Revolutionary, independent and feisty: the Scot who did it his way

Alastair Down on the career of Britain's winningmost trainer

The King of Middleham: Mark Johnston amid the splendour of the castle in his home town

King of the castle: Mark Johnston has broken the British record for number of winners trainedCredit: Edward Whitaker

Always trying, and very happy to be decidedly aggravating when he fancies it, Mark Johnston has now led his distinctly tartan army to the greatest number of victories of any British trainer in history.

But Johnston is not really British at all. He is a Scot, with all that great nation's characteristics of feisty independence, iconoclasm and trenchantly expressed opinions.

The record he has beaten belonged to Richard Hannon snr, a man who started off with nine horses inherited from his father – most of them lame.

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Published on 23 August 2018inSeries

Last updated 17:05, 23 August 2018

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