- More
Sir Michael Stoute: what makes racing's most enigmatic trainer tick?
Julian Muscat on the ten-time champion and Newmarket legend
Those who don't know Sir Michael Stoute are unanimous about one thing: the longer he carries on, the more difficult he becomes to read.
Stoute’s interaction with the racing public is almost exclusively limited to post-race appearances on television. His pleasure on saddling a winner is manifest until a microphone is thrust towards him, whereupon his demeanour can change in the blink of an eye. Sometimes reticent, at other times diffident and wary, he resembles a man on his way to visit the dentist.
It’s a criticism frequently levelled at him. Here is one of the game’s arch exponents, ten times the champion trainer, yet he can appear reluctant to transmit his joy to the masses. There are times when he seems intent on giving away as little as possible, as though he were under interrogation for something he did not do.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inFeatures
Last updated
- Captain Marvel: how a modern master of Cheltenham and a genuine pioneer executed one of the shocks of the year
- 'We’re delighted with how it's going' - joint-trainers prepare for exciting year after Flat string is doubled
- 'We’ve had to work hard this sales season' - Kennet Valley seeking to build on success with biggest string
- Alastair Down's archives: the great writer recalls Coneygree's glorious victory in the 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup
- Kauto Star: the extraordinary talent who became the benchmark for sheer undiluted quality
- Captain Marvel: how a modern master of Cheltenham and a genuine pioneer executed one of the shocks of the year
- 'We’re delighted with how it's going' - joint-trainers prepare for exciting year after Flat string is doubled
- 'We’ve had to work hard this sales season' - Kennet Valley seeking to build on success with biggest string
- Alastair Down's archives: the great writer recalls Coneygree's glorious victory in the 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup
- Kauto Star: the extraordinary talent who became the benchmark for sheer undiluted quality