30 Facts About Martin Pipe

The son of a West Country bookmaker, Pipe was an amateur jockey before turning his attention to training in 1974 at Nicholashayne, Somerset, near Wellington, England, at Pond House stables.

Martin Pipe made multiple simple but effective changes to what had been then the traditional methods of training racehorses, specifically those in jump racing.

Martin Pipe's methods came into broad use during the period he was training.

Martin Pipe was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2000 New Year Honours for services to horse racing.

Martin Pipe was born to Dave and Betty Martin Pipe; his father was a bookmaker who owned or managed 45 betting shops.

Martin Pipe wanted to become a professional jockey, but didn't have great success and turned to training.

Martin Pipe first sat on a horse at the age of seventeen and rode only one winner.

Martin Pipe's father had built a stables for some point-to-pointers he owned, and after an injury following his single amateur win, Pipe decided he would train his father's point-to-pointers.

Martin Pipe applied for and received a licence to train in 1974 and began training at his father's farm, Pond House stables, which Dave Martin Pipe had converted from a dilapidated former pig farm to establish racing stables.

Martin Pipe hired Chester Barnes, a former table tennis champion, as his assistant.

Martin Pipe knew nothing about training racehorses, and his initial efforts were conspicuously unsuccessful.

ITV did an edition of The Cook Report in 1991 that according to the Racing Post "basically accused Martin Pipe of every dodgy practice short of witchcraft" and according to The Guardian in 2006 was "a very spiteful programme without foundation".

Martin Pipe went on to be Champion Trainer 15 times with successive stable jockeys Lungo, Peter Scudamore, Richard Dunwoody, David Bridgwater and Tony McCoy.

Martin Pipe employed as jockeys Gordon Elliott, who later went on to become a notable trainer, and Scudamore's son, Tom Scudamore.

Martin Pipe employed assistants who went on to become notable trainers themselves, including Tom Dascombe and Venetia Williams.

Martin Pipe was associated with multiple notable racehorse owners, including David Johnson, Paul Green, Freddie Starr, Terry Neill, Brian Kilpatrick, Darren Mercer, John Brown, and Stanley Clarke.

Notable horses Martin Pipe trained include Carvill's Hill, Deano's Beeno, Cyfor Malta, Rushing Wild, Gloria Victis, Pridwell, Tiutchev, Beau Ranger, Granville Again, Make A Stand, Challenger du Luc, Lady Cricket, Balasani, Cyborgo, Miinehoma, Bonanza Boy, Run For Free, Riverside Boy, Take Control, Tiutchev, Omerta, Well Chief, Cyborgo, Horsa La Loi III, Puntal, and Viking Flagship.

Martin Pipe was a "dominant force" as a trainer for runners in the Welsh Grand National from the late 80s into the early 90s.

In 1998 the Martin Pipe-trained and McCoy-ridden Unsinkable Boxer won the Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and for years the win was described as "one of the biggest handicap hits at Cheltenham" and as late as 2021 as "one of the biggest handicap gambles landed".

Martin Pipe saddled a total of 34 winners at the Cheltenham Festival, including two Champion Hurdles with Granville Again in 1993 and novice Make A Stand in 1997, though victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup eluded him.

Martin Pipe won the 1994 Grand National with Miinnehoma for owner Freddie Starr.

Martin Pipe announced his retirement on grounds of ill-health on 29 April 2006, handing over the reins to son, David Martin Pipe.

Martin Pipe is described by the Racing Post as having "revolutionised" how racehorses are trained.

Martin Pipe made a series of simple changes, which he described as "common sense", in training methods which he reasoned would help the horses he was training reach peak fitness, on the theory that if his horses were more fit than their competitors, they'd win more often than expected on past form.

Martin Pipe worked his horses with interval training up short, steep gallops, which improved their fitness more effectively.

Martin Pipe kept meticulous records of his methods, of data such as blood test results, gallops times, horses' weights and twice-daily body temperatures, and of racing outcomes; he attributed his record-keeping habit to his training in bookmaking in his father's shops, and all of which were unusual at the time.

Martin Pipe's methods came into wide use and became industry standards throughout the racing world.

Martin Pipe married Carol Tyson, whom he met while they were both working in the Martin Pipe family's bookmaking business, in 1971.

The couple had one child, David Martin Pipe, who took over the training facilities on Martin Pipe's retirement in 2006 due to health concerns involving a muscle-wasting disease that was causing him mobility issues.

Martin Pipe was appointed a CBE in 2000 for services to racing.