ALWAYS trying. That is the stable motto of trainer Mark Johnston and his perseverance throughout more than 30 years of training is about to pay off, becoming in the next short while the winning-most trainer in Britain. He stands on the cusp of bettering Richard Hannon Senior’s mark of 4,193.

At Carlisle on July 1st, 1987 he had his first winner when the two-year-old Hinari Video got him off the mark in a five-furlong maiden. He was to become an example of the type of horse Johnston loves – a tough individual who can run and run. Hinari Video made 126 career starts and won 11 times.

Thirty years ago Mark bought Kingsley House in Middleham and it is from that base that he churns out his winners with increasing regularity. His first century of winners in a year was achieved in 1994 and he has done so every year since. In fact, since 2009 he had saddled 200 or more winners on seven occasions. In 2009 he set a record for a year with 221 victories.

He established a record for the fastest first 1,000 winners on September 4th, 2000 with Double Honour at Hamilton, beating the mark set by Henry Cecil by 90 days. Since then his landmarks have come about more quickly and it took him just four and a half years to go from 3,000 to 4,000 wins. His 115 group successes in Britain include 13 Group 1 winners, while he has visited the winners’ enclosure 43 times at Royal Ascot.

A veterinary surgeon by profession, Johnston uses his skills to assist him, especially when it comes to purchasing yearlings.

From the many horses he has trained over the years, two stand out. Asked to name the greatest horses he trained, Johnston never hesitates. “Shamardal was the best. Every day I say the most important thing about racing your horses is the opposition. People look at the going, track, distance, jockey and so on, but the number one thing is the opposition.

“But absolutely throughout the time I trained Shamardal, I never considered the opposition because when you’ve got a horse like him the opposition’s of no concern. All you are concerned about is can I produce him at his best - because if he’s at his best nothing can beat him. I suppose the dream is to find another one.

“When I had Attraction I thought I’d never have a horse as good again, but when she was a three-year-old Shamardal was already in the yard. I’ve had great horses since but nothing like him: something that is simply better than all the rest.

“Attraction would be the horse I’m far and away the most proud of because she had conformational issues and soundness issues as a result. In spite of that, she won five Group 1s.

“That was mostly down to her genes and her desire to run, but some of it was down to training. We took the chances and we did the right things with her. And so she would be the horse I remember best and had most affection for.”

On Thursday night, Johnston’s total number of winners in Britain stood at 4,179, needing just 15 winners to set the new standard. Yesterday he was due to saddle 10 runners, while today (Saturday) he is set to have 20 runners.