Beautician turned trainer’s tribute to ‘my one and only’ after death of horse

26 February 2024 , 13:57

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Volcano: won five times at Warwick (Image: PA)

A beautician turned racehorse trainer endured one of her worst days on the racecourse when she lost one of her best horses.

Sheila Lewis ran both a beauty salon and racing stable for eight years until she focused full-time on her horses. Self-taught, she has trained over 40 winners, enjoying success at Cheltenham racecourse and had a runner at the Festival.

She produced the grey Volcano to win five times at Warwick but on the 10-year-old’s latest start at Hereford on Sunday he suffered a fatal injury when falling at the second fence.

The news was met with sorrow from fans on X, with one posting, “Oh no, not wee Volcano. Pound for pound the gamest horse in training, his courage shining every season despite the gathering miles.

“I’ll chip in for a statue at Warwick. Deep condolences to connections.” Another wrote: “I am gutted to hear that Volcano was lost today at Hereford.

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“Such a lovable horse and a beautiful one too. My thoughts are with @thebeautymill, everyone else that was a fan of the horse at this difficult time.”

Volcano, who was owned by Lewis’s father Brian Davies, won seven out of his 48 rules starts and earned more than £70,000.

Lewis posted her own tribute and said: “Didn’t just lose a horse, lost a great friend. He was the king of the yard. When you have a small amount of horses you fall madly in love with them (rightly or wrongly).

“He went above and beyond and over achieved because he was loved and adored. Rip my one and only Volcano.”

Jon Lees