The people behind the operation.

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Gay is a vital member of the team as she not only performs the endless duties of a trainer's wife but is also James's secretary and has been since day one. Gay, in racing terms, is impeccably bred for the job. Her father, Alan Oughton,was a jump jockey and then became a trainer and when he sadly died Gay's mother Diane, took over the licence. Gay's brother, David Oughton, was, until very recently, a successful trainer in Hong Kong.

Gay is well qualified to be a trainer's secretary as she was secretary to Luca Cumani for 5 years and rode out regularly. She retired from the saddle when Harry and Big D were born.

Gay's grandfather rode the winner of the 1922 Grand National and her uncle Bill Rees was a Gold Cup winning jump jockey. His daughter Joanna, Gay's cousin, rode as an amateur and won five races on James' hack, Final Dividend, more commonly known as Fred.

Gay is renowned amongst Park Lodge's owners for her cooked breakfasts featuring the world famous Newmarket sausage!

Kathryn has accumulated plenty of experience in racing yards, starting out at John Akehurst's in Lambourn in the last decade. She also worked at Kevin McAuliffe's and then became Travelling Head Girl for Alan Bailey. Kathryn arrived at Park Lodge in 2000. She initially did the travelling for James but has since moved up the ladder. "Kathryn was promoted to Head Girl early in the 2002 winter," confirms James Eustace. "She is doing an excellent job."