the rails,” leading Arnolda to run away from home from the age of 12.
“I was stealing from shops to live, not that I was that person but I had no other way of living,” Arnolda said. “I remember living in people’s gardens and I couldn’t see any way out, and then you’re on the verge of the gang stuff. I could easily have gone down a very, very different path.”
A confrontation with his father led to a neighbour offering to foster him, and a year later an English family took him in. He moved from a rough school in east London to Wimbledon College, where he earned six As and four Bs at GCSE and went on to study law.
From Jockey to Chef to Trainer
Arnolda’s racing career began at 18 when he applied for the Foundation Course at the British Racing School in Newmarket. His fifth ride in public, Knave’s Ash, won by a short-head at Thirsk in July 1998. He had more than 200 rides and five more winners over the next decade, but struggled mentally after leaving the care system.
A broken pelvis in 2009 ended his riding career, and he became “disillusioned” with racing. Through JETS, the retraining scheme for ex-jockeys, he trained as a chef, working with Michelin-starred Andrew Pern in Yorkshire and later at Gordon Ramsay’s Maze in London.
In 2014, Arnolda returned to racing, working with Charlie Appleby at Godolphin, then Chris Wall, Roger Varian, and Derby-winning trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam. Despite a dozen years of experience, he doubted he could train in his own right because he “didn’t see anyone else like myself training.”
Breaking Barriers and Setting Targets
An owner with Denis Quinn, the previous licence holder at Cadland Cottage Stables, offered to support Arnolda, and he took the chance. His first winner came at the 11th attempt when Damascus Steel won a handicap at Goodwood in mid-June, followed by a win at Epsom a month later. Damascus Steel will run in the Amateurs’ Derby at Epsom on Monday.
Arnolda’s aim is 10 winners by the end of the year, and he has orders for six or seven yearlings at the autumn sales. “I love the heritage thing, don’t get me wrong,” he said. “But I want to be seen as just a bloody good trainer, and put it out there that you can have a really horrible start in life, but if you work twice as hard, you can actually get somewhere.”
