Johnston: You Could Tell Lord Allen Wouldn't Last Five Minutes as British Racing's Supremo

Charlie Johnston | BHA | Lord Allen | Simon Cox | Aidan O'Brien | The Derby

Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , top trainer Charlie Johnston has delivered a candid verdict on the leadership of British racing following the resignation of BHA chairman Lord Allen .

Johnston recalls being certain, after hearing Lord Allen speak at the Gimcrack dinner, that he was not the man for the job, and offers cautious hope that successor Simon Cox brings the blend of commercial and racing knowledge required.

The Middleham handler has also stressed the importance of an independent BHA board, expressed his envy of the O'Briens ' operation in Ireland , and explained why he would not have allowed geldings into the Arc .

The BHA Chairman

What Did You Make of Lord Allen's Tenure?

Simon Cox replaces Lord Allen , who resigned, but I will never forget being sat in the room at the Gimcrack dinner last December , and Lord Allen was the guest speaker. He did a Q&A with Lydia Hislop and, to be honest, like everyone else in the room that night and having listened to that interview, we all thought quite clearly that he was not the man for the job and that he would not last five minutes.

I left there baffled at who was involved in the process that thought this was the right man. He just did not have a clue about racing. He may have come with the Government's ear and a very commercial background, but he did not know which end of a horse bit and which end kicked. I know next to nothing about Simon Cox other than he was in the brewing industry for a long time. But the one obvious difference is that he's an owner, he's a breeder, and has been on the PJA . He has had something to do with the TBA .

He clearly has a broad knowledge of the sport. If he really does have the business and the commercial acumen and also the knowledge of the sport, then hopefully he's a positive move in the right direction. But after something of a revolving door for my entire time in the industry, it's hard to get too excited about anyone now.

Governance

How Vital Is an Independent Board at the BHA?

It is important, but as long as those people understand the intricacies of the respective stakeholders. There needs to be someone on there that understands how a racecourse is run and how its finances are generated; there needs to be someone on there that knows how a training yard is run and the finances that dictate this business.

So yes, having an independent board so that the racecourses don't block the trainers and the trainers don't block the racecourses and so forth is important. But at the same time, having people that don't understand the respective parts of the industry won't work either.

The O'Briens

How Do You View the O'Brien Operation in Ireland?

You can't help but admire them and what they are all achieving. From a selfish point of view, I am very jealous of the bloodstock that they have got to work with. I would love a go with even half of it! They start at a huge advantage with the kit that they're given from the outset, but you can't argue with the fact that they deliver with what they're given; that's for sure, and fair play to them for doing that.

Geldings in the Arc

Would You Allow Geldings to Run in the Arc?

I wouldn't have allowed geldings to run in the Arc . The Derby is already losing, some argue it has already lost, its position as a stallion-making race at the point that most of the recent Derby winners have ended up covering jumpers in Ireland rather than being the most sought-after Flat stallion of the year when they retired to stud. If you open the Arc to geldings, there's a fair risk that it'll go down a similar path.

As Aidan rightly said, geldings are tougher, sounder and easier to train, and at the point that you know Europe 's premier race is won by a seven-year-old gelding, that's a pretty unsexy sell of the sport compared to a new improving three-year-old colt.

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