Venetia Williams: Herefordshire Trainer Behind 100/1 Grand National Success

The sport of horse racing is blessed with many outstanding females. Superstar fillies and mares such as Enable, Ouija Board, and Bluestocking have lit up racecourses around the world. Turning to the brave riders in the saddle, the likes of Rachael Blackmore, Hayley Turner, and Hollie Doyle have peppered the winners’ enclosure at an impressive rate.

Beyond the competitors who line up on race day, a wealth of female talent can be found in the training ranks. From Grand National heroines Jenny Pitman and Lucinda Russell to the dual-purpose expert Jessica Harrington, the cream of the female training crop are no strangers to the spotlight.

The aforementioned trio, along with Henrietta Knight, Emma Lavelle, and others, have forged a place for themselves among the female training greats. However, when it comes to the number of National Hunt winners, all lie behind a Herefordshire handler by the name of Venetia Williams. First setting out as a trainer in 1995, this classy operator has quietly gone about compiling a glittering CV featuring wins at the Cheltenham Festival and, most famously of all, a stunning victory in the 2009 edition of the Aintree Grand National.

First Steps: From Ponies to Point-to-Points

Born at the family home of Scorrier House in Cornwall on 10 May 1960, Venetia Williams followed a familiar path into a racing career. Introduced to equine pursuits from an early age, a young Venetia honed her riding skills at Pony Club. Her interest in competitive racing was then piqued by her grandparents’ venture into breeding flat horses and family visits to local point-to-points.

From betting her pocket money on the favourites, it wasn’t long before Venetia found herself in the saddle at these point-to-point meetings. Having tasted success and gained experience, Venetia was ready to test her amateur riding skills on the professional racing circuit.

Grand National Challenge Ends at Becher’s and Broken Neck at Worcester

In 1988, Venetia faced the ultimate test when lining up aboard the Peter Ransom-trained Marcolo in the Aintree Grand National. Sent off at odds of 200/1, the pair made it no further than Becher’s Brook. Fortunately, both horse and rider emerged relatively unscathed from that incident.

Two weeks later, Venetia wasn’t so lucky. Riding in a hurdle event at Worcester, she suffered a heavy fall, which left her stricken on the track with a broken neck. Luckily, Venetia recovered from the incident, but her days as a jockey were numbered.

Moving into the Training Ranks

Despite retiring from the saddle, Venetia’s love for racing remained undimmed. Already working as the assistant trainer to John Edwards at the time of her injury, the obvious move was to forge a training career of her own. Bolstered by her experience working with Edwards, educational trips to France, the USA, and Australia, and a spell at the yard of the legendary Martin Pipe, Venetia was ready to go it alone.

Venetia first obtained a licence in 1995, when taking up residence at Aramstone Stables, Kings Caple, Herefordshire. Starting with only six boxes and as many horses, the yard grew steadily in tandem with Venetia’s success. By 2026, Aramstone can comfortably accommodate 100 horses, has three dedicated gallops, an equine swimming pool, and 50 dedicated paddocks to ensure the horses can spend time out of their stables.

Outlining her reasons for her horses spending significant time in the fields, Venetia states that horses, “are not designed to be moving for an hour and cooped up in a stable for 23 hours. If we can train them as closely as we can to how they have been designed by nature, then I think that gives them the best chance to do their best on the racecourse.”

That horse-first approach is one reason behind the widely held belief that Venetia Williams runners are at their best on soft or heavy ground. Whilst this is true, that record stems from the fact that Williams very rarely asks her runners to race on quicker ground, which can carry a greater risk of injury.

Climbing the Ladder

As is the case with many new trainers, Williams started slowly in her debut season, with just seven winners during that 1995/96 campaign. The pick of those early winners was Who’s To Say, who handed his trainer a Listed success in her debut season.

By 1998/99, the new star of the training ranks had the favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in her ranks. Handing his trainer a first Grade 1 in the 1998 King George VI Chase, Teeton Mill followed up in the Ascot Chase. The lovable grey suffered a career-ending injury on his big day at Cheltenham but went on to a long and happy retirement at the Williams yard.

The other standout name on the list of Williams’ early stars is that of Lady Rebecca. Successful 13 times at the track, this wonderful mare entered the history books as the first horse to win three editions of the Grade 1 Cleeve Hurdle. That record has since been equalled by another hugely popular stayer, the Emma Lavelle-trained Paisley Park.

Mon Mome the Star of a Golden 2009

His finest moment in the saddle – Liam Treadwell winning the 2009 Grand National aboard 100-1 chance Mon Mome @AintreeRaces ❤️

Our condolences to all of Liam’s family and friends. #RIPhttps://t.co/8wdQG9xuwt pic.twitter.com/Sdgeguwaje

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 23, 2020

The 2008/09 season was not Williams’ best in terms of the number of winners or total prize money. Nevertheless, as of 2026, it stands out as comfortably the most spectacular year of her career.

Following a solid start, the golden spell began at the Cheltenham Festival in March. Having drawn a blank on the opening two days, the Williams yard exploded into life on the Thursday of the meeting. Kayf Aramis set the ball rolling when storming home under Aidan Coleman to claim the Pertemps Final. Less than two hours later, the Williams duo of Something Wells and Ping Pong Sivola jumped the last together in the Festival Plate, with a yawning gap back to the rest of the field. Something Wells ultimately edged a thrilling battle to hand his trainer a famous one-two. Better was to come at Aintree.

Like most jump trainers, a win in the Aintree Grand National featured high on the wish list of Venetia Williams. In 2009, she achieved that goal. Ridden by Grand National debutante Liam Treadwell, Mon Mome arrived at Aintree on the back of a heavy defeat in the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter. Having also been beaten by 58 lengths in the 2008 edition of the Aintree event, the gelding duly started at odds of 100/1. Defying the form book and that triple-figure price, Mon Mome produced the performance of his life. Jumping wonderfully throughout, he cruised into contention at the elbow before improbably surging clear for a resounding 12-length triumph.

In training Mon Mome to peak when it mattered, Venetia Williams became only the second female trainer to win the Grand National, following in the footsteps of Jenny Pitman, who claimed the prize in 1983 and 1995. Thanks to the exploits of One For Arthur (2017) and Corach Rambler (2023), Scotland’s Lucinda Russell has since added her name to that list.

1,700 Winners and Counting

Celebrating thirty years as a trainer in 2025, Venetia Williams’ tally of over 1,700 winners is more than any other female trainer in the history of National Hunt racing. Included in that number are nine Cheltenham Festival victories and 11 Grade 1 triumphs, thanks to the efforts of popular stars such as Teeton Mill, Lady Rebecca, Royale Pagaille, and L’Homme Presse. She is a true legend of the training game.