Robert Widger
Robert Peter Widger was born in Ireland on May 22, 1979, the son of a Waterford butcher-farmer. Robert had jump racing in the blood. His great-uncle, amateur rider Joe Widger, had ridden Wild Man From Borneo to victory in the Aintree Grand National of 1895.
Robert came into racing via the show-jumping arena, representing Ireland as a teenager in Holland, Italy and Britain, before joining County Cavan trainer Shane Donohoe. Sometime later, over a drink at Punchestown races, Donohue told fellow trainer Philip Hobbs that he had a useful lad on his books. That led to Robert joining Hobbs’ Sandhill stable.
In April 1999 he rode Hobbs’ Bouchasson to victory in the Edinburgh Woollen Mills Future Champions Novices’ Chase at Ayr, then followed up in a Grade 3 handicap chase at the Punchestown festival. He turned professional the following season and rode 29 winners.
He rode in three successive Grand Nationals, twice on Ted Haynes’ chaser Choisty (hampered and unseated rider at Becher’s second time in 1999; fell at the fourth in 2000). His third ride, Venetia Williams’ Inis Cara went off as one of the three 10/1 co-favourites in 2001, only to fall at the fourth fence.
In October 2001, with stable jockey Richard Johnson out of action, Robert teamed up with One Knight to win a Chepstow novices’ hurdle. Two months later he enjoyed his finest hour in the saddle when winning the 2001 Tingle Creek Chase on Flagship Uberalles.
Robert rode 22 winners in the 2001/02 season but by then weight had got the better of him. He’d ridden a total of 115 winners but his weight kept increasing. In an effort to keep it off, he’d get up at five and sweat in the bath for an hour and a half before going to work for Philip Hobbs. He’d then head off to the racecourse and have a sauna on arrival. At night he would spend another hour and a half in a hot bath before going to bed. Despite all that, his weight went up to 13st 7lb. He relinquished his licence as started a livery yard back home at Six Cross Roads in Waterford.
However, under the rules in place at that time, a conditional jockey was able to regain his amateur status. Robert managed to get his weight back down to 10st 12lb and resumed riding. On February 28, 2004 he rode Shane Donohue’s Again an Again to victory in a beginners’ chase at Fairyhouse, The following month he gave Jonjo O’Neill’s Native Emperor a confident ride to win the four-mile National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup, beating Celestial Gold by a length and three-quarters.
Robert then forged a successful career as a point-to-point trainer in his native Waterford.
However, in April 2016, he was charged with unlawful possession of a stolen mini-digger worth €25,000, a horse box worth €3,500, a car trailer valued at €2,800, as well as a quantity of building materials on dates between September 21 and October 21, 2014. He was also charged with unlawful possession of a stolen strimmer and galvanised lighting poles that were stolen from Waterford University Hospital, aluminium doors and windows and 60 rolls of house insulation.
He pleaded guilty at his trial at Waterford Circuit Criminal Court in July 2017 and received a two-year sentence, with one year suspended. He was also handed a one-year sentence for theft with the sentences to run consecutively. The sentence was later reduced to a 12-month jail term on appeal.
His sentence served, he took out a trainer's licence in July 2019. He registered his biggest success to date when Treacysenniscorthy won the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle Qualifier at Leopardstown on December 28, 2019.
Robert Widger
Robert Peter Widger was born in Ireland on May 22, 1979, the son of a Waterford butcher-farmer. Robert had jump racing in the blood. His great-uncle, amateur rider Joe Widger, had ridden Wild Man From Borneo to victory in the Aintree Grand National of 1895.
Robert came into racing via the show-jumping arena, representing Ireland as a teenager in Holland, Italy and Britain, before joining County Cavan trainer Shane Donohoe. Sometime later, over a drink at Punchestown races, Donohue told fellow trainer Philip Hobbs that he had a useful lad on his books. That led to Robert joining Hobbs’ Sandhill stable.
In April 1999 he rode Hobbs’ Bouchasson to victory in the Edinburgh Woollen Mills Future Champions Novices’ Chase at Ayr, then followed up in a Grade 3 handicap chase at the Punchestown festival. He turned professional the following season and rode 29 winners.
He rode in three successive Grand Nationals, twice on Ted Haynes’ chaser Choisty (hampered and unseated rider at Becher’s second time in 1999; fell at the fourth in 2000). His third ride, Venetia Williams’ Inis Cara went off as one of the three 10/1 co-favourites in 2001, only to fall at the fourth fence.
In October 2001, with stable jockey Richard Johnson out of action, Robert teamed up with One Knight to win a Chepstow novices’ hurdle. Two months later he enjoyed his finest hour in the saddle when winning the 2001 Tingle Creek Chase (right) on Flagship Uberalles.
Robert rode 22 winners in the 2001/02 season but by then weight had got the better of him. He’d ridden a total of 115 winners but his weight kept increasing. In an effort to keep it off, he’d get up at five and sweat in the bath for an hour and a half before going to work for Philip Hobbs. He’d then head off to the racecourse and have a sauna on arrival. At night he would spend another hour and a half in a hot bath before going to bed. Despite all that, his weight went up to 13st 7lb. He relinquished his licence as started a livery yard back home at Six Cross Roads in Waterford.
However, under the rules in place at that time, a conditional jockey was able to regain his amateur status. Robert managed to get his weight back down to 10st 12lb and resumed riding. On February 28, 2004 he rode Shane Donohue’s Again an Again to victory in a beginners’ chase at Fairyhouse, The following month he gave Jonjo O’Neill’s Native Emperor a confident ride to win the four-mile National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup, beating Celestial Gold by a length and three-quarters.
Robert then forged a successful career as a point-to-point trainer in his native Waterford.
However, in April 2016, he was charged with unlawful possession of a stolen mini-digger worth €25,000, a horse box worth €3,500, a car trailer valued at €2,800, as well as a quantity of building materials on dates between September 21 and October 21, 2014. He was also charged with unlawful possession of a stolen strimmer and galvanised lighting poles that were stolen from Waterford University Hospital, aluminium doors and windows and 60 rolls of house insulation.
He pleaded guilty at his trial at Waterford Circuit Criminal Court in July 2017 and received a two-year sentence, with one year suspended. He was also handed a one-year sentence for theft with the sentences to run consecutively. The sentence was later reduced to a 12-month jail term on appeal.
His sentence served, he took out a trainers' licence in July 2019. He registered his biggest success to date when Treacysenniscorthy won the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle Qualifier at Leopardstown on December 28, 2019.