Feek takes over from Grissell
Gardie Grissell has handed over the reins of his East Sussex stable to his assistant and son-in-law David Feek.
The trainer of over 200 winners, who first took out a licence in 1977, decided the time was right to retire.
“It was just time to hand over to a younger person,” Grissell told the Racing Post.
“I’m still going to play an active part in the yard and will be assistant to David – so there won’t be much time for a break.”
Grissell, who is based at Brightling Park in Robertsbridge, counts Royal Stag’s second to Barnbrook Again in the 1989 Queen Mother Champion Chase as his finest moment in racing.
“It was a great day and I thought he had a good chance until I saw he was 66-1 and I thought that maybe I’d got it totally wrong,” he said.
“But he ran a marvellous race and although I don’t bet, I told a few people to have something on.”
Royal Stag won seven races for Grissell, including four at Sandown, and was placed nine times in just 19 starts before suffering a fatal injury as a seven-year-old.
He was also responsible for another prolific winner Iden Green, who won five contests in the 1983-84 season, and nine-time scorer and Grade Two winner Yellow Spring, who was also third in the 1993 Coral Cup.
Feek, 27, received his licence last week but does not expect to have his first runner until October.
He learnt his trade with Richard Hannon, Brian Meehan and Ed Dunlop in Britain, Australian trainers Peter Hayes and John Hawkes, and Jonathan Sheppard in America.
Feek has been assistant at Brightling Park for the last 14 months and will operate as a dual-purpose stable.
“In about ten years’ time, we would like to have the same sort of set-up as Gary Moore does in Brighton, where he has a lot of horses who he runs over both jumps and Flat,” he said.
““But, at the moment, we obviously have to take it one step at a time and just to get the first winner is the main ambition at the moment.”
Feek, who is married to Grissell’s daughter Coral, is taking over a yard of around a dozen horses on the back of a winless season.
“There are no excuses really for last year, it was a terrible season and it was a steep learning curve,” Feek said.
“But I’m looking forward to it and if we have some success, will look to expand and buy horses who have been in training, as we have the right facilities to sweeten horses up.”
