THE British Godolphin Stud & Stable Staff awards were once again held virtually last Monday night when the rider/groom award and then the employee of the year award were presented to Paddy Trainor who has worked with Johnston Racing for 23 years.
As his father was in the army, Paddy’s family moved around a lot when he was young but, while he was born in London, and lived in Germany and Glasgow, he also moved to Co Antrim as a young boy and attended his primary school in his father’s home town of Ballymena.
After a short-lived flirtation with the army, Paddy first got into racing when, aged 17, he attended the British Racing School in Newmarket and then started working with Jonjo O’Neill.
This was in O’Neill’s pre-Jackdaws Castle days and, according to Paddy: “Jonjo’s old yard was in Penrith which, to me, was in the middle of nowhere and not a great place for a young lad!
“I heard from a friend then about a job with Mark Johnston, and I love working here,” said Paddy.
“I’ve led up three Group 1 winners – Nahoodh who won the Falmouth Stakes (2008), Awzaan who won the Middle Park Stakes (2009) and, more recently, The Last Lion who won the Middle Park Stakes in 2016.
“I also led up Dee Ex Bee who finished second in the Derby in 2018 and is now standing as a stallion in Ireland.”
Those leading up for Mark Johnston, who is now a joint-licence holder with son Charlie, stand out from the crowd in their tartan waistcoats, one of which is given to every staff member.
“We like our horses to be well turned-out and we like to be well turned-out ourselves,” explained Paddy. “The boss expects it and the owners like to see our high standard of turn-out.”
Paddy used to do more riding than he does now when his jobs could change from putting horses on the walker, swimming them and mucking out when required.
“We break all the yearlings in-house and could have 80 or so from homebreds and those coming in from the sales.”
Paddy, who has dyslexia, has overcome learning difficulties to qualify as a Level 2 industry coach which brings him into contact with grooms and work-riders in outside yards who might be having confidence problems or difficulty understanding the way each yard works, health and safety issues, etc.
Encouraged
He was encouraged to become a coach by his wife Sam who is the regional coordinator with the National Horseracing College in Doncaster.
Paddy, who is good friends with others nominated for the awards on Monday night, was “still on cloud nine” when I spoke to him two days later.
“It meant the whole world to me to even get in the final never mind win! This weekend he is in Saudi Arabia as the yard’s Nayef Road runs in today’s Group 3 turf handicap with its lucrative prize-fund.
While Paddy’s attention will be centred on the six-year-old Galileo horse he is also very keen to “meet” the Tony Mullins-trained Princess Zoe not only because of her track record and the fact that she is a grey, which he loves, but the German-bred seven-year-old is by the now Burgage Stud-based Jukebox Jury who he used to lead up.
WITH the National Hunt Festival looming ever closer, we take the opportunity to remind readers to check out Bryan Gault’s ‘Gaultstats – Cheltenham 2022’.
“A labour of love,” is how Bryan terms his work and this year’s nominated charity is Prostate Cancer UK.
“I have several friends in the UK and Ireland who have suffered from this disease. In previous years they have supported Gaultstats and my charities so this is for them. I’m hoping to raise around £2,500 and any donations will be gratefully received – a fiver is fine.”
Check out the website (gaultstats.com) for further details. Over 15,000 phones, PCs, etc., accessed the site last year for Bryan’s information and musings.
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