Festival-winning Trainer, Webber, Announces Retirement

Webber, aged 65, plans to race his final runners in Britain next month

Paul Webber, a Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer, has decided to retire and will surrender his licence at the end of May after a nearly 30-year career.

Webber, aged 65, plans to race his final runners in Britain next month and may have one last runner in France in June. He has spent the majority of his life in Cropredy, Oxfordshire, where he first entered a race in 1995.

The decision to sell Cropredy Lawn farm was hastened by his mother Diana's death in 2022. She co-owned the farm with him. The financial challenges of maintaining a 62-box yard, which only managed two wins in the 2023-2024 jumps season, also played a role.

"We had to make the difficult decision to sell the farm as numbers have fallen, and the costs became difficult," said Webber.

"It's a big change after so many years here, but these things happen, life changes, and it's onwards from here."

Webber's career highlights include his first Grade 1 victory in 1999 when Hoh Express won the Scilly Isles Novices' Chase with Jamie Osborne, a triumph he repeated in 2004 with Patricksnineteenth. His success extended to the flat, winning with horses like Kew Green and Ulundi, who clinched the Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2002.

"I'm very proud of what we've achieved," he stated.

"We've had some wonderful days and a lot of near misses. I was maybe a better trainer of a second horse than I was a winner, but that happens to a lot of us. It's been a lot of fun and we've met a lot of wonderful people along the way. We've made some great friends in the sport."

Webber plans to continue in the racing world by supporting emerging trainer Billy Aprahamian, located just 20 minutes away in Adstone. Webber will transition several horses to Aprahamian's stable and serve as a consultant, with the rest of the runners being sold at the upcoming Goffs UK May sale.

"The plan is to stay involved in racing. Some of the owners are very happy for the horses to head over to Billy, who we've known for a very long time, and the hope is to try and boost his team and propel him forwards," added Webber.