First job in the Thoroughbred industry?
Pupil assistant to Robert Baker at Manton. I did pretty much everything from laundry to mole catching. Not very well, but at least I got a workable mark.
Biggest influence on your career?
David Whiteley. He was meticulous and everything he did had a specific reason.
Favourite racehorse of all time, and why?
Montjeu. I cannot think of another that was on the bit at the distance in a Group 1 race. He was the most athletic mover and managed to pass it on regularly and, unlike most horsemen, I like a horse with a sense of humour! Apologies to Night Nurse.
Who will be champion first-season sire in 2023?
This is the most overhyped accolade in horse racing. Enormous books of rabbits to chase dubious glory in egg and spoon races. Well we find what we want to look for. Blue Point did not win a Group 1 until he was four. Inns of Court made one start in the November of his first season. Invincible Army was beaten by Masar over six furlongs on his May debut. I think Masar is by far the likeliest to sire a very good horse, which is the criterion that should matter. I think Magna Grecia has been underestimated.
Greatest race in the world?
There is a Derby in every racing jurisdiction. There is no 'Kentucky Irish Champion Stakes' or 'Australian Arc de Triomphe'. When they race on the moon, they will promote it with an inaugural 'Moon Derby'. It is a poor reflection on our sport and our country that we have not maintained the pressure to emphasise this. It is unquestionably the most difficult test and some modern-day softies shy away from the challenge.
If you could be someone else in the industry for a day who would it be, and why?
Charles Byrnes's dentist – he may be the only man who would find out.
Emerging talent in the industry (human)?
Sir Mark Prescott: if he has campaigned himself like his horses he will win the next four Arcs.
Horse TDN should have made a Rising Star, and didn't?
I wasn't aware that they had missed any, indeed I thought they would soon appear in a supplement.
Under-the-radar stallion?
Pastorius.
Friday night treat?
Cold rare beef, pickled walnuts, real ale, Humphrey Bogart.
Guilty pleasure outside racing?
Ballroom dancing.
Race you wish you'd been there for…
1903 Eclipse Stakes. Well worth reading up on. I hope that I see its like again, but it will not happen until they take the pruning shears to the Pattern. When one reads the campaigns that these horses endured, it is easy to see why racing was so popular.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
