Charlie Longsdon began his training
career at Cotswold Stud, Sezincote, near Moreton in Marsh,
Gloucestershire in 2006. However, prior to setting up on his own,
Longsdon worked for Oliver Sherwood, Nigel Twiston-Davies, Kim Bailey
and Nicky Henderson. During his five years as assistant trainer to
Nicky Henderson, he won the Alex Scott Memorial Fund Assistant
Trainers’ Scholarship, which allowed him to work for Todd
Pletcher in the United States for a few months in 2004, the year in
which the Texan won his first Eclipse Award as Champion Trainer.
Early in his own training career,
Longsdon said, “I'm very lucky and spoiled that I've got a very
good CV. I've been with people at the top of their game. Anyone
looking at that would know I should be able to train.”
One of the early successes for the yard
was the victory of Songe in the Blue Square Champion Hurdle Trial at
Haydock in January, 2009, which Longsdon described as “a real
thrill for all of us”. Other notable winners included Up To
Something in DBS Spring Sales Bumper at Newbury in March, 2012 and
Paintball in the Paddy Power Imperial Cup Handicap Hurdle at Sandown
just a week later.
In the summer of 2015, Longsdon moved
to a new, purpose-built yard at Hull Farm in Chipping Norton,
Oxfordshire. In 2015/16, he saddled 62 National Hunt winners and
amassed £624,143 in prize money and, in 2016/17, when he was joined
by former Champion Conditional Jockey Marcus Foley as assistant
trainer, increased his prize money total to £723,415. All in all,
Longsdon has trained over 500 winners, including 50 or more in the
last six seasons running, and amassed over £3 million in prize
money. He saddled his landmark 500th winner at Worcester in October,
2017, when Aunty Ann was pushed out by amateur rider Jordan Nailor to
win the Richard Wright Memorial Handicap Chase.
Longsdon still has an affiliation with
the United States and, in 2016 and 2017, was represented in the
American Grand National. For the uninitiated, the Grand National
Hurdle Stakes is, despite the name, a steeplechase run over 2 miles 5
furlongs at Far Hills, New Jersey. Longsdon saddled Far Rise to
finish third in 2016 and Hammersly Lake to finish fifth in 2017, for
the same owner, Robert Aplin.
After 50-odd runners at the Cheltenham
Festival, Longsdon is still without a winner.
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