Racing enthusiast Bill Turner, aged 78, devotedly spent his life and failed not to express his passion for the sport, culminating in his untimely demise.
Bill Turner: A Legendary British Horse Trainer and Zebra Whisperer
Bill Turner, a renowned horse trainer from Britain, passed away at the age of 78 following an accident at home on Monday. His daughter, Kathy, received a call on her way to Chepstow racecourse that he had died on Thursday morning.
Born on August 10, 1947, in Clun, Shropshire, Turner began his career in racing as a jockey, with his first win coming on March 2, 1968, when Ockey won a maiden hurdle at Newton Abbot. However, it was as a trainer that Turner truly made his mark.
Turner's first winner as a trainer was Nova Eldorado in a selling hurdle at Fontwell on February 7, 1979. This was the start of a six-decade-long career that saw him train numerous successful racehorses. Turner was particularly known for his success with precocious two-year-olds, especially in the opening juvenile race of the season, the Brocklesby at Doncaster. He won the Brocklesby Stakes an impressive six times, starting with Indian Spark in 1996 and ending with Mick's Yer Man in 2013.
Among his notable winners were Yours By Right, which won the 1992 Golden Gates Nursery, Spoof Master, winner of the 2006 Lily Agnes Stakes, and The Lord, which won the Listed Achilles Stakes in 2006 and the Lily Agnes Stakes in 2002. Mick's Yer Man, partnered by Turner's grandson, Ryan While, went on to gain Listed honours in the 2014 Pavilion Stakes at Ascot.
Turner's career was marked by more than just his success in horse racing. In 2009, he bought a zebra for £1,500 and successfully trained it, despite common beliefs that zebras cannot be trained due to their wild nature and instinctive fear of humans as predators. Turner used a clever method to get the zebra accustomed to a bit by first getting it to bite a broom handle, then slipping the bit over while the zebra was occupied, allowing him to bridle and long-rein the animal. He eventually rode the zebra around his local village, gaining some media attention for this feat.
Turner described the zebra training as difficult, saying zebras "haven't got a brain" in the sense that they see every approach as a threat. However, he was determined to prove otherwise. His riding of the zebra around the village became a memorable local story, although some reports of the zebra entering a pub appear to be exaggerations.
Throughout his career, Turner operated his training business mainly from Sigwells Farm stable and was known for his dedication to the sport. In the late 1970s, he even ran a pub alongside his training business. Turner also played extra roles in films, including the 1990 production King of the Wind.
The information in this CV was compiled by John Randall. Turner had his most wins in a season with 29 on the Flat in 2012 and 16 in jumps in 1994-95.
Turner's legacy in horse racing will undoubtedly live on, not only for his numerous wins and successful training of horses, but also for his extraordinary feat of training a zebra and riding it around his local village. His zebra training stands out as a unique chapter in his extensive horse training career.
[1] The Guardian. (2009, November 1). Bill Turner rides zebra around village. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/nov/01/bill-turner-rides-zebra-village
[2] BBC News. (2009, November 1). Bill Turner rides zebra around village. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-10617817
[5] Racing Post. (n.d.). Bill Turner. Retrieved from https://www.racingpost.com/horse-racing/profiles/trainers/bill-turner/1003958/bill-turner
- Despite his success in the world of horse racing, Bill Turner gained media attention beyond the racing industry for his extraordinary feat of training a zebra and riding it around his local village.
- Apart from his achievements in horse-racing, Bill Turner made headlines by successfully training a zebra, challenging the prevailing beliefs about the untrainability of zebras due to their wild nature.
