'He always pretended to be a jockey, it's all he ever wanted to be'

First published January 31, 2016

The racing world had other things on its mind that sunny Saturday, April 30, 1994. Less than an hour earlier, Mister Baileys had outrun Grand Lodge in a thrilling finish to the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, becoming the first Classic winner for trainer Mark Johnston.

On the other side of the country, the dying embers of the jump season commanded little attention, the seven-race card at Hereford merely a matter of going through the motions. The fifth race was a hunter chase, an even better excuse for racing’s professionals to switch off and bask in the afterglow of a glorious Guineas, or Lochsong’s all-the-way success in the following Palace House Stakes.