Horse training is a competitive business, which is made even more the case for female trainers thanks to the innate sexism that exists within the industry. Even so, Rebecca Curtis has worked hard to make a name for herself, with one of her horses, Teeforthree, once being described by Queen Elizabeth II as her ‘favourite steeplechaser’.
She has trained winners at the Cheltenham Festival, as well as countless other events, which is some going for the North Wales-based trainer who tends to keep the number of horses that she’s working with low compared to many other trainers.
About
Rebecca Curtis took her training licence out for the first time in 2008, but her relationship with the world of horse racing began many years before. She began riding horses when she was just a four-year-old, going on to compete nationally when she was part of the Welsh junior team in showjumping. It was at Fforest Farm in Pembrokeshire, North Wales, that Curtis started working as a trainer, having worked with local trainer Peter Bowen to serve out her apprenticeship, as well as with both Richard Mandella and Dan Hendricks in the United States of America prior to striking out on her own.
When her training career began, she had just a handful of horses to work with, but her first winner was saddled on the fifth of April 2008 when Mango Catcher won a handicap chase at Chepstow Racecourse. Although that was her only win of the season, it began an illustrious career and by 2010-2011 she was sending out 25 winners. That was nearly doubled within two years, when she was bringing in the money thanks to a 23% strike rate. Teaforthree gave her her first win at the Cheltenham Festival when he took home the National Hunt Chase in 2012 to kick-start a love of the blue riband meeting.
Major Successes
When you work in the world of National Hunt racing, there is no question that the main thing that you want to see your horses do is to win at the Cheltenham Festival. Curtis has been in the Winners’ Enclosure on several occasions at the world-famous meeting, having also done well in numerous other jump races. Although she has yet to train the winner of the Grand National, Teeforthree did come third in the ‘World’s Greatest Steeplechase’ in 2013, which is a success of its own when you don’t operate at the level of trainers like Willie Mullins or Nicky Henderson.
At least part of Curtis’s success was down to the fact that her partner, Gearoid Costelloe, was a bloodstock agent, helping her to source young and untried horses that were full of promise. They separated in the summer of 2017, meaning that she had to virtually start again in reestablishing her reputation. That was helped by the success of Joe Farrell in the Scottish Grand National in 2018, ridden to a victory at Ayr by Adam Wedge. That was the biggest single win of her career at that point, helping her to get back on track by convincing owners that she had what it takes to succeed.
Here is a look at some of the big races won by Curtis during her career:
- Scottish Grand National
- National Hunt Chase
- Prestige Novices’ Hurdle
- Stayers’ Hurdle
- Irish Grand National
- Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle
- RSA Chase
- Centenary Novices’ Handicap Chase
- Reynoldstown Chase
- Guinness Handicap Chase
Horses Trained
Pick your jaw from off the floor – Lisnagar Oscar lands the @paddypower Stayers’ Hurdle at 50-1!@rebcurtis is back in the big time after an extraordinary result in the big race 👏 #CheltenhamFestival @Adamkwedge pic.twitter.com/5lHrXFHMBk
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 12, 2020
Curtis has endured a mixed career as a trainer, insomuch as some of the horses she’s trained haven’t been well known before she worked with them, whilst others have come from major owners such as J. P. McManus. She has worked with some top-notch jumpers during her career, with names such as Dragon Dancer and Mystical Knight being amongst those that have passed through her yard at one point or another. Whilst many of the names will be known to those with a passing interest in horse racing, others, like Idefix De Ciergues, probably don’t fit into that category.
Here’s a look at some of the better-known horses trained by Curtis:
Lisnagar Oscar
When your grandsire is Sadler’s Wells, you certainly have a decent chance of being a successful horse in your own right. The British-trained but Irish-bred horse won a point-to-point event before showing promise as a hurdler, winning the Prestige Novices’ Hurdle and then placing in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle. He was tried over steeplechase obstacles but wasn’t as successful, so was returned to the lower heights and that paid dividends when he won the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2020. He failed to live up to the heights of that win, but then few horses do.
Teaforthree
If Queen Elizabeth II, who knew a thing or two about horse racing, is going to call you her favourite steeplechaser, then it’s fair to say that you’ve got something about you. Teaforthree finished third in the Grand National in 2013, having won the Diamond Jubilee National Hunt Chase the year before. When he ran in the ‘World’s Greatest Steeplechase’ a year later, the horse had a bad fall and not long after that, Curtis made the decision to retire him from jump racing. He bowed out in style, though, winning at Bangor in the Open Hunters Chase.
Haiti Couleurs
Although the Grand National at Aintree has continued to evade Curtis, she has trained the winner of both the Scottish and Irish versions of the famous event. It was Haiti Couleurs that gave her victory in the latter, having won the National Hunt Chase the month before. That made the horse second-favourite for the Irish Grand National, given odds of 13/2, but successfully holding off Any Second Now in order to win the event by three and a quarter lengths. It was a remarkable accomplishment for a horse full of promise and ability.
