Trainer Mark Johnston has become Great Britain’s most winning trainer after Poet’s Society claimed victory at York racecourse for his 4,194th British winner.
Victory in the 3pm race, The Clipper Logistics Handicap, meant North Yorkshire-based Johnston surpassed Richard Hannon Sr’s record of 4,193 British winners.
Speaking to ITV Racing after the win, Johnston said: “It’s a relief – it’s been a hard few days! I didn’t expect to do it here, but it was a great job by Frankie. I can’t say I expected to do it with a 20/1 shot, but he rode him brilliantly at Goodwood and stepped up again here.”
On the achievement itself, Johnston told Great British Racing: “I think it’s very, very important because it gives some recognition to the consistency that we’ve displayed over the last 25 years plus. Winners are very important, having more than anyone else is very important. But life will go on and having reached 4,194 it just means we’ll be looking for winner 4,195. We’ll look for more records to break, more races to win. It’s not going to change our life but we recognise the importance.”
Johnston’s first winner was at Carlisle racecourse in July 1987 with the horse Hinari Video. Of that first win he said, “The thing I remember most about that win was coming home and watching the result on teletext. There were no racing channels or replays in those days and you didn’t get videos from the racecourse then so we ordered the video and it took about three weeks to come. So on the night of the race we just put up the results on teletext and that’s all we’ve watched all evening.”
“The horse I am most proud of by far is Attraction. She did more for us than any other horse, she won 5 Group 1s, and I suppose her 1000 Guineas at Newmarket was an incredible race and the culmination of a lot of heartache and worry during that winter. I will never forget Mr Baileys’ win in the 2000 Guineas in 1994. I get a feeling a feeling of déjà vu whenever I am watching a race on the Rowley Mile and one of our horses is in front with a furlong and a half to go and I can remember where the race and where the horse was throughout it and I probably remember that race more than any other.”
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