The Story So Far
#01
As a child Chester played his own part in the success stories at Culverhill Farm, notably riding out stable legend and multiple Grade 1 winner Reve De Sivola before school and providing race planning advice from the age of eight.
He equally enjoyed being a part of his family success on jump racing’s biggest stage to more local visits to tracks, in particular Newton Abbot and Stratford. In pursuit of his goal he became an amateur jockey and spent a brief spell with Gold Cup and Grand National-winning trainer Kim Bailey, all while studying business management at the University of Bath.
In 2019, Chester turned pro and it kicked off a successful riding career with highlights including a Cheltenham winner aboard Interne De Sivola just two years later and experience in Grade 1 races as well as rides at the major spring Festivals.
Racing has always been a part of Chester’s life and training has always been the ambition.
#02
In September 2022, Chester suffered a traumatic brain injury from a riding accident.
It led to him being placed in intensive care for a week and hospitalised for a further five. The incident ended Chester’s riding career and he underwent a long recovery and rehabilitation process.
While the injury will have life-lasting effects, it has not stopped Chester’s determination to become a trainer. Four years on from the incident, Chester completed the London Marathon in memory of his son Archie, who died on October 13th 2022. He raised over £12,500 for SANDS, the UK’s largest family bereavement charity.
#03
A first runner was saddled in October and he hit the ground running with two winners from four chances within the first few weeks.
By December, Williams also enjoyed a first taste of Graded success when Tenter Le Tout won the Grade 2 Coral Finale Juvenile Hurdle, live on ITV, on the prestigious Welsh Grand National card.
That newly-crowned legend at Culverhill Farm would go on to represent the stable at the Cheltenham Festival, running midfield, before signing off the season with a victory when returning to Chepstow.
Williams also enjoyed another notable landmark when scoring a winner at Ascot – one of his most admired tracks – with Haas Boy in March.
Yet there is hunger for more after an incredible debut season with a wealth of new young horses brought in and a Champion Hurdle-winning rider in Lorcan Williams officially named as number one jockey. The future promises to be even brighter.
In July 2025, Chester Williams’s lifelong goal to become a trainer officially came true and he wasted no time in making an impact.
Season One In Numbers
11 Winners
Grade 2 Winner
26% Strike-Rate
Joint best strike-rate for a British trainer
(2025/26 National Hunt season, with over 40 runners)
