THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com  created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

DIANE OUGHTON OF THE VALE

Copyright Valerie Martin 2002

First published in the Findon News in October 2002.

When Alan Oughton the racehorse trainer at The Vale in Findon died, his talented widow, Diane, took over at the age of 46.  She was no stranger to horses, having done a fair amount of point-to-pointing in her twenties.  She gained her training knowledge from her husband.  Under the saucer-shaped tinted glasses of the era, she had flamboyance and fashionable elegance equal to none.  She was in the top ten of the best-dressed women in racing (let alone Findon!) of her day.  She also had other qualities that I will explain.

She had hardly a minute to herself.  Each day at The Vale she started at 5 a.m. with the housework.  Then she would go into the top yard to supervise while the first string were being prepared for the downland gallops she shared with Captain Ryan Price of the Downs Stables in Findon.  

After that she would proceed to ride out with three strings (some twenty-six horses in all) before getting down to the paperwork side of training in her office.  The office walls surrounding her bore photographic testament to her late husband's wins as both rider and trainer.

Young David Goodwin rode her first winner but he soon found that she preferred to use the established stable jockeys and he left the yard.

Tim Lewis started his racing career in the late 70s as Fred Winter's apprentice and following a short spell in Findon with Diane Oughton, he moved back to his roots in South Wales where he joined his father and rode and trained a few of his own point-to-pointers before becoming a Head Lad at Lambourn.

At the beginning of 1973, Diane Oughton's name rocketed to the top of the National Hunt Women Trainers' Table.  She also had hopes of being equally successful on the flat.

Her son, David, assisted his mother with the training and was also chief driver of the horsebox to racecourses.  In 1973, it was thought he was too young to take over the yard at 18.  Diane hoped to send him to France for a couple of years to broaden his racing experience.   Diane's daughter, Gay who was 16, also helped (when not studying for her A-levels).

Diane was fortunate with her staff and still had a loyal Head Lad in Patrick Hogan who stayed at The Vale for some seven years before moving to a yard at Peacehaven.   Patrick lived at one time near me in Nepcote and I still see him around and taking his dog for a walk on the Downs with his brother, Mick.

In later years, David Oughton took over the running but the success of The Vale did not continue and he emigrated to Hong Kong and became a trainer there. 

In conclusion, Diane Oughton dressed with a style that girls half her age would have envied in those days ... and she trained with panache.    

Continue if you would like to read Findon Lad Makes Good — David Oughton in Hong Kong.

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created exclusively for documenting life in Findon.