Herefordshire, United Kingdom
Tom Lacey
Herefordshire, United Kingdom
Tom Lacey trains from Cottage Field Stables in rural Herefordshire, a purpose-built National Hunt yard set in the countryside at Sapness Farm, Woolhope.
His background is rooted in practical horsemanship. Tom served his apprenticeship breaking and schooling young horses under Captain Charles Radclyffe, worked in leading National Hunt yards, rode 27 winners in point-to-points, and later gained further experience as Head Lad for a leading Flat trainer. That mix of schooling, jumping, race-riding and Flat-racing discipline has shaped the way Cottage Field Stables operates today.
Tom has built the yard into a respected National Hunt operation, combining patient education, careful race planning and a strong eye for placing horses. His approach is hands-on and individual, with every horse given the time, confidence and preparation needed to progress properly.
Cottage Field Stables is known as “The School for Winners”, reflecting the yard’s emphasis on correct education, schooling and long-term development. Recent horses associated with the yard, including Glory And Fortune, Sebastopol, Blow Your Wad and Cruz Control, have helped showcase Tom’s ability to compete on major racing stages while maintaining the feel of a thoughtful, owner-focused training operation.
For owners, the yard offers a professional but personal racing experience: a serious National Hunt setup, strong facilities, clear communication and the chance to follow horses trained with patience, purpose and attention to detail.
Cottage Field Stables is a state-of-the-art training establishment in rural Herefordshire, designed to take horses from education and conditioning through to race fitness.
The yard includes 42 internal stables across three barns, a 4-furlong woodchip gallop, a 2-furlong circular sand gallop, a 2-furlong all-weather schooling ground, a 40 x 20 ménage, a lunge pen, a rubber-clad covered six-horse walker with matted floor, a Vitafloor vibrating floor system, a 75-metre spring-fed water splash, 100 acres of paddocks and a loose school.
The loose school is especially central to the yard’s identity, reflecting Tom’s early training under Captain Charles Radclyffe. Each horse is given individual attention according to its temperament and physical ability, with veterinary, physiotherapy and dentistry support also in place through the yard’s professional network.
Tom Lacey’s breakthrough season came in 2017/18, when the yard trained 39 winners and earned more than £359,000 in prize money. That campaign included notable victories for Vado Forte in the Sussex Champion Hurdle, Jester Jet in a Grade 3 handicap hurdle at Aintree, and Thomas Patrick in a Grade 3 handicap chase, also at Aintree.
In more recent seasons, the yard has continued to be represented by smart and progressive National Hunt horses, with Glory And Fortune, Sebastopol, Blow Your Wad and Cruz Control all helping to keep Cottage Field Stables visible on bigger racing days.
Tom Lacey’s approach is built around patient education, careful placing and giving each horse the individual attention it needs to fulfil its potential.
Having learned the craft of breaking, schooling and re-schooling under Captain Charles Radclyffe, Tom places great emphasis on correct early education, confidence, balance and long-term development. Cottage Field Stables describes this as a hands-on, traditional approach, refined through experience and supported by modern facilities. The yard’s philosophy is not to run horses for the sake of it, but to place them where they have a realistic chance of performing well.
For owners, that means a thoughtful, professional training environment where the horse comes first, decisions are made carefully, and the aim is to give every runner the best possible chance to progress from the paddock to the winner’s enclosure.
© 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