Record-Breaking Johnston Epitomizes Hard Work, Determination

[Wandering Eyes]

A criticism often levelled at the racing and bloodstock games is that ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.’ There is a fair degree of truth in this assertion, but once in a while someone defies the odds by coming seemingly out of nowhere to reach the top of the tree. In Great Britain in the final quarter of the 20th century Martin Pipe rose from obscurity to a position of utter dominance in National Hunt racing. More recently Mark Johnston has risen to the top on the Flat from even less promising beginnings. To appreciate the magnitude of Johnston’s latest landmark–his record-breaking 4,194th domestic winner, reached when Poet’s Society (GB) (Poet’s Voice {GB}) landed the Clipper Logistics H. under Frankie Dettori on the second day of the York Ebor Festival on Aug. 23–it is worth considering the truly remarkable story of his road to success.

Born in Glasgow in 1959, Johnston grew up with barely a connection to the sport bar a burning ambition to become a trainer. His idea of getting himself closer to achieving this aim when he left school with moderate grades was to enrol at Glasgow University’s Veterinary School to gain a qualification which he believed might make people view him as someone qualified to look after their horses. He also approached Tommy Craig, a small-time trainer near Dunbar on the east coast of Scotland, to let him ride out on occasions, despite the fact that, as Johnston’s father observed at the time, “Mark’s having problems with his horses. He gets on them and they run away with him all the time.” Johnston, though, was undaunted. Furthermore, he absorbed all the knowledge that Tommy Craig could pass on. Reviewing his unconventional journey to the top, Johnston subsequently observed in his authorised biography (written by Nick Townsend and published in 2006) that “Tommy was always a small, struggling–probably gambling–trainer, but I probably learnt as much about training racehorses there as anywhere else. Tommy trained on the beach. It gave me the confidence that I could do that too. I didn’t feel that, when the time came, I would necessarily need any grass gallops.”

Having qualified as a veterinary surgeon, Johnston worked for 3 1/2 years in veterinary practice (in Northern Ireland, near Middlesborough, and at Braintree in Essex). All the while he kept trying to find a position in racing, but to no avail. As he later told Townsend, “I was just looking for a job in the racing industry, in any shape or form. I wrote to trainers, and owners. I applied to be racing manager for Fahd Salman; I didn’t get it, obviously. I phoned Martin Pipe and asked if he needed an assistant. There was nothing advertised. Nothing came of it. I also applied for a job with Sheikh Mohammed, in 1985. I wrote twice and then I went and handed him a letter at Newmarket October Sales. I didn’t get a reply.”

Clearly the only options were either setting up his own stable or abandoning his dream. “I was looking for any way to get into the sport, and the most obvious way was to look for a yard to start training.” The drawback, of course, was that Johnston didn’t have any money. He and his wife Deirdre had no more than £1,000 in the bank. This obviously limited their options. It was inevitable that any property which they could buy would be far off the beaten track and in poor condition. Against all odds, they were able to purchase a run-down property in Lincolnshire, comprising a 20-box stable-yard with a three-bedroom house and a flat, for £50,000. (To do this, he borrowed £5,000 from his father for the deposit and then eventually managed to persuade a bank manager to lend them the remaining £45,000). The gallops, following the practice of Tommy Craig, would be the local beach.

The next step, of course, was to receive a trainer’s license. That proved to be nearly as problematic as the purchase of the property. Early in February 1987, Johnston fronted the Jockey Club’s Licensing Committee in Portman Square in London. The reasons not to give him a license (not least the fact that, in the minds of the stewards anyway, he didn’t have any gallops) were many. Johnston had felt that his veterinary qualification would work in his favour, but the secretary of the Licensing Committee soon disabused him of that fallacy with the dispiriting observation, “Just because you’re a vet doesn’t mean that you can train a horse!”

In fact, the only thing in Mark Johnston’s favour was that Tommy Craig had asked Michael Pope, the President of the National Trainers’ Federation, to support the application. When the stewards eventually and grudgingly told him that he could start off with a license only for National Hunt racing to run jumpers in the winter, Johnston stunned both them and himself with his boldness, replying, “No, thanks. I’m going to give everything to do this. I can’t do it part-time. I need a license for 12 months of the year. Give me a combined license or no license at all.” This tactic worked. “They sent me back out again, called me back in, and basically said OK. Where I got the balls to come out with that I don’t know. But thank God I did!”

What would eventually become the Johnston juggernaut was now on the road, albeit still stuttering along in first gear. His first runner, a 9-year-old gelding called General Billy, finished ninth in a 21-furlong handicap hurdle at Towcester on Feb. 17, 1987. His second runner, Rosie Oh, became his first minor place-getter, finishing fourth in a novices’ hurdle at Huntingdon a week later. Better was to come once Flat had resumed in the spring. The stable contained two 2-year-olds, both inexpensively bought and owned by Brian Palmer. One of them, Hinari Video (GB) (Sallust {GB}), won second time out, making all the running over five furlongs at Carlisle on July 1.

That was Mark Johnston’s only win in 1987, a tally which increased to five in 1988. It was clear, though, that the remoteness of the stable was a limiting factor as regards his future success. A move to a more mainstream location was required. Financial limitations, however, made such a move problematic, but Kingsley House in the long-established North Yorkshire training village of Middleham was lying empty. Its last two previous owners had both gone bankrupt, and the asking price consequently was low. A deal was done, and the Johnstons moved in. Thereafter the trainer’s ascent through the ranks, which at the time appeared unlikely and in retrospect was inevitable, continued without interruption.

Having failed so utterly at the outset to interest Sheikh Mohammed in what he had to offer, Johnston continued to petition the Maktoums for their patronage. In the autumn of 1992 he finally heard the magic words, “It’s Anthony Stroud (who was then Sheikh Mohammed’s principal racing manager) on the phone.” One filly arrived: Pearl Kite (Silver Hawk) who went on to win at York the following year. In the autumn of 1993, a fax from Dalham Hall Stud arrived beginning, “Your yearling allocation is…”

Kingsley House contained six Maktoum-owned horses in 1994. Thereafter the total continued to grow. And grow. And grow. The upshot, aside from a never-ending flow of success, was that “suddenly we had customers to whom we sent a bill saying ‘please pay within 30 days’ and they paid sooner! Bad debts became a thing of the past. It helped solve our cash-flow problems. Now we could pay the staff without worrying about it.”

The landmarks in Mark Johnston’s training career have been many, provided variously by precocious 2-year-old sprinters and by ageing stayers, and by all types of horses in between. Newmarket’s Rowley Mile on Apr. 30, 1994, was the scene of arguably the Johnstons’ day of days: Mister Baileys (GB) (Robellino) provided the trainer with his first Classic by taking the G1 2000 Guineas and the cheaply-bought and ultra-genuine sprinter Double Blue (GB) (Town And Country {GB}) landed the sprint handicap. The 25 victories (including 11 in stakes company) from 97 starts between 1991 and ’96 of the super-tough sprinting mare Branston Abby (Ire) (Risk Me {Fr}) were all special. Double Trigger (Ire) (Ela-Mana-Mou {GB}) galloped his way into the hearts of the nation by taking the Stayer’s Triple Crown in 1995 and subsequently adding two more Goodwood Cups and two more Doncaster Cups.

Royal Rebel (GB) (Robellino) joined Double Trigger in the stayers’ pantheon when taking two Ascot Gold Cups (2001 and ’02). Yavana’s Pace (Ire) (Accordion {Ire}) arrived in Kingsley House in 1998 as an unremarkable 6-year-old handicapper and went on to become the oldest horse ever to win a Group 1 race (a distinction which he still holds) when breaking through in the G1 Credit Suisse Private Banking Pokal in Germany at the age of 10 in August 2002. Another famous overseas triumph was provided by Fruits Of Love (Hansel) in the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Nad Al Sheba in 1999. Similarly admirable was Jukebox Jury (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) who won eight black-type races between 2008 and ’11, his finest hour coming when he dead-heated for the G1 Irish St Leger as a 5-year-old.

Attraction (GB) (Effisio {GB}) only joined Johnston’s stable after her famously incorrect conformation made her unappealing to other trainers, but she became the darling of the British Isles between 2003 and ’05 by landing a host of thrilling victories including the G3 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot, the G2 Cherry Hinton S. at Newmarket, the G1 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas at the Curragh, the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot, the G1 Sun Chariot S. at Newmarket and the G1 Matron S. at Leopardstown. Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) established himself as perhaps the most talented horse the trainer has ever prepared when taking the G1 Dewhurst S. in 2004 prior to his switch to Godolphin; while Awzaan (GB) (Alhaarth {Ire}), Lumiere (GB) (Shamardal) and The Last Lion (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) also showed themselves to be top-class juveniles by winning Group 1 races at Newmarket.

Even to this day, many of the stable’s stars have been inexpensively purchased by the trainer. Most notable of several current examples is the high-class juvenile Dark Vision (Ire) (Dream Ahead), who recently extended his unbeaten run by taking the G2 Qatar Vintage S. at Glorious Goodwood, a meeting which Johnston ended as the leading trainer for the 12th time. Johnston bought Dark Vision last autumn for 15,000 gns in Book Two of Tattersalls’ October Yearling Sale.

Years ago, Johnston set himself the yearly target of 100 wins and £1,000,000 in prize money, but these benchmarks were soon rendered redundant as the winners (at every level) continued to come with such metronomic regularity that it is now unthinkable that he could endure a season so unsuccessful that he merely passed those totals by a small amount. His charges have become notorious for their ability and willingness to race boldly, frequently and well; and his motto ‘Always Trying’ is as true for the horses as it is for their trainer.

The typically determined ‘thou-shalt-not-pass’ triumph of Poet’s Society at, appropriately enough, Yorkshire’s most prestigious meeting was the 4,194th British victory of Johnston’s remarkable career, enabling him to pass the previous record held by Richard Hannon senior. He now ranks as numerically the most successful trainer in the history of British racing. Over the past 31 years no trainer has become more synonymous with hard work, commitment and integrity, or has done more to earn the respect and admiration of racing’s professionals and public alike.

The breaking of any record is special. The breaking of this particular record is particularly special. And particularly well timed. The recently published Fitzdares Racing Futures List of racing’s supposedly most influential youngsters has encouraged many cynics to conclude with regret that the summit of the sport is all but unattainable unless one comes into the game already armed with both connections and money. The phenomenal achievements of Mark Johnston provide a perfect counterbalance, reminding us that with talent, hard work and determination, no mountain is too high to be scaled, irrespective of the base-camp from which one has started the ascent.

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