|
Manager
who taps in to his racing experience
Nick
Hall is operations manager
at Frontline Bathrooms in Featherstone
and has an interest in horseracing
as both a winning jockey and
trainer.
I
have always been
passionate about
horses and horseracing
in all its forms,
and throughout my
childhood, because
of my size (I'm 5ft
4in), people said
I was small enough
to be a jockey.
Being
a very ambitious
person, I thought
I would give it a
go, and at the age
of 16 I was given
the chance to attend
the British Racing
School, in Newmarket,
for a 10-week course,
which led to a job
at Paul Kellaway's
Newmarket stables,
which fuelled my
true passion for
the sport.
I
went on to enjoy
a 19-year career
as a professional
jockey, riding for
some of the world's
leading trainers
including, Michael
Stoute and Geoff
Wragg. In a 12-year
racing career, I
rode at every racecourse
in the UK with a
career track record
of riding 85 winners
from 900 rides.
I
moved to Dubai in
1995 to work for
Sheikh Mohammed Al
Maktoum for more
than seven years
as a work rider/test
pilot, which included
riding the world's
best horses on Nad
al Sheba racetrack.
I
was responsible for
training and assessing
the horses, for example,
testing when they
were ready to race,
what distance they
required and how
good the horses were.
For
two years, I was
also an official
for the course for
Jebil Ali racecourse
where I was responsible
for all the operations
on the course on
race days.
This
operational experience
has been crucial
today in my role
at Frontline Bathrooms
and, ironically,
they have given me
a direct link back
into the sport. Frontline
is heavily involved
in sports sponsorship
(we sponsor the Featherstone
Rovers rugby league
team, the newly formed
Super League Frontline
Fair Play Index and
the Great Britain
vs France Frontline
Test match this summer)
and a couple of years
ago bought two racehorses
so that we could
enjoy staff and corporate
days out and put
something back into
a sport the whole
of the Frontline
team can enjoy.
As
I am responsible
for overseeing 85
members of staff,
and to ensure the
smooth running of
our rapidly expanding
company, we thought
it would be good
to have the horses
to build team spirit
by encouraging staff
to get behind them.
Because
of my background
and passion for the
sport, I have had
a direct input and
offer advice in all
areas.
Our
horses, Frontline
in Focus (a two-year
old filly), and Complete
Frontline (a two-year
old colt) have provided
plenty of enjoyment
and entertainment
over the past couple
of years and help
me to keep in contact
with the racing fraternity.
I
have been very lucky
to have met and worked
with some wonderful
people in the sport,
including the likes
of Frankie Dettori
and many more I considered
as friends for many
years.
What's
your passion? E-mail:
business.post@ypn.co.uk or call Kathryn Moore
on 0113 238 8960
and tell us about
it
|
