Brian talks about life at Manton and the facilities available to him

Facilities Stabling Astor Yard The stables were part of the original development by Michael Dickinson in 1984. Forty of the boxes are arranged in rows of ten with each box facing due South, with a further two fillies barns. In total, the yard can accommodate sixty two horses in light and airy stables. Old Yard Built in the late 19th century the twenty nine boxes are part of the original Manton. The exterior of the boxes have changed little since they were first built and the yard has a charm all of its own. Barton Yard Originally built as a yearling yard by Michael Dickinson, it quickly became incorporated as part of the main training facilities. The forty eight boxes are all in a purpose built American barn, making stable management as straightforward as possible. Fyfield Yard The latest addition to the Manton facilities brought the training capacity up from 160 to 180 horses in 2003. There are now forty four boxes at the yard which as well as housing horses in full training, is used for breaking yearlings in November and December each year. Red Post Part of the developments introduced by Barry Hills in the late 1980's, these 12 boxes are now only used occasionally. Isolation Yards There are two purpose built isolation yards at Manton each comprising four brick built stables with their own generator and water supply. These are most frequently used for horses that are going abroad to race. Grass Gallops Clatford Gallop Although referred to as the Clatford Gallops, it is in fact a number of gallops on the Marlborough Downs. A trainer can chose from the Straight (8 furlongs), any one of six "Spurs" (3 to 6 furlongs) or go Round the Bend (10 furlongs). There is also the 8 furlong Peat Moss gallop that has good ground even during a good British summer.   Clatford also benefits from a watering system for the main straight but this is used only during the driest conditions as frequent watering can in the long term, be detrimental to the grass. It is for good reason that the gallops, in both their number and variety have made Manton special. Barton Gallop Traditionally used in the early spring and late autumn, this flat eight furlong gallop also doubles up as an airstrip for light aircraft in the summer. The mix of grasses in this chalk based gallop allows it to take punishment early or late in the season and to recover with no ill effects. Derby Gallop This 7 furlong gallop was developed in 1985 to mirror some of the undulations encounter at Epson racecourse. The gallop is situated further away than the other gallops so its lightly used turf is ideal preparation for any special race. Valley Gallop Although only 4 furlongs in length this gallop is almost flat and can be used at almost any time of the racing year. All Weathers Polytrack This is an eight furlong Polytrack surface that was installed in 2002. The surface was one of the first gallops to use a Martin Collins surface and is used virtually every day of the year. The first four furlongs is on the flat with a managed gradient for the final straight four. The 'U' Prior to the building of the Polytrack this woodchip gallop had been the main all weather gallop for nearly twenty years. It is ten furlongs in length with a steep gradient between the 3 and 6 furlong markers. The length of the gallop gives the trainer plenty of opportunities to vary the speed and distance over which a horse is trained. An automatic sprinkler system means it is in perfect condition all year round. The Round This six furlong woodchip gallop is perfectly flat and is primarily used by young two year olds or older horses coming back from injury. A sprinkler system means it is in perfect condition all year round. Under Cover Ride This is a two furlong woodchip track, which can be used whatever the weather throws at us. An invaluable facility on cold, damp winter mornings. In door facilities Horse Walkers We have three horse walkers situated at each of Astor, Barton and Fyfield yards. Sand Rings There are two located at The Astor and Barton yards. Swimming Pool Located at the Astor yard, this was installed in 1984 and is used during the entire racing season. Lunge Ring Installed at the Fyfield yard in 2006, this 25m diameter lunge ring has a state of the art surface for breaking yearlings. It provides a surface that is both soft and stable which enables horses to retain their confidence while getting used to be ridden. Solarium An invaluable piece of equipment that can be used either to speed up the recovery process or just to give the horse a change from its routine.

History of Manton Manton was established as one of the finest training centres in the late 1860's by Alec Taylor with backing from one of his owners Stirling Crawford, a Glasgow property developer. The gallops had been laid out and the complex built by 1870 with the first of Alec Taylor's eight classic winners not long after in 1873, when Gang Forward won the 2000 Guineas. In all, Taylor saddled eight classic winners from Manton and was considered one of the best trainers of his era. When he died in 1894, his son Tom took over with limited success but in 1902, Tom retired and his brother Alec Taylor (Junior) took over. Alec Taylor (Junior) had his first classic winner with Challacombe in the 1905 St Leger and in 1908 Bayardo began his two year career with eleven consecutive wins including the Eclipse, St Leger and Ascot Gold Cup. Alec Taylor (Junior) achieved Manton's first Derby winner Lemberg in 1910 as well as two triple crown winners Gay Crusader & Gainsborough. By 1918 Manton had expanded to 5,000 acres when it was bought by Joseph Watson, later Lord Manton. Alec Taylor continued to train at Manton until his retirement in 1927. He had trained an incredible twenty one classic winners and headed the trainers list twelve times. In 1927, the estate was bought by Tattersalls who let Taylor's assistant Joseph Lawson take over. Although less well known, he also won ten classics in his twenty years at Manton. The Estate was sold again in 1947 to George Todd who had been an assistant trainer in Exning. He had two classic successes in twenty six years with Sodium in the St. Leger and the Irish Derby. He was best known for stayers such as Trelawny who won both the Ascot Stakes and the Queen Alexandra Stakes at the same Royal meeting. In 1973 Todd retired and the Estate was bought by John Bloomfield, who started a plan of rebuilding and restoration. In the next eleven years, it was only lightly used for training by George Peter-Hoblyn and Robert Baker. In 1984 the Estate was bought by Robert Sangster who installed Michael Dickinson to train and rebuild Manton. The first eighteen months were spent restoring the complex including the building of the Astor and Barton Yards, creating the all weather gallops and refurbishing the grass gallops. In 1986 Robert Sangster brought in Barry Hills to take over at Manton and he continued the improvements with the restoration of the Manton House Yard (the Old Yard). Peter Chapple-Hyam took over in 1991 with John Gosden joining Manton in 2000 and most recently Brian Meehan taking up residence in 2006.