The Head Lad is the engine room of any racing stable and we are very fortunate to have a brilliant one in Gordon Storrie.
Gordon has worked with horses almost all his life and first learnt to ride when he was a teenager jumping on unbroken ponies bareback and riding them around the countryside in Scotland.
He has learnt from some of the greats of the training ranks spending many years with both John Gosden and Sir Michael Stoute. More recently, he travelled to America where he spent 6 years as Simon Callaghan’s Assistant where they had great success together, the highlight being multiple Group One winning mare Dubawi Heights.
Since returning, he helped young trainer Archie Watson set up and was a driving factor in his early success before moving to Jonathan Portman’s where he was Head lad for 2 Years.
His day starts at the bright and early time of 4.30am, where he will go round with Jack, the Assistant Trainer and check all the horses are bright and well and have eaten up. He will then head into the feed room and carefully make every horses’ feed individually for the morning.
Still a very accomplished pilot he will ride two lots and then continue his feeding, carry out any treatments needed throughout the morning and manage the ground staff accordingly.
During evening stables he will check all the horses and make sure they are healthy and don’t have any injuries or health problems.
Gordon is an absolute perfectionist and is excellent at his job and like all of us here cannot wait for racing to resume.