East Sussex, United Kingdom
Mark Hoad
East Sussex, United Kingdom
Mark Hoad is a second-generation racehorse trainer based at Windmill Lodge Stables in Lewes, continuing a family association with racing that stretches back decades. A former jump jockey himself, Mark rode his first winner at just 16 aboard Bash Street Kid at Lingfield in October 1982 before later moving into the training ranks.
In August 2000, Mark took over the trainer’s licence and the family’s Windmill Lodge operation from his father Roger Hoad. Since then he has maintained a small, hands-on mixed string from one of the few remaining racing yards around the historic Lewes training grounds, sending out runners both on the Flat and over jumps.
Racing has long been part of the fabric of Windmill Lodge. Before the Hoad family’s tenure, the yard was home to Gordon Smyth when Charlottown was trained there to win the 1966 Derby, giving the stable a notable place in British racing history.
Mark trains from Windmill Lodge Stables on Spital Road in Lewes, beside the site of the town’s former racecourse and within the South Downs. The historic yard has traditionally operated as a compact 16-box training establishment and has been home to racehorses for generations.
The Lewes training grounds offer a distinctive alternative to the larger racing centres. Mark uses the Front Hill gallop, while the wider former racecourse provides extensive grass and all-weather training options over undulating terrain. Trainers based there have highlighted the ability to exercise horses without roadwork and the benefit of having the Downs available for horses that thrive in a quieter environment.
Windmill Lodge also has a remarkable racing heritage: Gordon Smyth trained Charlottown there before his victory in the 1966 Derby. The yard later became the base of the Hoad family and has remained part of Lewes’s long racing tradition despite the number of trainers in the town declining substantially over recent decades.
Mark has held his own trainer’s licence since 2000, giving him more than 25 years’ experience training racehorses from Windmill Lodge. Before entering the training ranks he rode as a jump jockey, recording his first winner at just 16 years old.
During his training career Mark has sent out winners both on the Flat and over hurdles, with his mixed-code background giving him experience across a wide variety of horses, distances and racing surfaces. Recent successes include Henry Tudor at Chelmsford in February 2026 and Galileo’s Compass at Windsor during the 2025 season.
Mark’s approach draws on a lifetime spent around racehorses as both a jockey and trainer. Operating with a relatively small string allows for a traditional, hands-on style of training, with individual horses able to be assessed closely and placed according to their ability, temperament and stage of development.
His background across both Flat and National Hunt racing also brings a breadth of experience to the yard, whether working with a young horse beginning its career or an older campaigner whose optimum trip, surface or routine needs to be found.
From his long-established base in Lewes, Mark combines that experience with access to varied training ground on the South Downs, allowing horses to work away from the environment of a large commercial training centre.
© 2025 Horsebox. All rights reserved.
Make Horsebox work better for you
Optional cookies help us improve your experience and make our advertising more useful. You’re always in control. Privacy policy