George And Charlie: Off The Bridle

Richard Hannon joins the boys for an entertaining chat ahead of the 2,000 Guineas in which he saddles star colts Rosallion and Haatem. Richard gives us his thoughts ahead of the year’s first Classic. And we also find out more about a lively winter skiing trip that he and Charlie went on. There’s two more charity bets from the boys, plus Richard flags up a colt to follow from his crack two-year-old team.

Episode 1 of our new series includes the usual sparring between trainers George Scott and Charlie Fellowes. Thankfully, Jamie Osborne is a very entertaining special guest! Big thanks to our podcast pals Fitzdares for all their support…

As you may have noticed, it’s been a while! Mainly, that’s down to the fact that the sales season has been in full swing and Messrs Scott and Fellowes have been busy recruiting for their 2024 strings. So, we’re bringing you plenty of sales chat. Also front and centre is the 2023 Scott-Fellowes winners’ head-to-head – and it’s close! We also reflect on Frankie’s decision to ride on and look ahead to Champions’ Day where Charlie has a (Va-)dream! It’s a fun episode, supported as always by our good friends at Fitzdares. Give us a listen…

Much of the nation has been absorbed in Baz-ball this summer…here in Newmarket George has been busy with his own brand of cricket: George-ball. It’s his game, he captains the team and, to be fair, he takes all the catches. He’s also been training plenty of winners in the last few weeks. Charlie has also been in fine form with a nice Saturday double following on from a 100 grand success in the Racing League – on which, you won’t be surprised to know, he has some interesting thoughts. In fact, Charlie, George and Tony are in full-scale chipper mood throughout another lively episode that features plenty of King George and Goodwood chat. Check it out…

Scott and Fellowes are back in time for Royal Ascot… the chaps have dusted down their top hats and tails. But before they head off to Berkshire for the magnificent five-day Flat bonanza, they talk through their respective teams for the meeting. There’s a few differing opinion on the week’s major races and there’s also some disagreement on how the Ashes might unfold. Bring on the very best of sport and settle back for a golden summer… hopefully!

Our latest episode is all about dreams; two-year-old dreams, the Derby dream and – um – Vadream. Yes, George looks to have a bit of a whizz-bang in the shape of Watch My Tracer, who won impressively on debut at Yarmouth and is Coventry Stakes-bound. Charlie experienced the joy of a Group-race winner at Newmarket on 2,000 Guineas day, thanks to Vadream getting up to score in the Palace House Stakes. And, with the Derby upon us, we had the great pleasure of talking to Alan Cooper, racing manager for the Niarchos Family, who will be represented in the most famous Classic of them all by Passenger. Charlie also reflects on Nottingham Forest beating the drop and is predicting a bold show in the next week or so from one of his improvers. To find out who it is, give us a listen!

Not sure we’ve ever had a podcast episode featuring such an array of different subjects. The diverse menu of colourful conversation is very much down to our brilliant guest Emma Banks, who owns the magnificent Lady Bowthorpe. There is loads about Lady B, of course. But there’s also stories that start off, ‘I remember I was in Bogota with Florence and The Machine’ – as you do. For Emma is a music agent with a client roster of many big-name stars. So there’s a fascinating insight into her world – and somehow there’s even chat about her beloved Luton Town FC. Fellowes and Scott have been enjoying success on the track, which makes for the useful banter. Plus, they cast their eye over the upcoming Guineas Festival and flag up horses from their own stables to watch out for in the next few weeks. As always, it’s an episode that’s well worth a listen. Thanks to our pals Fitzdares for their much-appreciated ongoing support.

There’s always lots of chat on our WhatsApp group about who we should invite on as a special guest. Funny, entertaining, informative and opinionated are among the key qualities on the criteria list. Our latest guest ticks all those boxes and plenty more. In an engaging conversation with George and Charlie, renowned racing broadcaster Matt Chapman fires straight from the lip on a number of subjects. He also gives us the lowdown on his backstory. All in all, it makes for a fascinating listen. There’s also plenty to catch up on from the worlds of Scott and Fellowes; the latter tells the former “When you know, you know” when it comes to identifying smart two-year-old prospects in his string. Charlie also laments his Masters’ golf bets and fears for his beloved Nottingham Forest’s Premier League future. Meanwhile, George’s enthusiasm is even higher than usual after a streak of success at Wolverhampton – and the full-on arrival of the Turf season as the first Classics loom ever closer.

With winter behind us (just about!), it’s almost time for the Turf season – and that means Scott and Fellowes are back for a fifth series of Off The Bridle. In the first episode of 2023 we welcome to the podcast a star of 2022; jockey Dan Muscutt reflects on his breakout year in which he rode 127 winners, including a first-ever Group 1 triumph. There’s also a second big-name guest with Ed Crisford on the line from Dubai, talking about leading World Cup contender Algiers. As well as chatting to Dan and Ed, George and Charlie are back with all the banter that reflects their professional rivalry and friendship. Listen and enjoy…!

William Haggas joins us for one of our most enjoyable and entertaining episodes… for starters he talks about Baaeed ahead of the brilliant colt’s appearance at York. William also reflects on his career with insight and humour. He recalls his pride on being asked to train for The Queen and also remembers his times as pupil assistant to Sir Mark Prescott. There’s a particularly funny story about a painful awakening when he was late in for morning stables at Heath House! He also makes us laugh about how he developed his riding skills with the late international show jumper Ted Williams. As well as William being a brilliant guest, Charlie talks about options for his Glorious Goodwood Group-race winner Marbaan. There is just one thing missing from our latest episode – and that’s George! But the presence of G Scott is never far away, not least because Charlie takes the opportunity to have a pop or two at him in his absence! We hope you’ll agree that Episode 4 of Series 4 is a great listen…

Scott and Fellowes are joined by George Boughey, who has enjoyed a remarkable rise in just over three years since he took out a training licence. In the episode Boughey talks about quitting university to make his way in racing with a stint in Australia followed by his years as assistant to Hugo Palmer. We hear all about his 1,000 Guineas heroine Cachet and other stars such as recent Royal Ascot winner Missed The Cut. Boughey is not the only trainer named George having a good time of it. Our very own Mr Scott is flying and has an exciting stakes colt in Rocket Rodney who has made rapid progress. Not to be outdone, Charlie has a good two-year-old too with Marbaan on an upward curve. Loads more in another episode that we had a lot of fun putting together.

William Buick makes for a fascinating star guest in an in-depth and candid interview. He talks about his life as a Godolphin jockey, including reminiscing about his 2018 Derby victory on Masar. He reflects on the formidable alliance he has with trainer Charlie Appleby and also look back fondly on his time as stable jockey to John Gosden. And of course, we couldn’t sit down with William and not talk to him about all things Native Trail and Coroebus! Throughout, Will gave us a series of thoughtful and really interesting answers. We loved our chat with him and hope you enjoy listening to him as much as we did. Also in the episode, George discusses his flying start to the 2022 season and Charlie reveals that, all going well, he will have a Derby runner in the shape of Grand Alliance. Thanks as always to our friends Fitzdares, who not only sponsor our podcast but also the Fitzdares Thirsk Hunt Cup.

When George teed up Nicky Henderson as a possible guest we knew we had to return early for Series 4! With the Festival around the corner, it was the perfect time to talk to the National Hunt legend and he was on top form. He gives us an insight into his 2022 Cheltenham plans and reveals a little of what it’s really like behind the scenes in the build-up weeks. In a light-hearted but informative chat with the lads, Nicky also pinpoints his most memorable Festival win – and there’s 70 to choose from! Episode 1 of our new series includes George ‘Slim’ Scott and Charlie ‘Fit’ Fellowes telling us all about their intensive personal training programmes – find out which one of them is struggling with his press-ups! There’s also plenty of the usual racing and sports chat with Charlie dreaming of Nottingham Forest ending their Premier League exile. All in all, it’s a fast start to Series 4 and we hope you enjoy the episode as much as we did chatting to the one and only Nicky H!

We return to our ‘home stadium’ the King’s Head in Dullingham for the first time in a long time! To mark the occasion we invited our OfftheBridle Podcast syndicate members, our podcast partners Fitzdares and other friends and associates to enjoy a drink or two, a bite to eat and some lively chat. We find out more about George and Charlie’s lives, as well as unveil further details about our latest Podcast syndicate horses for 2022. Oh, and for those who never heard it before, Charlie regales us once more with the story of his wedding day which sounds like it could’ve come from the scripts of classic comedy caper Four Weddings and a Funeral. Merry Christmas, all…

Many thanks to Joseph O’Brien for coming by to join us during a busy sales week in Newmarket. Joseph talks to us about his training career, reflects on his days in the saddle and gives an insight into what it’s like to be part of an extraordinary racing family. He also lets us know what he gets up to in his downtime. There’s plenty of laughs too in what is a fascinating chat with a seriously great guest. Meanwhile, Charlie looks back at his two recent Group winners and he and George also unveil details of the new Offthebridle Podcast Syndicate horses. It’s a cracking episode of our podcast, which is supported by our good friends at Fitzdares. Give us a listen…

We’ve taken our time to record this episode. Lots of reasons, but the main one was: how on earth do we follow Sir Mark Prescott? Well, in Michael Holding we have just about the only man who could. ‘Mikey’ came to visit us at Eve Lodge and what a gentleman… warmth and dignity in equal measures. And lots of insights. Find out how he came to call Newmarket his home from home; discover which top trainer he spends many of his summer mornings with. And also he reveals a fellow West Indian fast bowler ‘who would bounce his mother’! Racing and cricket chat - we've got it covered. As Michael was our guest, it was only fitting that Charlie recalled his net ‘session’ with England pacer Matthew Hoggard. And, guess what. George has been to Wembley. He was only there to witness a little piece of history as England beat Germany 2-0. It’s all in episode 3 of series 3… listen and enjoy.

If you only ever listen to one episode of George & Charlie Off The Bridle, then please let this be it. We visited the atmospheric Heath House, home to the one and only Sir Mark Prescott, who was in fantastic form. He regaled us with a long list of marvellous stories from more than 50 years spent around racehorses and racing people. The episode started in lively enough fashion but really began to crank through the gears in the second half as Sir Mark shared tales from his younger days. His captive audience barely needed to ask a question as the anecdotes just kept flowing. It really was a memorable two hours, with Sir Mark still going strong after the microphones were disconnected! His equine insights were fascinating; his stories about the people he has met were uproariously entertaining. Sit back and enjoy an extra special episode with the inimitable Sir Mark Prescott...

We’re delighted that James Fanshawe joins us for the start of Series 3. James, of course, was Charlie’s boss for five years and we hear about those times at Pegasus Stables where James has trained so many top-class horses, including under National Hunt rules. James proves to be a hugely entertaining – and modest – guest. He tells us about his latest adventure, having a first Breeders’ Cup runner, and winner, with Audarya. “For me, to come down after Audarya, took a while,’ he tells us. Basically, it’s a brilliant chat and we’re very grateful to James for giving up his time to join us, socially-distanced, outside in George’s covered ride on a cold April evening. There’s loads more to enjoy in the episode. George and Polly have had twins over the winter – plus both of our trainers have been having winners in the early weeks of the Turf season (as George is keen to tell us!). Series 3 is off to a flying start!

In our final episode of 2020, George and Charlie reflect on a very different kind of year. The two Newmarket trainers and their friend Tony Rushmer look back on a challenging season, but pick out some highlights and memorable moments from within it. They also identify some all-weather horses to follow and the two-year-olds that are fuelling their dreams for 2021. We also have a fun guest in Will Woodhams, chief exec at our friends Fitzdares. In an entertaining chat, Will shares his racing passion and reveals a little bit of an exclusive (could the podcast be the source of breaking news when it comes to a possible major-race sponsorship? We’ll let you decide!). All the best folks – have a great Christmas and we’re planning to be back in the spring...

Can’t believe how much we’ve crammed into just under half an hour in our latest episode. Of course, we preview Charlie’s Melbourne Cup runner Prince of Arran and we also focus on his equine namesake, who has been flying the flag for the podcast syndicate and George, who remains in hot form at the track. Talking of the podcast syndicate, there’s now a new one for listeners to hear all about in Episode 8. The lads reflect on the recent sales season too – and give their thoughts on the big two-year-old races staged in October. It’s a typically breezy whirlwind tour of the lads’ racing month... hope you enjoy it!