Johnston’s double ton a job well done

By Alan Conway

Mark Johnston, whose opinions on racing are deep-rooted and well-known to many, is having a stellar 2010.

He reached 200 winners for the season last week at Hamilton when his Tobernea won and he is closing in on his best ever total. The fact that there was no fanfare for reaching the 200 winner mark would have suited him fine. Self acclaim is something Johnston doesn’t do.

Johnston has gone about his work from his Middleham base with a quiet determination. His stable motto “Always trying” is indicative of the can-do attitude that prevails in the Johnston stable. His horses are known for their courage and determination. They like to dominate from the front and have a well of bravery to call on when the time for battle comes. Much like their trainer in many respects.

From Mister Baileys, through Double Trigger to champion juvenile Shamardal, Johnston has been a mainstay in British racing for a long time now. He has evolved in many ways since Mr Baileys landed the 2000 Guineas for him in 1994. He is now primarily a feeder trainer for Godolphin. Almost a 100 horses of his 220-strong team are in the name of Sheikh Mohammed’s son.

In a recent interview with Owners and Thoroughbreds magazine Johnston understood the implications of his arrangement with Sheik Mohammad “I had to make a conscious decision. Their policy was that I would find horses for Godolphin. It’s something that I had to think hard about. I

also had to educate the staff.”

It must have been an extremely tough decision for Johnston. He effectively gave up having control on the majority of his horses. All the plans for the horses were dictated to him and if he came across a champion the horse was swiftly dispatched to the boys at Godolphin. The upswing in the arrangement is that he is almost sure to be looked after by the Arabs and given the global economic climate it has to be a good proposal from a business point of view.

It has not all been a smooth passage to the top for Johnston however. During his best ever season in 2004 when he should have been at the top of his game Johnston wanted to pack it in and walk away from the game. “It wasn’t an overnight thing. I thought very seriously about stopping. My life wasn’t mine anymore.”

Thankfully for his supporters he regained control of his life and has continued on an upward curve since. He has remained the same man throughout his troubles, always honest and forthright in his opinions on the rights and wrongs in racing. He is a breath of fresh air in racing and is a person the sport should look to more and heed his advice.

Even though he has achieved a lot in racing thus far, Johnston still has two burning ambitions in his career. “The Dubai World Cup has phenomenal prize money and seems quite achievable. But to my mind the number one race is the Arc. Winning there would be the ultimate.” It seems that Mark Johnston will be making headlines for a long time yet.

By Alan Conway