Author Claire Hart
First published on GB Pointing
22-year-old Lilian Bartlett from Dorset had a day to remember on Sunday at Badbury Rings when her own horse, Finisher, won the conditions, level 3 under Fred Philipson-Stow, providing her with her first training success. The victory was a first between the flags for the ten-year-old gelding who had been purchased from Mark Gillard having won a hurdle race. Bartlett picks up the story: “I was helping at Mark’s occasionally and wanted to buy a horse for myself to ride, pointing. Mark advised that he thought Finisher, whom I fondly call Jack, would be perfect.” That was in 2022, and since then, ‘Jack’ has given Bartlett some memorable days.
Bartlett, better known as ‘Bubble’, grew up in the pointing world. Mum, Rachel, is a successful trainer herself, and following Sunday’s winner, the competition between mother and daughter will heat up. When I phoned to chat to Bartlett, Mum was in the car too, and we had a lot of banter about who knew best!
Bartlett juggles her time between her full-time job in a show jumping yard, training Finisher and helping on the family farm. A childhood filled with ponies and all the activities that come with that meant an outdoors lifestyle was a likely path, and she tells me: “I left school after my GCSEs and went to college to do an agricultural course, but then Covid hit. In 2020, I went to Newmarket and worked for James Owen for a while. Last year, I worked for Will Biddick, where I met Fred, who rode my boy on Sunday. Sadly, Mum had an accident, and I had to come home to help her with her pointers. Something always brings me home. I hope to take over the farm when the time is right, so it’s probably not a bad thing!”
Bartlett has had just short of 40 rides pointing, and whilst she hasn’t yet achieved that first winner, she has had numerous placings aboard not only Finisher but horses Mum trains. Dick Darsie, whom she started on, proved to be an excellent schoolmaster and remains part of the furniture at home. Both Dorset Diamond and Dorset Dazzler have provided her with placings, and both ought to win this season.
Intrigued, I ask Bartlett about her race-riding, and she says: “I need to renew my medical, but it is proving hard to find a doctor locally who does them. With work, it’s difficult to find the time to travel somewhere that will do it.” Seemingly laid-back about it, I question her about missing Sunday’s winner, and she confirmed: “Oh yes, watching that made me want to get it sorted.”
Meanwhile, training is her focus, and I got a real sense that the horses are more to her than racehorses. “Every day is different, sometimes I ride at 5 am, sometimes 5 pm! The horses are very used to it. We don’t have any facilities, but we do have 500 acres, which offer a wonderful natural training ground. I try to turn them out lots and keep them happy.”
Finisher didn’t race during 2023 and 2024, having picked up a leg injury on his final point-to-point run at Badbury Rings in November 2022. Following his recovery, Bartlett quietly brought him back into work and set sail to teach him to show jump; he successfully competed in this sphere, hunted and also competed in hunt-relay races. In December 2024, he won a charity flat race at Larkhill with Bartlett’s good friend Beth Rideout in the saddle. With the legs standing up well to this, a decision to run him pointing again was made, and an enjoyable 2025 was had by all, with Bartlett surmising that: “All the fun we had for two years accidentally rejuvenated him!”
At Badbury on Sunday, he was the outsider of four runners, but Bartlett tells me: “He had tanked me up the gallops the week before and I thought oooooo we have something good here.”
A celebration in the local pub commenced on Sunday evening, and now Bartlett looks forward to the next run, confirming, “Probably Larkhill on the 30th, but I will see how he is.”
Remember the name – Bubble Bartlett, she was characterful and light-hearted, but I sense an ambitious young lady lies beneath.
