Profiles Articles

Calvin Borel - the leading Kentucky Derby winning jockey in profile

 Calvin Borel’s portrayal on the mural of Kentucky Derby-winning jockeys at Churchill Downs, painted by the renowned artist Pierre “Peb” Bellocq, had already undergone minor surgery in 2009, when the jockey followed up a 2007 Derby on Street Sense with a win aboard Mine That Bird. His caricature was modified then to hold up two fingers, but in 2010, after Super Saver charged up the rail to give Borel his third Derby, Peb rearranged his left hand to show three fingers

Jean-Claude Rouget, the leading French racehorse trainer - in profile

 Jean-Claude Rouget is not a man for moderation. At the top of his game for over two decades, he broke the record of number of wins per season with 178 successes back in 1991 and has not relinquished his place as winningmost French trainer since. But the trainers’ title is not decided on number of wins, and racing’s archives are not filled with winners of “egg and spoon” races on country tracks. For Rouget, success means Classic victory and topping the trainers’ championship. Good things come to those who wait.

The English Voice of the Kentucky Derby - Mark Johnson

“My first season at Churchill Downs exceeded my expectations a thousand-fold.” These words belong to 43-year-old Mark Johnson, the Londoner who took up the position as racecaller at Churchill last spring.

Joanna Morgan - hard-working racehorse trainer with her own style

 I defy anyone to visit the Portlester yard of Joanna Morgan, in Ballivor, County Meath, and return home still under the belief that stabling is the best policy for racehorses. Five minutes in the company of Morgan is enough to convince you otherwise, never mind the obvious proof in the well being of her horses.

Nina Bach - up and coming female German racehorse trainer

After winning more than 100 races as an amateur and then as an apprentice jockey, Nina Bach set up as a trainer in 2004 in the Rhineland-Palatine in Germany. Through hard work and a level head she has had an upward curve of success ever since.

Mark Bradstock - a "hands-on" jumps trainer

Completely cleared of giving his stable star King Harald a prohibited substance when the horse failed a dope test after winnning at the Cheltenham Festival in 2005, Mark Bradstock is philosophical about his lot

Richard Gibson - leading French based racehorse trainer in profile

Having spent his student days in France learning the language and experiencing racing life in the provinces, Northumberland-born Richard Gibson then spent six years as assistant to Pascal Bary, before setting up as a trainer in Chantilly.

Armando Renzoni - 3 decades as a top racehorse trainer

I can tell it’s Armando Renzoni walking down the yard from 500 metres off, his trademark trousers always worn slightly above the ankle, cap on head, bomber jacket, and cigar stub.

Nicolas Bertran de Balanda - the young French trainer

“A lot of people tried to make me wait, they thought it was too soon for me to start. Now they think I did the right thing.” Four years after setting out as a trainer, Nicolas Bertran de Balanda is only 28 years old.

Michael Halford - a raehorse trainer with vision

Michael Halford is a man of vision. As the string goes out for a mid-January canter even the fillies and older mares look well toned, their trainer always just that one step ahead of the game. The yard and gallops that he designed himself are testament to that.

Adrian Maguire: the ‘hands-on’ horseman

A brilliant and brave jockey, who had his fair share of misfortune with injuries – a broken neck forced him to retire from race riding – Adrian Maguire is now forging a successful career as a trainer and while laid back in personality, he has plenty to say about the state of racing in his home country.

Amanda Perrett - Following in her Father's Footsteps

Guy Harwood trained Dancing Brave, one of the all-time great racehorses. Ten years after the horse’s dramatic Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe victory Harwood handed over the reins of his Coombelands Stables to the eldest of his three daughters. What Amanda Perrett inherited in 1996 was not just a prestigious operation; it was one of the most innovative and best-equipped training establishments that Europe had ever seen.

Michael Dickinson - "The Mad Genius"

Michael Dickinson is welcoming and instantly likeable, suffused with energy as he bounces around Tapeta Farm on the Chesapeake Bay in North East, Maryland. “I don’t say I’m good or great but I’m not boring”, he promises. Along that vein, the burning question is, why do people call him “The Mad Genius”, as coined by an American turf writer? Dickinson’s standard reply is that the nickname is “only half right”, without declaring which half. No relentless line of questioning will drag it out of him. “Who do you think you are, Barbara Walters?” he deadpans. “Or the guy with on CNN with the braces. Larry King”. What does his wife, Joan Wakefield, think? “Don’t answer that. Keep quiet! Could be divorce proceedings here!” teases her husband. She says only, “I know which half is right!” Draw your own conclusion. If he’s mad, or if he’s a genius, or if he’s both – he embraces it.

Peter Schiergen - we profile the leading German racehorse trainer

The number of champion jockeys who went on to become champion trainers afterwards can be counted on the fingers of one hand, while there are numerous examples of those who failed to make the grade.  In German racing history, only the great Hein Bollow, still alive and going strong at the age of 87, scaled the heights in both professions, winning more than 1,000 races both as trainer and jockey, a feat believed to be unique. However, he will shortly be joined by Peter Schiergen, a relative youngster of 43, who was German champion jockey for five successive years in the 1990s, setting a European record of 273 winners in his best season of 1995, and retiring at the end of 1997 with 1451 winners to his credit (including 12 over jumps).  

Kiaran McLaughlin - a veteran who has enjoyed international success

By participating in the last two runnings of the Kentucky Derby, trainer Kiaran McLaughlin has raised his profile among casual observers of the North American racing scene. But for those who follow the sport regularly, McLaughlin is known as a veteran horseman who has enjoyed international success.

At home with Tom Busteed in his "nursery" for young racehorses

When I visited Audra and Tom Busteed in Cork freak gales were ravaging the coastline. Tranquil was hardly the best word to use; yet down at the bottom of the steep four furlong woodchip gallop, set within a wooded glen, was a peaceful stream in which many a Cheltenham hero had paddled as it carried its first ever rider. Slow, calm, meandering; oblivious to the storm of the outside world. This is indeed the tranquil nursery of Tom Busteed, the master tutor of the horse.

Sir Mark Prescott - a racehorse trainer completely comfortable in his own skin

Love him or hate him - odds are against indifference - trainer Sir Mark Prescott needs little introduction.The unapologetic Prescott isn't bothered whichever the sentiment, as he is very much his own man and comfortable - some might say all too much so - in his own skin.

Alec Head & Criquette Head Maarek - we talk to the extraordinarily successful father and daughter

The Head family has a history steeped in horseracing, just as horseracing has a history steeped in Heads. Their dominance began in France in the late 1800’s with Alec’s jockey-turned-trainer grandfather Willie, a British expatriot. Alec’s father, also Willie, was a highly successful jumps jockey and dual purpose trainer in France. Willie trained six individual classic winners as well as Le Paillon who won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and was second in the 1947 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham when ridden by Alec. Alec stopped race riding that same year and transitioned into five-time leading trainer, breeder and owner extraordinaire. Say what you will: the clichés are plentiful, the headlines unoriginal, but the claim that the family is “at the head of the class” has been consistently accurate for over a century.

Åge Paus- It's hard to keep a good man down

He was riding in flat races in Norway at the age of eleven. He rode his first race over hurdles at thirteen, and one year later he became champion jump jockey. Yes, it may have been on a small circuit more than 50 years ago, but it was already clear that Åge Paus was a horseman a bit out of the ordinary. He was. It was also quite clear that the kid from Oslo could go on to make his mark on a much bigger stage. He did. Some forty years later, Paus trained Group One winners in France, before things went badly wrong in 1981.

Willie Mullins - a trainer with strong opinions

I’ve come to Willie Mullins’ yard in County Carlow, Ireland, expecting to see some strong horses and to hear some strong opinions. With Hedgehunter trotting past me up to the gallops, I’m certainly not disappointed in the first instance. This is already second lot. Willie is behind schedule - “problems earlier on the gallops” - and should be under pressure. His phone won’t stop ringing, he’s got an interview to give and a runner in the first at Gowran Park. But Willie Mullins appears to have all the time in the world. I get the impression he’s unflappable, but in fact he simply knows how to prioritise. His horses are given all the time they need, without question.

Max Hennau on life as a trainer in Belgium

Max Hennau, a founding member and current chairman of the European Trainers Federation (ETF), used to train between 50 and 60 horses in Belgium. In 1973, he campaigned the colt Commodore to a domestic Triple Crown.

Ten years later he handled the Belgium champion Little Vagabond. Bought for 1,000 guineas at Tattersalls in Newmarket, the small horse with a big engine won six races on the bounce at home and ran third in the Prix du Petit Couvert (Gp3) before being sold on to France.
“Those were the days…,” he says. Things have changed for Belgian racing. Things have changed for Hennau. Today, he has more committee seats than he has racehorses. What exactly has happened here?

Mike de Kock makes Newmarket his European summer base

Meeting Mike de Kock, I soon knew that he most certainly is a case of a horseman turned businessman, and remaining a horseman first and foremost. Strange really, when it comes to light that he was brought up in a Dutch / English family with no connections to horses. Well, probably not much stranger than the fact that one of his classmates in Johannesburg was a boy called David Ferraris. A son of a trainer. The two boys soon developed a common interest in racing. This March, some thirty years later, they both celebrated a big win on Dubai World Cup night. Same guys, same interest, but today they are men. Horsemen. With a global view.

Nick Cox - an Australian trainer now based in Ireland

The damp of County Meath seems a long way from the sunshine of Melbourne, but to first season trainer Nick Cox it’s home from home.

Guillaume Macaire - champion jumps trainer in France for many years

Guillaume Macaire is the current champion jumps trainer in France, a title he has held since 2003. He is based in the Charente Maritime region of France at La Palmyre racecourse. In 2006 he ran 231 different horses and regularly campaigns horses across Europe.

Bendik Bø - the Swedish trainer and inventor

When he rode his first race, the horse was a year older than him. They did not win. ”I never was a very talented jockey”, he says. He has many other talents though. The Norwegian Bendik Bø (39) is a successful racehorse trainer and inventor, based in Sweden. 
 

Johnny Jones - we profile the legendary Kentucky horseman

When John T.L. Jones Jr. props his cowboy boots up on his desk, he leaves behind the mud accumulated from 72 years of being the Jones to keep up with. Unlike the speedy Quarter Horses that jump-started his livelihood by making a mad dash to the finish line, Jones’ ascent in the racing industry has taken him several circuits around the racecourse.

Tom Tate - we profile the Yorkshire trainer

”I am a developer of horses, and all my horses are for sale”. These words, by Tom Tate, soon give you a balanced view of the Yorkshire trainer when you first meet him. Tate, who has 36 boxes at his two farms in Tadcaster, may come across as a very careful, conservative man. But he is also a gambler.

Frank Stronach and his growing global Magna empire

When Frank Stronach says he is optimistic that “down the line” his company can control “ten per cent of all the gambling in the world”, the queue of punters wanting to bet against him may be very short. He has a record of reaching his targets, and if he ruffles a few feathers along the way, so what.

Valfredo Valiani - we profile the successful Italian trainer

Valfredo Valiani (46), the man who discovered Electrocutionist, trains around 50 horses from his base in Pisa, Italy. In love with his motherland, he admits to having had thoughts of moving his operation abroad, to England or France perhaps.

Pia Brandt - a Swedish trainer taking on the giants of Chantilly

It takes considerable courage and determination to pull up your family roots and start from scratch in another country where competition is at its highest level. In addition, a new language must be mastered as well as a complete change of environment and culture. That is the challenge that Pia Brandt has set herself when she decided to leave Sweden last year and take on the giants of Chantilly on their home ground. Some women have broken the stranglehold of the male trainers at France's premier training centre. The name Criquette Head-Maarek immediately springs to mind.

Paul Nolan - from complete beginner to leading National Hunt trainer in 10 years

It is at times assumed that a background in horses is almost essential for anyone to succeed at training but one individual that is certainly putting paid to such preconceived notions is Paul Nolan.
 

Paul Nicholls - we profile the young colossus of jumps racing

DON’T mention it too loudly down Nicholashayne way, but this might be the season that Paul Nicholls beats Martin Pipe to the British jumping trainers’ championship.