- This topic has 107 replies, 31 voices, and was last updated 17 years, 10 months ago by
.
- Posts
Mark Johnston sent Age Of Reason and Call Of Duty to Lingfield on separate occasions in December to run in maidens for a first prize of £1943 each time. A round trip of some 600 miles.
He’s probably doing the best for his owners, just like Mrs Dunnett.
Both organisations have been following a due process, with no result so far as Northern Racing and Yarmouth are concerned. So what choice, do they have but to make a public protest?
Could we get this clear, was this a public protest by the ROA and NTF, representing their members, or was it a unilateral action by a non-representative handful of its members?
Whichever it was, the situation still exists that it is unacceptable for those who organised this to vilify those who did not take part. That is what Johnston did by contacting Dunnett and telling her that she should be "ashamed" of breaking ranks.
Do you really think that a trainer would withdraw a horse without getting the owners’ approval?
Not just that, I very much doubt that trainers contacted owners whose horses might have or should have been entered at Yarmouth in the first place. I would seek an explanation if I were an owner and even suspected that my horse had not been entered in the first place for this reason.
Regarding my reference to the stable staff strike of 33 years ago, you were the one who wanted me to expand on my scepticism about the values of the trainers involved. If there were a similar situation today to 33 years ago – when protesting stable staff attempted to prevent the 2000 Guineas from being run by blocking the course – would Johnston, Gosden et al join their "brothers", or would their attitude be similar to those who recommended at the time to race straight through the protest line?
As Clivex implies, there is more recent evidence of Johnston’s attitude about such matters. The clippings library of the Post has some interesting evidence about Johnston’s attitude to stable-staff issues, as well as a timely intervention from the excellent and thoughtful Ian Davies.
Oh, bugger, I’ve just ruined my argument…
Just reading Paul Haigh’s column today in which he states ‘it has been pretty well established that Christine Dunnett was not subject to bully-boy tactics’. Who has done the establishing, Paul Haigh? Did we find out that Mark Johnston did not send the ‘ashamed’ email after all? Must admit I gave up after the Racing Post printed all the supportive trainer’s letters including one from token small trainer Jim Boyle who used to work for Mark Johnston – coincidence?
Just reading Paul Haigh’s column today in which he states ‘it has been pretty well established that Christine Dunnett was not subject to bully-boy tactics’. Who has done the establishing, Paul Haigh? Did we find out that Mark Johnston did not send the ‘ashamed’ email after all? Must admit I gave up after the Racing Post printed all the supportive trainer’s letters including one from token small trainer Jim Boyle who used to work for Mark Johnston – coincidence?
No surprises in any of the above but hey that is to be expected.
Just reading Paul Haigh’s column today in which he states ‘it has been pretty well established that Christine Dunnett was not subject to bully-boy tactics’. Who has done the establishing, Paul Haigh? Did we find out that Mark Johnston did not send the ‘ashamed’ email after all? Must admit I gave up after the Racing Post printed all the supportive trainer’s letters including one from token small trainer Jim Boyle who used to work for Mark Johnston – coincidence?
Would have thought the onus was on establishing someone had been the subject of bully boy tactics rather than not. Having read the email from Johnston to Dunnett could not see anything wrong with it, maybe you can quote from it rather than relying on hearsay.
Thought there was a good cross section of views in the Post, in fact if I’d had to hazard a guess without doing any research I would have thought there were more pro Dunnett.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.