William Haggas
Seven Time Classic-winning trainer, William Haggas is one of the most respected trainers in the headquarters of British racing in Newmarket. William spent time with John Winter and Sir Mark Prescott before taking out his own license and training his first winner - Tricky Note (15th April 1987) - from his Somerville Lodge base where he has been since 1987.
Since then, over 2,000 winners have emerged from the yard with the 2021 season being his most successful campaign - both numerically and prize money - to date with 180 winners for the year, surpassing 2017's previous record tally of 160 winners, amassing an incredible £6,500,000 in prize money.
2023 was yet another tremendous year for Somerville Lodge with 148 winners including three Group 1’s in Australia and France, courtesy of Dubai Honour, who captured the Ranvet and Queen Elizabeth Stakes down under and Sea Silk Road, who landed the Prix de la Royallieu on Arc Weekend, giving us back to back victories in the race, following on from Sea La Rosa’s win in 2022. Other notable successes came at Royal Ascot as Desert Hero bravely won the King George V Handicap, giving the newly crowned King and Queen their first Royal Ascot victory. Group success came courtesy of Relief Rally, who was victorious in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York and Lake Forest who won the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes at the same meeting. The evergreen Hamish was unbeaten in 2023, landing four straight Group 3 races and Tiber Flow and Sacred were also successful at the grade. We finished the season on 148 winners, 26 Stakes winners and over £6,500,000 in prize money and hopefully there is more to come in 2024!
In 2011 William, who is married to Maureen, daughter of the late great Lester Piggott, became a member of the elite band of trainers to have saddled two Epsom Classic winners when Dancing Rain made all in the Oaks to add to Shaamit’s 1996 Derby victory. William's other Group 1 successes include Mukhadram, Rivet, Urban Fox, Sea of Class, One Master, Addeybb, Alenquer, Sea La Rosa and 2022 Cartier Horse of the Year, Baaeed.
William and Maureen have two children. Maryanne who married Adam Peacock in the summer of 2019 and William and Maureen are delighted that the couple had their first child, Rafa, in August 2020 and Maryanne gave birth to their daughter Ayla in May 2022. Sam Haggas has successfully launched his own bloodstock agency, Hurworth Bloodstock. Sam's successes included the purchases of Group 1 Winner Urban Fox, Group 3 winner Miss O Connor and American Grade 3 winner I'm So Fancy. (www.hurworthbloodstock.com)
