Catching Brian Taylor on his own turf is easier said than done, but, after he’s about to go through security at Heathrow Airport, it’s the perfect time to speak to a very request.

Taylor was waiting for a flight to Bahrain when we spoke, but next month it could easily be Qatar or Dubai and, with the Breeders’ Cup just days away, you’ll find him in California until the weekend. Welcome to the life of a flying groom.

Taylor has been traveling horses to and from foreign countries for 38 years and is trusted by many of racing’s top owners and trainers to ensure safe passage across the world.

Out of sight at 30,000 feet above the ground, we may hear little about Taylor’s work, but when it comes to ensuring the world’s best thoroughbreds can compete on the racetrack , a lot of things rest on the shoulders of the flying grooms. .

“It’s a particularly hectic time of year,” Taylor says, waiting for her bag to come out of the airport scanner. “There are all the international races plus the horses from the sales. I’m just traveling as a passenger today and I’m picking up horses in Bahrain. These are young horses, bred in Bahrain, who are coming to get a little bit of money. grass, then they will come back.

The son of the Derby-winning jockey of the same name, Taylor spent his youth dreaming of emulating his father’s victory at Epsom over the underdog Snow Knight in 1974, but mother nature had different ideas. Instead, a chance meeting landed him a sales job with the British Bloodstock Agency and, more by accident than design, he was soon shipping horses around the world.

“Every jockey’s son wants to be a jockey,” he says. “I remember a lot of things from Dad’s career but I realized when I was 12 and already taller than him that I wasn’t going to be a jockey.”

Brian Taylor (fourth from left) with the other winners at Ascot in FebruaryCredit: Dan Abraham

Taylor also remembers the beginnings of his career in the sky and flying a yearling to France. At the other end he brought with him Triptych, the first filly to win the Irish 2,000 Guineas, to contest the Champion Stakes. When he saw her win at Newmarket, he knew he had found his calling.

“That’s when I got the buzz,” he says. “There’s nothing better than going anywhere abroad and making money for the owners. Winning, that’s what counts.”

The expansion of the global racing calendar and the increasing willingness of owners and trainers to travel with their horses means that what was once a very seasonal job is now a year-long profession, but the principles behind success of a flying groom never change.

“I try to watch them all the time, but from a distance,” Taylor says. “If everything goes well, I let them find their own feet. Takeoff and landing are pretty simple for them, but if someone misbehaves or something goes wrong, we sort it out.

“It’s a little different on a riders flight. You have a diet and whatever time the trainers want us to feed the horses, we do it. Keeping them hydrated on a flight is an important thing , but we can open things up just like if they were in a stable and they could put their heads down.

“The equipment is much better than when I started and there aren’t many problems we can’t solve in the air. And, on the Breeders’ Cup flight, I have two veterinarians on board, which that helps me. We travel for years and wean and all kinds of things, but I would say that 90 percent are fine on the plane and that’s the ten percent that we earn our crust.

Taylor has worked for shipping company Luck Greayer for over a decade and has flown with riders from some of Europe’s biggest yards. The names Golden Horn, Ouija Board and Enable roll off his tongue and he is undoubtedly at the top of his game.

“I’ve worked for John Gosden and Sir Michael Stoute for years,” he says. “Then there’s Andrew Balding and the Ballydoyle job. We’re Ballydoyle’s agents in the UK. They have their own two flying grooms and I do the ground work and meet the plane.”

Taylor was there to welcome City Of Troy on their trip to Southwell last month and was on the same flight as the Derby winner when he departed for Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Classic last weekend. Horse riding stars don’t come much bigger than City Of Troy, but Taylor admits the job isn’t all glamorous and most trips are fleeting these days.

“Before, you’d go to India and fly for a week, but now it’s back and forth,” he explains. “It may sound glamorous that I’m coming to Bahrain today, but I’ll be back tomorrow. It’s not just racing. There’s the Olympics and show jumping and that can happen to you from time to time. in time, but racing is my passion.”

If City Of Troy were to win the Classic, their victory would fit right into the list of great racing successes to which Taylor has contributed.

“I hadn’t ridden an Arc winner before Golden Horn, so he was a bit special, and I’ve taken winners to the Japan Cup. But the Breeders’ Cup is my thing. I stay there for this one and bring them back. It’s a special meeting.

“I hadn’t ridden an Arc winner before Golden Horn, so he was a bit special”Credit: Edward Whitaker

The 59-year-old, born and raised in Newmarket, was among the winners of the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards in February, but around 12 months ago his name was first put forward in the dedication category.

Learning that his peers had gone out of their way to nominate him meant as much as lifting the trophy itself to Taylor and he urges employers and colleagues not to miss the opportunity to highlight their unsung heroes this time around.

“It was very exciting for me, because it was the guys from the different yards I work for who nominated me – it meant everything,” he says. “I had to fly back from Saudi Arabia the same day for the awards ceremony before leaving the next day, but it was a really great night. I was stunned to then win my category.

“I’m away from home all the time and it’s thanks to my wife, Julie. She raised three children alone. That’s what was great about winning this award; I had the chance to thank her and she had a great time. It was worth it. The awards are great and I will nominate a few people myself this year.

A total of £128,500 will be shared between the winners at York Racecourse on February 24, with the prizes going to the employers and colleagues of the individual winners.

“It was also great for my business,” Taylor says. “I’m the guy everyone sees, but behind me there’s a very big office that takes care of all the paperwork and all the organization. I show up at the airport and pick up the horses. They are doing all the heavy lifting. It was good for them and it’s good to have this aspect of what is a huge industry recognized.

Nominations are open until November 5 for the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards. These awards provide an opportunity for employees across the industry in Britain, such as training grounds, stud farms or administrative positions, to be celebrated for their hard work and dedication. To learn more, visit thoroughbreds.co.uk.

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