Welcome to BFP Racing.
Having spent a life time around horses, my father and grandfather being successful horseman and point to point riders, I started at a very young age as a promising junior show jumper before starting my racing career, age 17 with the renowned northern trainer and horse dealer W. A Stephenson as stable staff / amateur jockey before moving on to work for M.W.Dickinson and his Mother, Monica and Father Tony.
Although I was lucky enough to have a few rides and rode a handful of winners, I was always considered a very good horseman but a very average jockey and I soon became one of the senior work riders in the yard, riding work on such horses as Silverbuck, Wayward Lad, Captain John and Badsworth Boy to name but a few. During this time I absorbed all the knowledge I could from some of the legends of our sport and built relationships and friendship that I still call on today.
Many of the people I worked with have gone onto achieve great success with racing and are still doing to this day such as Brian Powell, Assistant at Godolphin in Dubai, George Foster former trainer, Tim Wolley successful trainer, Andy Stringer Travelling Head Lad for John Gosden and many more, far to many to mention all of whom I can call on for help and advice when sourcing horses and to discuss any traits or quirks a particular family may have.
When Michael moved to America I went to work for Jeremy Tree as senior work rider when Roger Charlton was still an assistant and was luck enough to ride work and learn so much about so many great flat horses that are still influential in their offspring today.
Such Classic horses as Danehill, Dowsing, Rainbow Quest and many more and again built up great friendships and contacts that I still call on for help and advice to this day
After my time working for Jeremy Tree I came back home to Yorkshire to start the next phase of my career as I didn’t want to be riding work on 4 or 5 lots a day for the next 40 years and was lucky enough to be asked to be a Jockey`s Agent for a few of the northern lads I had previously worked with.
I combined this with being a pro punter for nearly 15 years. I had always been studies with the form book and combining the contacts I had built up with my love of obtaining value, I was a very successful for many years before I moved over to the exchanges and although similar, I had to move with the times and became a successful in-play trader.
During this time I had always owned, part owned or had shares in a few horses, and still applied all the skills regarding value, knowledge and contacts I had built up over many years to source these horses and have been lucky enough to have Group and listed winners both here and abroad and always with relatively cheaply bought horses.
This part of my life has only ever been a side line and is more about, playing the game and trying to beat the odds which are heavily stacked against racehorse ownership and there are and always will be lots more losers than winners but it can be fun interesting and informative and its still a great challenge to try and beat the system.
I have been asked for a number of years if I would put a few small partnerships together and up until now I have resisted the temptation but I have decided now as I slow down a bit with the trading to do this hence BFP Racing has been formed. It is something I enjoy doing, I love sourcing the horses, seeing them develop and progress throughout their careers and although I know the odds are against us we can still have lots of fun and enjoyment along the way.
Andrew Banthorpe