After a life-changing race-riding accident in France two years ago, irrepressible former jump jockey Jacob Pritchard Webb is building a new career as a bloodstock agent – while also dreaming of the Commonwealth Games in Australia in 2026 and raising money for charity with an arduous hand cycle. He talks to Debbie Burt
GB: When you meet 25-year-old Jacob Pritchard Webb, it is impossible not to be struck by his unfailing good humour, relentless enthusiasm and the high value he places on friendships and family.
Whilst this is not uncommon in those who have survived a life-changing event, it’s still refreshing during these less-than-optimistic times. Because frankly, if he was so minded, Pritchard Webb could have plenty about which to feel sorry for himself.
Towards the end of June 2020, not long into a new career riding in France, the aspiring jump jockey was legged onto a four-year-old novice chaser named Galant Des Boulats in the first race of the day at Auteuil.
Just four fences in to the 3,500-metre contest, Galant Des Boulats failed to get his landing gear down in time and fired his jockey head-first into the ground.
Frightening list of neck and back injuries
It was a horrifying incident – and it left Pritchard Webb paralysed from the chest down after sustaining a frightening list of neck and back injuries.
“I was conscious, and remember losing the feeling to my legs during the roll,” he recalls. “I also remember a searing pain in my back, stabbing up into my vertebrae. There were lots of tears and a lot of pain.”
Such was the impact of the fall that Pritchard Webb even sustained minor injuries from his helmet in the shape of cuts above both ears. “I’ve never heard of a helmet ever do that to anyone,” he says, still sounding somewhat incredulous.
However, that was the least of the jockey’s injuries as he had also damaged his lung, broken three vertebrae, four ribs, his sternum and his neck, which was also dislocated. “When you think I’d never broken anything in any other fall and then to go and do that, all in one, it’s a bit mad,” he says.
Riding on the same card was his friend Felix de Giles, who had the presence of mind to ensure Pritchard Webb had his mobile phone with him in the ambulance. He was able to speak to his parents, who had been watching the race, and they immediately made plans to travel to Paris from Leicester.
‘Could have been a lot worse’
In hospital, Pritchard Webb’s back was operated on straight away – and then his neck two days later. “I was lucky the paralysis was from my chest down, so my hands and my arms were completely unaffected which, I always say, makes me the unlucky lucky one,” he says. “It could have been a lot worse.”
Maybe so, but it still meant his career as a jockey was ended in horribly premature fashion, his lifelong ambitions dashed in an instant.
Pritchard Webb, you see, had always wanted to be a jockey. His grandfather had raced Standardbreds on the Welsh trotting circuit for 44 years, winning the drivers’ championship a record 12 times. As such, it was only natural he’s start off in a sulky, aged 14, but after five seasons he had bigger ideas and headed to Newmarket.
He recalls: “At the Racing School, I was one of the older people on the course and good with my time management, hating to be late. Sir Mark Prescott was looking for someone, so they thought I’d fit in perfectly! I spent 13 months there, which was such a great platform to learn.”
Naive and stubborn
Wanting to ride on the Flat, Pritchard Webb brushed aside his employer’s observation that he’d get too heavy. “Of course Sir Mark knew what he was talking about,” he grins. “I was too naive and stubborn.”
Sights eventually readjusted to the winter game, Pritchard Webb moved to jumps trainer Fergal O’Brien to ride as an amateur. Several point-to-point winners followed, but after a summer in France with [trainer] Alain Couétil, he returned to the UK – only to realise he had better chances across the Channel. He only ever had five rides under Rules in Britain.
He takes up the story. “I went back to Alain’s in the summer of 2019,” he says. “Taking out my professional licence there, I had two seconds and a win in my first six rides and thought, ‘this is easy, I don’t know why it was so hard in England!’”
Pritchard Webb is good friends with French-based trainer Louisa Carberry – best known for dual Grand-Steeple Chase (French Gold Cup) winner Docteur De Ballon – and her husband Philip, the former Champion Hurdle-winning jockey. “Louisa Carberry suggested I go to [trainer] Emmanuel Clayeux to learn more,” he goes on. “Emmanuel was very good to me – I went to Pau and had a great time.”
He rode six further winners, including five for Bertrand LeFèvre, who was to provide him with his fateful last ride, after which his life was changed utterly.
‘Bit of an interest in pedigrees’
Riding career over in the blink of an eye, during a total of 178 days in hospital his thoughts turned to the future – and what he describes as a “bit of an interest in pedigrees” suggested ‘bloodstock agent’ as a possible profession.
“Then the article came out in the Racing Post saying ‘British rider plans to become a bloodstock agent after career-ending injury’,” he explains. “So I had to kind of follow it through, though I was probably still high on morphine when I did that interview!
“I think I also told my mum that I was going to marry one of the physios around the same week, so I don’t know how much we can read into those comments.”
Telephone calls of support came in from top bloodstock agents like Anthony Stroud and Anthony Bromley but Pritchard Webb faced a long road before he could conceive of making good his pledge.
The first 18 months following the operations were based on physio and rehab to see what functions could be regained, then after that the focus was on his not becoming a permanent patient.
Pritchard Webb was also keen to do something to support two charities that had particularly helped him: the Injured Jockeys Fund, who had been there since day one in France, and the Matt Hampson Foundation, which helps young people with spinal cord injuries suffered through sport.
As a result, he embarked on a three-day sponsored hand-cycle from Cheltenham to Newmarket, completed over three days in July. “I probably made it too difficult,” he says. Cue more laughter before he adds: “It was about 140 miles and I managed to raise £25,000 – way more than I expected. I was very lucky to have people like AP McCoy, Luke Harvey and Sean Boyce joining me along the way, I had a lot of support over the three days – I think there were 19 of us at one stage.”
As for his new career as a bloodstock agent, Pritchard Webb attended his first sale shadowing Bromley and Tessa Greatrex of Highflyer Bloodstock at the Goffs UK Doncaster Spring Store Sale in May 2021.
Eye-opener
“They were amazing,” he says. “I did a lot of National Hunt stuff with them; it was very in-depth. Seeing how they manage all their clients just during the Goffs sale was an eye-opener.”
In March, Pritchard Webb was appointed as UK and Irish representative for French-based online sales company, Auctav. The job came about after rehab at Lambourn’s Oaksey House alongside fellow former rider Jerry McGrath, who is making a similar career switch.
“Jerry and I are good friends and we looked at horses in France, using French-based agent Toby Jones,” says Pritchard Webb. “Toby then got in touch with me about working for Auctav. His father had seen me on Sky Sports, commenting on the French jump racing, and they thought I’d be a good fit.”
He now has a varied role at Auctav, who also sell Standardbreds and Arabian horses. While Pritchard Webb has kept an eye on the trotters, the Arabian market is currently buoyant and he was aware of the success of Auctav’s Shadwell dispersal earlier in 2022.
Apprehensive at first
“For the Arabian summer sale, we had more entries than we expected,” he says. “I had to view the UK horses, report back to the team and discuss which to select. I’d seen Arabian racing in France and though I was apprehensive going to view them at first, it went well and the one we picked sold successfully. A half-brother has since been Group 3PA-placed at Haydock, enhancing the pedigree further.”
When not representing Auctav or appearing on Sky Sports, Pritchard Webb is still buying horses with McGrath. Cuzco Du Mathan, who they sourced in France, has already turned a good profit, selling at Goffs October Horses in Training sale as the third-highest-priced lot.
Pritchard Webb says that if it wasn’t for his accident, he would still have been in bloodstock, albeit more on the production side. Time spent with French breeders has clearly left an indelible mark. “You learn this whole pedigree history in France and that just lit a fire, I suppose,” he says.
“Knowing that niche market for all those good horses from there, I think it all flowed into one, like it was fated really. I love their stories – these farmers who don’t make enough from the cattle, who have a couple of broodmares that produce Cheltenham winners.
“There’s plenty of space on my grandparents’ farm where we had cows,” he goes on. “We’ve a broodmare who I won on twice in France, in foal to Planteur. The long-term aim is to send the result to Emmanuel to train – but the dream is to sell it on to Willie Mullins!” He grins, as he often does.
“I’d like to do a bit of pinhooking, involving friends – 20 grand to 25 grand for a nice yearling is a lot of money to fork out by yourself, but if you’ve got five lads in it, it makes it easier.”
Joining with Jones outside of Auctav, they act as each other’s middleman, on either side of the Channel. Thi
s enabled Pritchard Webb in September to claim juvenile hurdler Fils De Roi for owner Chris Coley out of a hurdle at Autueil, with the three-year-old then making a winning UK debut for his old boss, O’Brien, at Huntingdon a month later.
Commonwealth calling
And if that wasn’t enough to pack into his schedule, Pritchard Webb’s remaining spare time is currently dedicated to table tennis. “I played in Finland in September, my first international competition representing Great Britain,” he reports.
“As a pathway player, you compete under the GB banner and you can train at their centre, but you’re not lottery-funded. I’ve lots to learn and improve on, but the aim is the Commonwealth Games in four years’ time.”
Make no mistake: if his skill with a paddle develops as quickly as his eye for a horse, it’s hard not to see him being there in the Para-sport team for Victoria 2026 in Australia.
• Visit the Injured Jockeys Fund website and the Matt Hampson Foundation website
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