Page 46 - The Hunt - Spring 2024

“AS RIDER“S, WE LOVE WHEN THERE ARE BIG CROWDS. WHEN WE’RE GALLOPING AROUND, WE CAN HEAR THE ROARING AND SHOUTING, PEOPLE CALLING OUT FOR US. IT’S A GREAT ATMOSPHERE.”
Watters’ first major victory came aboard Milborough in the 2015 Eider Chase at Britain’s Newcastle Racecourse. “Four miles, 27 fences, my biggest win in the U.K.,” he recalls. “We also won some night races in England, which really helped me in my career as a young rider.”
Steeplechase racing is a way of life in Ireland and the United Kingdom, and Watters quickly became a fixture on the circuit. He moved to the U.K., where he
IMAGINE
worked 51 weeks a year for seven years, putting 70,000 miles on his Audi annually as he drove from course to course. “It’s
a real grind and very difficult to make a living because you’re spending so much money on gas and travel expenses,” he says.
Coming to the United States five years
ago, he was struck by the difference in the quality of life for riders. There’s more time off between events. The horse’s owner picks up travel expenses. Another plus is the abundance of green grass at his home in Sparks, which reminds him of the Emerald
Isle. “I tell the jockeys
continued on page 12
LET’S HAVE A CONVERSATION WallaceLandscape.com
The Residential Landscape Design and Build Firm (610) 444-6160
WAL-MLT_4_23_M.indd 1
10 STEEPLECHASE LOOKBOOK 2024 | todaymediainc.com
4/24/23 1:35 PM