At the age of just 26, Malton-based Jack Teal (right) has already established a reputation as one of the shrewdest handlers in the North of England – and one of the top jockeys, with over 50 successes to his credit so far. Equally comfortable training established pointers like Matts Commission as he is at developing youngsters to win their Maiden and then be sold – alumnus Dynamite Kentucky has won his last two races under rules – he is not afraid to travel south when the occasion merits, winning a hot Intermediate at Maisemore Park last year with the promising, but currently sidelined, mare Daly An Sceil. Jack looks sure to climb further up the point-to-point ladder and Jake Exelby paid him a visit to find out what makes him tick.
I meet Jack the morning after a busy day at Duncombe Park – seven rides and a win on Matts Commission, the classy – and still improving – nine-year-old, half-owned by mother Jackie and half by godmother Rita Williams, recovering from a dreadful blunder three out to get up on the line. “He kicked himself in the head when he stumbled, which knocked the stuffing out of him,” Jack says, “And had a bloodshot eye last night, but seems better this morning. We’ll see how he comes out of the race, but may go Hunter Chasing. I think he’ll be better on less testing ground.”
As I arrive, Jack and right-hand man Ben Stephens are saddling up six-year-old The Dowry and unraced four-year-old Choose The News (entered at Alnwick and Garthorpe this weekend) respectively to go to the public gallops at Malton – a five-minute drive– to canter up the all-weather, pop over some schooling fences and have a spin on the grass gallop. “We also go to Tim FitzGerald’s and Richard Fahey’s to work the horses. I’d like to have my own facilities, with gallops on site, but you need the finance,” Jack tells me. “The Dowry is ex-Irish and I don’t have a plan for him yet, and we’ll take our time with Choose The News.”
Jack and The Dowry on the gallops
Jack (left) on The Dowry and Ben (right) on Choose the News
As well as stable star ‘Matt’, Jack has high hopes for The Great Phoenix – “owned by Paul Clifton and, if he can win an Intermediate, may go to Cheltenham for the final” – and Pillowman, saying of the latter, who is owned and ridden by Christy Furness, “I was surprised how much of a buzz I got out of training a horse I didn’t ride. There’s something I like about him.” Asked about a four-year-old to watch, Jack nominated Macavity, who is being aimed at the young horse maiden at Charm Park. “I don’t get my youngsters until August,” he confirms. “They’re too expensive earlier! It means it takes more time to get the measure of which ones are more forward. I used to work for Malcolm Jefferson and still do it Malcolm’s way, letting the horses tell me when they’re ready.”
Jack is not from a horsey background, with his Mum and Dad both training greyhounds. Jackie is licensed to the stadium at Sunderland and John trained coursing dogs, including for the likes of Clarissa Dickson Wright of Two Fat Ladies fame, winning the Waterloo Cup – the blue riband of coursing – twice, with Petite Glory in 2002 and the last ever running in 2005 courtesy of Shashi. “I’ve built it up myself,” Jack admits. “I’ve got 15 boxes – some are dotted around the greyhound kennels – and 11 pointers in at the moment.”
“I used to go to Chris Pimlott’s riding school with Ben on a Sunday,” Jack continues, of his introduction to the world of horses. “And was part of the Middleton Pony Club and North Ryedale Riding Club teams. Then Mum bought a pony – Trigger – for me to race when I was about ten, but I didn’t do it seriously. When I was 13 or 14, I started going to Malcolm’s and started pointing because of him – I learnt a lot from Malcolm. My first ride was in 2013 on Jake Spoon – in the Richard Burridge colours that Desert Orchid used to carry – at Duncombe Park when I was 17 and it didn’t go well. We tipped up at the first and I thought, ‘I’ll never be a jockey.’”
“Malcolm didn’t do too much wrong,” praises Jack. “I like learning from other people and wish I’d got more grooming in other yards. I spent two summers with Paul Beecher – who won the Hickstead Derby as a rider – at his show jumping yard in Waterford. I didn’t learn to ride until I went there! He taught me how to be a horseman, to get the feel of a horse rather than riding with no purpose.” And it is Irish links who have been responsible for most of Jack’s purchases to date. “We buy virtually all of our horses through the blacksmith Liam O’Donovan,” Jack tells me. “we got to know him through a greyhound connection and I think we’ve only had one from him that didn’t win.”
One that came from Liam was Jack’s first winner – Fureys Bar, who he trained himself at home – later in the 2013 season. He recalls the moment fondly. “He’d come over from Ireland and was a funny old bugger – able but quirky. And my first win didn’t go to plan – we jumped a few fences without stirrups after a mistake and, when I’d got my legs back in, he missed the last, but we still won. My second win was on Foreverpresenting – another great horse for me – and I’m also very fond of Sheperds Cave, who won four in a row for me in 2019, before we got him back to win his Members last season.”
“I thought about turning pro as a jockey,” adds Jack, “But I’m 26 now and it’s not going to happen. It was always a dream, but it hasn’t come off so I’ll stick to what I’m doing and – as long as I’m able – I’ll keep riding. I was talking to Will Easterby yesterday about whether it was worth buying new boots and said, ‘This pair have got a good few years left in them yet!’” Asked what he enjoys most about being in the saddle, Jack replies, “It’s the buzz of turning in and giving it rock all with a circuit to go, knowing you’re on a good horse.” But, level-headed, he refuses to set himself big objectives. “You only get disappointed if you do,” he says sagely. “I haven’t had a full season for several years, with COVID, a broken ankle and a broken collarbone – I just want to ride my best.”
Of Jack’s seven rides at Duncombe Park, he trained three himself as well as Minella Fair for sister Lois, and had four outside rides. “I’m good friends with Nicky Tinkler and sometimes ride for him, as well as the odd one for Tony Ross,” Jack tells me of his other commitments. “And I’m starting to get something going with Mike Dawson, who had Palypso De Creek. He’s a real gentleman and it keeps your interest going when you ride for someone like him.” As for other jockeys he likes to use, “John Dawson rode a bit for me last year – including Singasongsam – you don’t go far wrong with him!”
“I never really wanted to be a trainer,” he confesses, “But it just came my way and fell into place and I get a hell of a kick out of it, both with the older and younger horses – I won with Singasongsam last year and he’s gone to Richard Newland, like Dynamite Kentucky. He hasn’t run yet, but I hope he’ll do well.” And what about taking out a licence as a rules trainer himself? “It’s always been in the back of my mind,” responds Jack, “Though I’d like to have things in place first. Pointing round here is good on the big days, but some meetings are struggling. Mind you, it’s the flat trainers in Yorkshire – the likes of Richard Fahey and Kevin Ryan – who are doing well. All the money in National Hunt racing is down South.”
“It’s tough to balance training and riding,” Jack admits, “And I don’t make it easy for myself, as I always want more horses, but I’m lucky to have Ben working for me and I can leave it to him on race day. All the work’s done by Wednesday – after that, you just have to keep the wheels turning!”
Alongside Ben, Lucy Ireland and Jason and Jess Hart, Jack’s younger sister Lois is a key member of the team and made her race-riding debut in January when finishing second on Irish recruit Minella Fair at Alnwick. “We bought him by accident,” she laughs. “Because a horse Jack was selling was stabled next door. My ambitions this season? To stay on board and have fun, although it would be nice to ride a winner.” While she’s new to racing over fences, Lois has a decorated background in eventing, having won the Badminton Grass Roots two-day event on the intriguingly named Z7 Catastrophe in 2018. “I won a Mitsubishi for that,” she recalls.
Minella Fair trying to steal the limelight from Lois
Jack’s riding and training careers covered, talk turns to the state of the sport, and Jack’s primary concern is fixture and race co-ordination. He cites an example. “We’ve had bumpers two weeks in a row at Alnwick and Duncombe Park. What we should do is get a small group of people together from the Yorkshire and Northern areas and do the race planning jointly. Then a lot more Midlands-based trainers are travelling North now, but we have Alnwick and Garthorpe on the same day – why can’t one race on the Saturday? More thought needs to go into the fixture programme. Mind you,” he adds, “The framing of races isn’t bad – you have lots of similar horses running against each other.”
As for the effect of COVID on the pointing calendar, Jack is sanguine. “I never really thought about it, because it was the same for everyone. It was frustrating not being able to run our horses – and we sent the odd one under rules – and not knowing when it would restart, as you had to keep them ticking over. Hopefully it will soon be forgotten about,” he goes on. “But it does seem to have done one good thing for the sport – horses are harder to buy, maybe because people are spending on horses rather than holidays! And I think the live streaming’s been a good thing. I’ve got owners who like to watch it when they can’t go racing, and it gets the sport out there and broadens peoples’ horizons.”
Jackie, who is involved with many of the yard’s inmates as an owner, enters the debate as the subject of prize money and entry fees comes up and Jack disagrees with his mother! “As an owner, prize money needs looking at,” states Jackie firmly. “Entry fees went up, costs aren’t coming down, and the money you win hasn’t increased. Even if you get £1,000 for a winner, you’re still not breaking even.”
Jack’s reply? “It’s getting more commercial, so they need to keep the entry fees high. For it to make a difference, prize money needs to go up by ten times but – realistically – that isn’t going to happen. Mum’s more bothered about that than me, although I do think meetings should look after owners better – without them, there wouldn’t be any sport.”
Before I leave, I ask Jack one final question: what would he do if he wasn’t involved with horses? “Good question,” he grins. “I’ve often thought that myself!”