Mark of genius
JOHNSTON NEARS RECORD
MIDDLEHAM master Mark Johnston has spoken of his huge pride as he prepares to rewrite the record books.
The trainer is 13 short of breaking Richard Hannon Snr’s all-time record of 4,193 winners.
And the Scot, 58, shows no sign of stopping in his unending quest for winners.
Johnston (right) said: “I came to Middleham with 13 horses and said straight away my ambition was to train Classic winners. A lot of people laughed at me.
“The record means a lot. I’ve always been happy to accept that the trainers’ championship is decided on prize money, even though I think I would have been
12-time champion if it was decided on winners.”
He told Great British Racing he has little time for anything else other than racing, adding: “I go cycling, which is a release, and I fly my own plane to the races and that’s a bit of a release as well because when you are flying you cannot think about anything but flying.
“At 5.30am the alarm goes off and I keep trying to get to bed before midnight but it is not that common.”
Mister Baileys and Attraction gave Johnston Classic success in the 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas but he rates the mighty Shamardal as the best he has ever trained.
The powerful son of Giant’s Causeway was in Johnston’s care as a two-year-old before being switched to the yard of Saeed Bin Suroor. An eight-length winner on his debut at Ayr, he then won the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood before a brilliant win in the Dewhurst in 2004.
He said: “Throughout the time I trained Shamardal, I never considered the opposition because when you’ve got a horse like him the opposition’s of no concern. All you are concerned about is can I produce him at his best because if he’s at his best nothing can beat him. “The dream is to find another one.
“I’ve had great horses since but nothing like him: something that is simply better than all the rest. “Attraction would be the horse I’m far and away the most proud of because she had conformational issues and soundness issues. In spite of that, she won five Group Ones. That was mostly down to her genes and her desire to run but some of it was down to training.”