![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_GettyImages-93040413.jpg\")
Former Ospreys and Wales international David Bishop (Image: Alex Livesey\/Getty Images)<\/p>\nDavid Bishop, who was part of the Ospreys’ Galacticos, is now pursuing a career in a different sportFormer Ospreys and Wales international David Bishop (Image: Alex Livesey\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
David Bishop is wishing for Welsh Grand National glory this Christmas<\/a> \u2013 the rugby star who\u2019s gone from Galactico to Chepstow.<\/p>\n For a man once at the heart of one of the most celebrated rugby squads Wales has ever produced \u2013 the Ospreys<\/a> class of 20 years ago – it is now horse racing, and the demanding daily routine of life in a training yard, that provides his competitive focus and sense of purpose.<\/p>\n Bishop, now 42, was a central figure for the Ospreys two decades ago, part of a side dubbed the \u201cGalacticos\u201d because of its concentration of star power.<\/p>\n Alongside the likes of Shane Williams, Justin Marshall, Gavin Henson, Lee Byrne, Jerry Collins, James Hook, Tommy Bowe and Alun Wyn Jones, Bishop helped define Welsh regional rugby during an era of success and swagger, a million miles from the chaos and anxiety of today.<\/p>\n But his playing career was cut short in 2015 after years of battling a serious knee injury.<\/p>\n Forced into retirement earlier than planned, Bishop faced the difficult task of reshaping his life away from the game he loved.<\/p>\n Today, he has done so alongside his partner, leading racehorse trainer Rebecca Curtis, working as stable yard manager at her Pembrokeshire<\/a> base as the yard prepares for one of the biggest dates in the Welsh sporting calendar.<\/p>\n \u201cMy injury meant I had to stop playing before I wanted to and I wasn\u2019t able to be the same player that I was before I suffered it,\u201d explains Bishop, who had just broken into the Wales squad when the injury first struck.<\/p>\n \u201cSo horse racing has given me a new lease of life. It\u2019s a very different sport, but I can get the same buzz.\u201d<\/p>\n That buzz will be keenly felt on Saturday, when Curtis saddles Haiti Couleurs for the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow.<\/p>\n The race is one of the most iconic fixtures in Welsh sport, staged in the depths of winter and demanding stamina, toughness and teamwork \u2013 qualities Bishop recognises immediately from his rugby days.<\/p>\n \u201cI actually get more nervous before a big race than I used to get before a rugby match,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s because in racing, you put in all the hard work and have no control whatsoever over the result.<\/p>\n \u201cAt least when you put your boots on, you effect the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n Haiti Couleurs arrives at Chepstow as one of the race favourites and with a reputation for resilience that resonates strongly with both Curtis and Bishop.<\/p>\n Last season\u2019s Irish Grand National winner was forced to miss his intended run in the Betfair Chase at Haydock after suffering a significant back issue, a disappointment that sparked questions about his ability to compete at the highest level.<\/p>\n \u201cHaiti Couleurs is a special horse who has been very consistent,\u201d Bishop says.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Betfair Chase at Haydock race was a big disappointment because it was a step up to Grade 1 and Becky was desperate for him to perform.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a total no show from him and people were saying he\u2019s not up to it. But he had the back injury and that was the reason for his poor showing.\u201d<\/p>\n Curtis discovered the problem only on raceday, when something clearly was not right.<\/p>\n \u201cHe’s really good now, actually,\u201d she says, offering reassurance as preparations intensify.<\/p>\n \u201cWe ran him at Haydock and he never got going. Luckily, we found he had quite a big problem with his back, his sacroiliac joint.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the powerhouse joint of the whole back, so if that was sore it’s quite obvious why he was a bit reluctant to go and jump well.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had him medicated, looked after, and he seems to have really bounced back from that. He\u2019s now in great form, so we’re looking forward to getting him out again.\u201d<\/p>\n Haiti Couleurs\u2019 ability to recover from adversity is nothing new. Bought after modest Irish point-to-point form, his career almost ended before it began when he suffered a serious injury at home.<\/p>\n \u201cHe struck into himself quite badly schooling at home. It was quite nasty and he had to have surgery and they weren’t even sure if he’d ever race again,\u201d explains Curtis, whose yard is near Newport<\/a>, Pembs.<\/p>\n After 18 months on the sidelines, he returned stronger, progressing through novice hurdles and chases before landing the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham and then the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse.<\/p>\n \u201cHe’s a very, very tough horse, quite a feisty sort of black horse, but that is one thing with him, he is very, very tough.\u201d<\/p>\n That toughness has been essential in Curtis\u2019 own career, which has fluctuated between headline success and leaner times.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s very hard, often, being a small trainer, trying to keep the numbers up and the results coming in,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a time we just didn’t just have the horses to compete. They lacked a bit of quality. But we’ve got a great bunch of owners now, who are really supportive and they’ve invested again.\u201d<\/p>\n Bishop has watched that rebuild from close quarters, playing a key role in the day-to-day running of the yard and overseeing a team whose commitment reminds him strongly of a professional rugby environment.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is always a hard-working team of people behind any successful horse,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are disciplined, dedicated people who get up and start work outside at 7am in all weathers.<\/p>\n \u201cBut they all find it very rewarding because they really do love the animal they work with. It\u2019s like being part of a family.\u201d<\/p>\n His passion for racing predates his relationship with Curtis and even his rugby career.<\/p>\n \u201cI always had a passion for racing, even before I met Becky. My dad kept horses when I was growing up in the Rhondda<\/a> and my grandad, Eddie Lewis, who played openside flanker for Cardiff<\/a>, used to train greyhounds. So, I always knew about racing.\u201d<\/p>\n The Welsh Grand National itself holds more than just prize money for Curtis, who still feels she has unfinished business at Chepstow.<\/p>\n In 2012, her horse Teaforthree went agonisingly close, finishing second to Monbeg Dude, part-owned by former Wales international Nicky Robinson \u2013 another figure linking rugby and racing.<\/p>\n \u201cTeaforthree deserved to win it,\u201d Curtis reflects. \u201cThe sad thing is, for finishing second that day he went up eight pounds in the handicap, which probably stopped him winning the big Grand National at Aintree later in the year.\u201d<\/p>\n Robinson, Bishop recalls, was not only a talented fly-half but also a valued team-mate during his own early career.<\/p>\n \u201cI used to room with Nicky Robinson with the Wales U21s back in the day.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was someone I loved playing outside of because he had such a lovely flat pass that I could take it on the drift and be past people without breaking stride. He was a superb player.\u201d<\/p>\n This year, Haiti Couleurs faces the demanding task of carrying a high weight in a race that traditionally favours lighter burdens.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s a big ask because he’s going to carry a big weight, which is not ideal over that sort of trip,\u201d Curtis says.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I think if you’ve possibly got a classier horse, like Haiti, they sometimes get away with carrying that weight.\u201d<\/p>\n In short, his stamina credentials are not in doubt.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of his form has been over three-and-a-half-mile plus, and he won the Irish Grand National which is 3.5, so the distance at Chepstow won’t be a problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Another strong Welsh link comes in the saddle, with champion jockey Sean Bowen set to ride.<\/p>\n \u201cSean is just brilliant,\u201d Curtis says. \u201cHe’s very professional and very dedicated to what he does. He’s also very cool on a horse, he’s very strong on a finish and he reads the race very well.\u201d<\/p>\n For Bishop, watching from the sidelines brings a different kind of tension to the adrenaline-fuelled afternoons of his rugby career, but one he has learned to embrace.<\/p>\n Racing, he says, has given him purpose after the disappointment of forced retirement, while still satisfying the competitive instincts shaped during his time with the Ospreys.<\/p>\n On Saturday, the old Galactico is hoping his horse is riding high down the home straight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"David Bishop, who was part of the Ospreys’ Galacticos, is now pursuing a career in a different sportFormer…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":652152,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5010],"tags":[748,62337,4884,15032,16,15,1764],"class_list":{"0":"post-652151","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wales","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-chepstow","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-ospreys","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-wales"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115773668404387163","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652151","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=652151"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/652151\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/652152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=652151"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=652151"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=652151"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_David-Bishop-3.jpg\")
David Bishop leads out Haiti Couleurs with jockey Sean Bowen, alongside trainer, Rebecca Curtis.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_IMG-20251222-WA0007.jpg\")
David Bishop with partner Rebecca Curtis and Haiti Couleurs.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/0_David-Bishop-4.jpg\")
Horses cooling off at the beach in Newport, near to trainer Rebecca Curtis’ yard.<\/p>\n