Set in the picturesque landscape of the Yorkshire Dales, just a stone's throw from Catterick racecourse, the stable of Philip Kirby has been at the forefront of the Northern racing revolution in recent years which has seen plenty of big race success at Southern tracks from Northern raiders. With a highly talented and ever growing string in force, Phil Kirby has also become one of the most popular dual purpose trainers in the country. 
Renowned for being extremely hands on, Phil is a farrier by trade but turned his attention to training in 1997 where he started out in the point to point field. Ten years later, the focus switched to the big leagues in 2007. Alongside his team of staff, Kirby is also very close to the horses. Riding on the gallops, DIY jobs and even leading horses around in the parade ring at racecourse. A win at any level is treated like a Grade One winner; whether it be a selling handicap win or a Grade One itself, the hard work always comes to fruition. Many equine faces have passed through the doors of the Green Oaks stable, but some held higher acclaim than others. The first horse to really put Kirby's name on the map was Lady Buttons, a highly popular mare up until her retirement in 2021. Owned by Jayne Savills, Lady Buttons won fifteen of her thirty-three starts, over hurdles, fences and on the flat too. With an affinity for Doncaster racecourse, it was there where she had her best moments, winning the Grade Two Yorkshire Rose Hurdle as well as a listed race over fences. Competing at the highest level in her final season, Lady Buttons is a prime example of a horse rising from humble beginnings to reaching the highest level. Another well loved member of the Green Oaks team is Top Ville Ben. A regular name in valuable handicap chases in the North, he was last seen competing in the 2022 Grand National, where he had a great spin over the big fences before getting tired. Top Ville Ben is also renowned for his extra large ears, even requiring a custom made hood to fit them in! The Phil Kirby Racing Club has also been created recently, giving the opportunity for owners to meet the horses and to go racing. The star of the club has been Bushypark, a winner of six out of seven races in the space of just over a year and more recently, Green Oaks Top Cat who has won both her starts in national hunt flat races this season.  
Star Horses:
Top Ville Ben, Bushypark, Whoshotthesheriff, Skycutter. 

Topspeed Thoroughbreds
The visit to Philip Kirby's stable was kindly organised by Topspeed Thoroughbreds. A syndicate still in the infancy of ownership, strong foundations have already been made and the future looks very promising for syndicate founder Tom Green. Setting up Topspeed in 2020, he joined forces with close friend Will Kinsey, a former jockey in his own right. Kinsey is now a leading name in the world of bloodstock and has a great eye for picking out potential superstars. With experience in both the racing world and the breeding world, Kinsey is a key asset to the operation and already there is an increasing amount of well-bred horses. Phil Kirby trained Galaxy Dancer for Topspeed, a daugher of Telescope who matured with age into a high class stayer. Galaxy Dancer was also out of La Doelenaise, a French trained mare who is a half sister to the 2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Sizing John. Unfortunately for the horse, Galaxy Dancer failed to show anything on track and has been retired from racing to turn her attention to the breeding shed. 
Topspeed Thoroughbreds had their first taste of success during the 2021-22 National Hunt season with Walk In The Storm and have an impressive roster of trainers including the likes of Jonjo O'Neill, Andrew Balding, recent Classic winning trainer George Boughey and of course Phil Kirby. Syndicate horses are affordable which last for two years which makes the operation stand out against their competitors. Another appealing factor for Topspeed is the quality of breeding in their horses. With Grade One winners in the immediate family of their horses such as Tornado Flyer, Hurricane Fly and Coronet to name a few, you are getting some very well bred horses to own for a small price. For more information on Topspeed, you can visit: https://topspeedracing.co.uk/ . 

A final mention of thanks to Topspeed and Phil Kirby for organising the visit and welcoming everyone. 

Please note: As some horses were boxed in stables which didn't match with the name tags on the door, I have left the names out of the gallery to avoid any misidentifying.