Dascombe announces Lambourn move following Owen split

Simon Milham
March 11, 2022 11:38 am

Trainer will switch to Uplands after his Manor House tenure came to an end.

Tom Dascombe will continue his training career in Lambourn after sending out his last runner from Michael Owen’s Manor House Stables on Saturday.

The 48-year-old has agreed a lease on Uplands, a yard made famous by Fred Winter and most recently the base of Warren Greatrex.

Dascombe spent 12 years at Manor House and tasted Classic success with Brown Panther, who won the 2014 Irish St Leger, and sent out over 700 winners at the Cheshire yard, which will now be home to Hugo Palmer.

His last runner from Manor House will be Misty Grey at Wolverhampton.

“Misty Grey will be my last runner from Manor House and I will be returning to Lambourn from April 1 after signing an agreement at Uplands,” Dascombe said.

“I’m 100 per cent better as of yesterday. It has been incredibly difficult finding somewhere, looking all over the place, looking at yards. I must be honest, not just in this country.

“But I always had it in my mind that I wanted to go back to Lambourn and I’m really thrilled for the Jockey Club Estates, because it is impossible finding a yard in Lambourn.

“But I have been patient and it coincides with my last runner from the yard and I’ve really not wanted to say anything until now. I’m delighted that the last day of the job, I’ve actually got something to say. That’s a positive.

“I must thank my new landlords at Uplands, Amber Varcoe and Dominic Hoult, for their support and a mutual desire to see this great yard among the winners and I am very much looking forward to a new chapter in my career.

“But I enjoyed my 12 years at Manor House Stables. We shared Classic success and plenty of winners, and it would be nice to think Misty Grey can end this chapter of my career on a high.

“I’m hugely grateful to Michael Owen and Andrew Black (the ex-footballer’s business partner) for affording me the opportunity to develop the stable effectively from scratch to a thriving operation and we are proud of what we have achieved.

Brown Panther proved a real money-spinner for Michael Owen and Tom Dascombe (Steve Parsons/PA)

“We’ve shared memories that will be impossible to erase and I’ll forever take great pride in training Michael’s homebred Brown Panther to Classic and Royal Ascot victory. We have shared some great times and now I’m looking forward to having a few more at Uplands.”

Dascombe, who spent two years with Mike de Kock and having been assistant to Ralph Beckett, made a storming start to his own training career in Lambourn in 2005.

He trained plenty of two-year-old winners and won two Group Twos in as many days at Newmarket’s July meeting in 2008, before teaming up with Owen.

The pair enjoyed success with Brown Panther, who won the Irish St Leger, Dubai Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup and King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot, earning over GBP 1.1million in prize-money before suffering a fatal injury when defending his Irish St Leger crown in 2015.

Now he is looking to build again from scratch after Owen’s surprise announcement in December that Dascombe would be leaving.

Michael Owen and Tom Dascombe (Nick Potts/PA)

Dascombe added: “At the time, it did come as a shock, but Michael and Andrew Black wanted to go in a different direction and that is their prerogative. I will always be truly grateful for the chance and for the good times we shared.

“I am just excited to get started again in Lambourn.

“How many horses will we have? The simple is answer is I have no idea.

“I wanted to sign on a yard with 106 stables, but have ended up signing on with a yard that has 20 available stables. Day one, I will have just empty stables. Day two, I want to have a few more than that.

“But, I’m thrilled that I am back in Lambourn and looking forward to the future.”