Caroline Baldock, our Epsom Tout, has written a special feature about racing trainer Craig Benton who now operates from The Limes Stables on Epsom Downs
It is a great pleasure to welcome Craig Benton back to Epsom, where he truly belongs. I would have ridden out with Craig back in the days when John Akehurst was training, and it is good to have him back here and training out of The Limes.
The Limes Stables
You know you have arrived somewhere special as you approach the stables along an avenue of majestic vintage limes. When the now owners purchased the property, the stables had fallen into disrepair. The roofs and stable doors and interiors were sadly neglected. A lot of hard work and care has gone into the restoration work.
Craig found the job of taking over the yard from Laura Richardson quite by chance. For a man who does not use social media he found it on a social website and jumped at the chance, so did the owners. He was just the person they were looking for. It was meant to be.
Craig was born in 1958 in Durban, South Africa son of the champion racehorse trainer, Buller Benton. He grew up imbued with the principles and love of racehorse training and soon became an amateur jockey winning his first race aged 14. The well–know jockey Michael Roberts was his father’s stable jockey and it soon became clear to him that however good a rider he was he would never be able to make a name for himself riding professionally because owners would always imagine he would favour his father’s horses.
So in 1985 he left for Pleasanton near San Francisco USA, to train horses. He was married at that time, but neither he nor his wife could get a green card, and so staying on in the USA became impossible. So circumstance brought him back to Durban, South Africa and he took up training. He was very successful and added to his talents the work of a steward for the Jockey Club. His best three years in Durban were 1994 to 1997 when he trained Art de Vivre who was a champion stayer winning over 2 miles, a massive horse he remembers.
Craig Benton (right) with assistant trainer Eric Lin
In 2004 he was invited to go to Macau as a steward of the Jockey Club. Then in 2007 he and his wife visited his wife’s sister who lived in Epsom. It was the beginning of another important change in his life. The Derby course touched his heart and he decide to stay and although he had not ridden a horse for 11 years and was now in his late 40’s he rode work for John Akehurst. John was at Tattenham Corner Stables, back then. In 2009 he was offered a job in Newmarket teaching the apprentices at the British Racing School, he was to be the Training Operations Manager. He jumped at the chance. There he met his hero’s, Piggott, Mercer, Eddery, and the lovely Haley Turner. He remembers well his encounters with them and has many a good tale to tell. He was on the first coaching course for jockey’s set up by the BHA.
Craig (left) with Eric Lin holding Stephensons Rocket
In 2012 he was offered to run the apprentice jockey programme in Hong Kong. By late 2022 he had decided to come back to the UK. Arriving here, the move turned out to be perfect timing and the Limes job was offered to him. Curiously, Eric Lin who is now assistant trainer, had also left Hong Kong and was living in England, they got in touch, and he invited him to come and join him in Epsom. They had known of each other for over 12 years. The team fell into place.
Craig says he owes to Mickey Louw, a show jumper technique; Chuck Robson who doubled as a fall guy for John Wayne, and trained his horse Cocaine to fall on cue, how to work as a team with a horse; and to Yogi Brisener, the trainer of the British show Jumping Team and coach at the British Racing School, have helped him to become who he is today; a passionate admirer and trainer of racehorses.
Craig Benton’s string exercising on the Downs – Stephensons Rocket in the middle
Caroline Baldock © 2024