'As a target trainer he was the best I've ever seen' - a punter's view of the legendary Reg Akehurst

I don’t know a punter from the late 1980s or early 1990s who called him Reg Akehurst. It was always 'Reg'.

Punters either loved or respected him. He was gloriously old-school and had a priceless knack of being able to get multiple wins out of high, middle or low-grade handicappers, principally on the Flat but also over jumps.

When I first joined the Racing Post, I asked Reg if he would do a stable tour at the beginning of the Flat season.

“Richard, I’d love to help you, but I’m laying one out for the 0-70 handicap at Brighton on August 7. If I tell the truth to all your readers, the owner won’t get the price he wants and will take the horse away. Soon I’d have an empty stable. I’m really sorry.”

That was Reg’s forte. Laying a horse out for a specific long-range objective on a particular day. As a target trainer he was the best I’ve ever seen. Nobody has ever got close.

I wasn’t just privy to occasional inside information, though. I could read Reg like a book. The secret of his success was old-fashioned common sense combined with a touch of genius. Oh, the fun I had back then.

My top ten Reg gambles

1 Urgent Request (June 3, 1996; Epsom; 20-1 to 8-1)
2 Red Robbo (June 18, 1997; Royal Ascot; 40-1 to 16-1)
3 Barrish (August 5, 1992; Brighton; 16-1 to 7-2)
4 Sharp Prospect (March 24, 1995; Doncaster; 16-1 to 8-1)
5 Tregaron (April 30, 1997; Ascot; 14-1 to 9-1)
6 Ballynakelly (June 29, 1996; Doncaster; 9-2 to 9-4)
7 Dancing Sensation (May 4, 1994; Brighton; 14-1 to 6-1)
8 Sarah-Clare (June 22, 1993; Brighton; 10-1 to 6-1)
9 Pharamineux (July 25, 1990; Sandown; 6-1 to 11-4)
10 Sarawat (August 18, 1993; York; 33-1 to 14-1)

There were many, many more. One day I'll write the book.

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'His trade and track craft was on a different level' - tributes paid to 'handicap king' Reg Akehurst after his death aged 94