Anthony Knott: colourful horse racing owner relives his highs and lows | Luck On Sunday

One of the most colourful owners ever seen in British horse racing in recent times is set for a return to the sport.

Anthony Knott, a daiy farmer from Dorset, was catapulted to wider fame principally through the remarkable exploits of Hunt Ball, the gelding trained in the small yard of then first-season trainer Kieran Burke, who remarkably rose the ranks to the tune of nearly 100lbs within a season which included Cheltenham Festival glory under Nick Scholfield.

The charismatic Knott was an indelible part of the story – confessing after that Festival triumph that he was wary of not being able to go back to Dorset if his horse had been beaten given “even the paperboys had backed it” – but things also went downhill after those giddy highs, with the owner parting ways from Burke and then being warned off by the British Horseracing Authority after a separate and later charge.

Here, Knott sits down in this one-on-one interview with Nick Luck – joined by Luck On Sunday regular David Yates – to recount those remarkable days a decade ago and just exactly what Knott has been up to since and what he’s doing now.

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Here he is then he’s the West Country Dairy Farmer who rode his own horse to victory in 2008 famously jumped on his hores back when ridden by Nick scoffield at win Canon which got him a a wrap over the knuckles from the BHA it wasn’t his worst wrap over the knuckles because

They warned him off for a few years we’ll come to that in a in a little while and this was my first encounter with Anthony number 35 here we go oh the robot these are natural absolute Natural yeah I’ll pick up speed as we go [Laughter] along okay fullam oh that’s more okay the chain one yep and that was shortly before one of Anthony Knot’s cows decided to well how can I put this delicately um do what it needed to do

All over me um it’s great to have you great to have you back great to see you you’re back in the freay and you’ve got a runner tonight wolver Hampton you’ve got back into racing after a period out we’ll come to that in a few moments time what got you back in

Um you always have that desire don’t you once you’ve had it in the success I had with hunt ball and um and I’ve got some friends has got back into racing so I decided to have another go can we go right back to wise men’s say which was

Which was 2008 and it’s fair to say no one had really heard of you at that point had they no um but you had a long held ambition to ride your own horse to win a race yeah i’ done some points to point in for my dad um and then my dad

Became ill so I had to stop and run the farm and um then I thought I got to 40 yard you see Tony McCoy riding 200 winners a year and I haven’t even rode a winner so I said about if he can ride 200 a year I can surely ride one so

That’s how it came about really and uh I was down with Colin tizard um and he had this horse down there that was lame the time he couldn’t get it right so I did and I said I think it needs a bit of time so I bought it

Uh about six months off brought it back in and um said about trying to win a race and win a race you did yeah at your local track as well how far do you live from winon 10 miles 10 miles and you know obviously a lot of the local faithful knew exactly

Who you were um and it’s fair to say that the celebration exed ceeded anything I’d uh anything I’d ever seen yeah it was um I just didn’t realize it was it was going to explode like that really you know it it was it was very special um and yeah you can’t if you

Can’t do it on your own local track well no point doing it is there so so you you’re a guy who basically nobody knows you’ve ridden this winner at win Canton the next morning what happened um well just the media exploded basically um it actually went on to the American TV

As well um you were getting calls from CBS and ABC and yeah everywhere Global um I didn’t realize what id actually achieved after sort of 28 years trying to ride a winner and let’s take a look at at wise men say this is this is wi

Canton 2008 and this is Anthony in the hoop colors the pale blue sleeves and was was this in a in a hands and heels race or similar yeah so you’re riding basically against like young 17 18y old conditionals liters yeah well Steve Smith heckles um give us a walk of the

Track and I remember him looking at me and thinking I don’t think you should be here cuz like I I was looking older than he was and it’s a distinctive style very so he won you became famous and then really your your Fame continued through your your ownership of a horse

Called hball who everybody will will remember just tell us how the hunt ball story started um it started with um Kieran was down with Colin Kieran Burg yeah I before I had wise men say I had another horse um when I bought off of Martin pipe um called I Clair deries

Which I was going to come to write that anyway the horse become too fit too quickly and there was a a conditional jockey race up at cheltonham and Kieran could take off 10 pound off his back and I said they call and got to let him go

And um I’d never been to chelham and you know they talk about the chelham hill well the farther he he went the farther he won we didn’t even know there was a hill there and um so and I thought well I’ve missed my chance of having a winner

You ride my own winner anyway and um so so then Colin had this wise men say come up and I thought well I’m going to buy this one to do the job then so that’s what I did do and um then Kieran um went

On to start up on his own so I always like to try and help somebody young to get going and um he rang me up and he said I got this horse down there um and um so went down and you know rest of his really history and so he how many races

Did he win that season when he when he ended up winning at Jo nine nine races that year and ended up carrying 12Stone 2 in the novice handicap at chelham and that was your famous line wasn’t it when I said you’ll still be up at 3:00 in the

Morning milking the cows and you said buger the cows yeah yeah it was it was and that’s what I did do it was um you know it was lifechanging and you you can’t explain it and I’d been Milking for 35 years 100 hours a week trying to save money up

Basically to buy a horse in in to run cuz it’s quite expensive to do and i’ I’ve just been lucky so did you did you finish with the with the cows at that point yes you did y so any regrets now no was was it you didn’t you don’t feel

It was a two impulse of a decision because this was your life I I knew how much you you grown up with and and love farming in many respects yeah no it was third generation um of milking cows um but there becomes a Time in your life

And I thought I’d been hammering at it all that time and this had come along and I thought well I don’t need to work well not work but you know I could take it easier and um and also the dairy industry was a bit old apart at the time

So it was it was right right right move at the right time and is that because you you backed the horse and won a lot of money or because you then sold the horse and made a lot of money or both both basically I was really lucky um

Well I told well I know you missed out on it but hey but I had um no I I I had that and then the Americans came on and wanted to buy it so it was it was win-win MH I know some people thought well how how could you s it or whatever

But it it if somebody comes along with that golden checkbook we you take it don’t you if it’s going to change your life yeah and it it clearly did change your life now there were some extraordinary moments along the way wi Canton when you came in in and jumped on

On the back of the horse wh Nick goof field and you got a wrap over the knuckles from the from the BHA you did a deal with I think Patty power and they painted the quarters of the Horse green do you remember that y I do I do

Remember that and clearly it wasn’t everybody’s cup of tea do you look back on any of any of those stunts and parts of the of the journey along the way with any with any regret or not no none at all um you know it was within the rules

No there’s not a rule that you can’t sort of advertise on your horse and um it was it was the fun and the public enjoyed it they were looking for the next stunt what we was going to pull really and so it was all part of the

Adventure for you it was it was it was amazing adventure you know um um don’t matter what else I do in life is never going to take me to those Heights again is it and were you were you enjoying the Limelight as well were you enjoying your

Own kind of pseudo Celebrity Status at the time yeah of course and but we were all on a roll you know getting beat was waser even in the equation you know we were we were going there and we knew it was going to win it it was just happy

Days and how did you know you were on to something or how soon did you know something because he’s a horse who came from mck easterby pretty cheaply didn’t he yeah and you not many people not get one over him but not what not many

People end up with a a cast offer a mick that then goes off does that no Mick actually um good friends with Mick now and he um has he sold your horse since no he’s been trying um but Mick came when we were actually going to the

Chelum festival and he came in and he said oh I chance to have a look around the horse and uh he said yeah it’s all right he’ looking all around his neck and his everything in his head and he said what the hell have you done to him

Then I said well between you and me Mick it’s a ringer given what we’re about to talk about I’m not sure I’m not I’m not sure you could joke about that but um what had you done to him well nothing really Kieran had it found the trick to him and

Um you know it it he just rocked up every time he he like I say he was in that zone everything was right the jockeys were right and Kieran ad him bang on every time you know if it wasn’t for Kieran I I wouldn’t achieve what

I’ve achieved what we all did with him should we should we have a look at the race again yeah why not yeah Kieran Burke Nick scoffield Anthony knot team up with hunt ball hunt ball in Anthony’s colors there the red and yellow Hoops the pale blue sleeves cantering away in

The race that doesn’t exist anymore at the CH Festival the novice handicap Chase David Yates you’ll remember this very clearly 12 stone two he was carrying and there was all sorts of banter with the the handicapper afterwards um it was quite a story yeah

It was I I I think that um I remember this very well you you did a piece with me Anthony during um hunt Bull’s rise to fame and I think for the most part it was a very enjoyable ride I think that you know I I don’t agree with that old cliche about

The um the Press building people up to knock them down I think that generally that’s a load of rubbish but I think in your case we really we welcomed Your Enthusiasm and your effervescence and then I think in the end the the knockers came out of which I

Was one actually in that that maybe things have gone a bit too far with the Patty power stump but the obvious answer to that apart from saying well I don’t really give a stuff what you think is that that we can’t have it both ways and

That for for a time when we consider racing and its its owners to a an extent a bit joyless and a bit gray you were certainly an antidote to that yeah I mean the wise men say day at wi can I will remember forever presenting down

There and how the the the viral reaction that that got and you know hunt ball there was a there was a taste of that there as well um this was the this was the famous interview that um that took place after that novice handicap chase at cheltonham you might

Recognize the blow behind the mic and the one in front of it I told you I told you we had two Stone in hand and uh he delivered what I thought he could do there’s a one of your pundit Liverpool PG in bloke he was going to lay it I

Ain’t got a clue what he’s talking about re he can’t jump right can’t jump left and uh he want to know what a proper horse is he’s seen one now and you said to me last week he said he’ll take it up two out and they won’t see which way he

Went you were spot on I know this I told you all along he’s still in a wrong race we could have took the Gold Cup out maybe next year the Gold Cup will that be the target I don’t know I just can’t get it in me head now you know what what

I said and what he thought he were capable of do and it’s happened and it’s great to have all the family here with you as well just just is and I just I just hope everybody here backed it and Skip The Bookies right out big time Anthony well done what a fabulous

Moment for you it is um you know I can’t express what it’s like I was I felt sick I didn’t think I’d be able to go home cuz everybody even the paper boys had backed it and I thought I won’t never go back to Dorset again if it lost you’ll

Be there 3:00 tomorrow morning no I won’t FG with the cows I I told everybody this is a money machine and that’s what he is what a wonderful day yeah thank you very much ni thanks for coming down the other day and I just hope everybody

Lumped on and you know cleaned up really for the chum so we we took your advice and we didn’t get on each way here’s Phil Smith the handicapper he told him he’d put him up too much well he’s having the last laugh as well wonderful scenes here at

Shel oh feels like a million years ago Anthony not on Hunt ball after winning that novice’s handicap Chase um in order for you to enter the game again it’s uh it’s not been it’s not been an easy ride because as I said at the at the beginning and in the introduction you

You got banned you got warned off by by the BHA because at the time back in in 2014 um they brought the case against you that you’d passed inside information to a friend who’d then laid a horse to lose one of yours is to lose for a lot

Of money on on Betfair now subsequently um the case was set aside and it was taken off your record though it was neither Kash nor nor upheld because of the uh issues with with Matthew loan who who the BHA were using in roles that procedurally they shouldn’t have been

Using him in um how was that as a as a period perod of time for you Anthony given given what we’ve just seen given that high and the massive emotion that you experienced there how how was it when you were when you were unable to go

Racing and banned from the sport um yeah it’s quite bad um for something that um you know I was accused of and it was overturned um yeah it was it hurt um but like I said it was all overturned and um you know and I’m back um um and

People has never ever said a bad word and which is really good you know really all the rent people um has been very good to me so what so what actually what actually happened what was your version of events what was their version of events and what was your version of events

Um well they I was accused of um passing off in inside information which was ludicrous really because the I’d go on onto a um go to RAC track I’d get the TV people come over so I was any putting my opinion over on a race of you know do you think

Do you fancy this or don’t you no I don’t I could just say I don’t really fancy this horse today all of a sudden it was affecting the exchanges of what was happening um and um oblivious of of what was actually going on so um and then when this came along

Um you know I was hit for six with it really and anyway but it’s it’s all got overturned and I’m back and um I want to move forward and um you know contribute to the racing and how did you find uh you know your friends in the racing Community people in racing

During that time did you find that they supported you or were they like well I don’t really want to know Anthony not anymore we loved him when he was jumping on the and having fun and enjoying it uh but we we’re done with him now yeah no I

Never had any of that whatsoever that that was a beauty of it you know um because people knew me and um you can’t just have somebody that’s been good to race and all of a sudden turn it sour that’s not good is it so you’ve gone

Back in did it take a lot of soul searching to go back in or is it never left you have you always wanted a bit of the action again yeah of course I do I’m in the racing want want some more action and um I rode in the I bought this horse

To ride in the charity race for the Bob Champion cancer research um you know which we raised you know 25,000 for and um so now the the horse is going to go um hurdling but he he needs the good going so he he’s having a few spins on

The flat so this is the first Sunday evening meeting and you are you going to wber Hampton this evening I’m not no you no I’m surprised yeah no um it’s a fair way to go isn’t it and tell me a little bit about Ben lond who trains the horse

Ben used to look after hunt ball so that’s the link with Ben is a bit like with with Kieran I tried help them up the ladder and um Ben’s just started out and um you know he’s a real proper Horseman and like I say you know he

Contributed to a lot um to hump ball he rode him out all the time and um traveled with him all the time and we had some really good times and and he was with it even though he was behind the scenes and so he decided to start up

On his own and um so I I want to help him along the way now you changed the colors the sleeves have gone Green from being pale blue yeah what’s happened there H they’re my sons um Kieran kept the original humpt ball colors so um my

Son had uh had these colors so I inherited them okay so no no Superstition or it’s nothing to do with no no no new new new start so new beginning new everything so uh and is there still a quite a big part of you that is Anthony not the punter as well

As as well as Anthony not the Sportsman yeah of course there is it’s um you love a b don’t of course we do then you know mo most people in racing have a horse to have a have a have a bet with and and enjoy it and

That’s that’s the whole whole thing of it that’s what makes it all you know and uh I think it’s it’s um it’s just lacking that little bit of a that buzz you know and and it just needs to bring that buzz back into the racing and it

Just adds to it are you the man to bring the buzz back definitely so so what’s the plan then what’s the plan with this horse and you in racing moving forward um I I I should go and buy a few more horses and and well the next plan is a

Plan a winner MH and so what does the rest of your life look like at the moment since the cows went and you moved on what have you been doing for the last decade um well I’m still farming um we doing crops uhhuh and um and yeah so I’m going to um I’ve

Been doing up my house and building work and that sort of stuff and now I’m going to um you know start having a crack at this again before I get too old and do you do you look at this in a kind of businesslike way do you look at it as a

Or do you just look at it as well I’m frittering this away on my hobby um yeah it you know you your bit of money what you’ve got on the side you you’ve got to go into racing and think it’s it’s gone basically and you ending come back it’s

All a bonus um so that’s how I see it so I I’m got um you know we got um got a few pounds now so I’m going to um you know reinvest back into the racing like what hunt well I got out a hunt ball why

Shouldn’t I put it back in racing well I think that’s um that’s recommendable um Dave is is Anthony right do you think that the sport needs a bit of a bit of Buzz few more characters something different uh yes of course yeah it’s it’s reporting on it

Um has become a bit more sort of monochrome over the years hasn’t it uh this is you know that was it it was interesting having Gavin in here because the um the victory of Huck with shark handam bellowing at the crowd and and and the story of a horse that he’d

Bought for 800 quid those are those are just stories that they sell them they write themselves don’t they you don’t need to be shakespear to put that across do you you know that they’re just they’re just great stories and sometimes uh flat and jumps it can be a bit gray and I wish

Anthony all the best you know that those those things of the I don’t know how the hell you got on the back of that horse how did you get on the back of the horse coming in that rode him into the winners enclosure at wincanton sounds like a physical impossibility and you

And you hopped on his back I was walking in and he’ I think he’d won three three or four races and I’m I’m thinking do you know what I don’t think I’d be going into the Winter’s enclosure anymore and I was walking along there’s a little bit

Of an edge I said to Nick move forward Bing in bang I was up there just couldn’t believe it and um I still to this day I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it you know the the the the atmosphere and everything it just overtook me the horse must have a

Must have had a ter well I know because he’s he’s been a he’s been hasn’t he in his in his dotage a wonderful um servant I think Sarah Henderson yeah she’s got him now had had him for years and years um and he does and has done everything

Yes he must have an amazing Constitution yeah he is a really well he’s just just one of those horses that like I say is is a once in a lifetime one and um but he was really good to train everything it’s just simple and they don’t come along like that every day