Mark Johnston reached yet another milestone when completing the fastest 1000 winners on the Flat in Britain when sending out Double Honour to take the European Breeders Fund Maiden Stakes at Hamilton today.
Double Honour, who is among the entries for next year`s Vodafone Derby, scored in good style under Darryll Holland, beating Exotic Fan by four lengths but Johnston, travelling back from saddling Fruits Of Love in Germany on Sunday, did not manage to see the race.
But he said later: 'Thank God that is out of the way!
'It has been a relatively quiet spell for us - we had been having a winner every day and then it has taken us a week to get from 999 to 1000.
'It is nice that Double Honour is owned by The Fourth Middleham Partnership which is funded by Ron Huggins who has been a great supporter of the stable and who was one of my earliest owners - and nice that Darryll Holland rode the horse.'
Hinari Video was Johnston`s first winner at Carlisle in 1987 and, reflecting on his highly-successful career to date, he said: 'There are two most-important moments really.
'The first was winning the 2000 Guineas with Mr Baileys. That was a turning point, we had to face up to it and decide whether to stay at Middleham and make a massive expansion.
'Double Trigger was the most exciting, really. I will never forget his first two wins in the Goodwood Cup, the second occasion when he beat his brother Double Eclipse.
'And then when he won it for the third time on his comeback.
'It was amazing that the wives of Roger Charlton and Luca Cumani were crying after the race - it was incredible the wives of two trainers were so emotional over the success of a horse who was with another trainer.'
Johnston is not going to rest on his laurels and set out on the way to 2000 winners when completing a double with Branston Pickle, ridden by stable apprentice Keith Dalgleish in the final round of the Hamilton Park Apprentice Series Handicap.
Johnston went on: 'I would love to be champion trainer, I would love to win all the British Classic races and I would like to see the quality of our horses improved.
'You need to get better class horses though it is just as important to do it with cheap horses too.
'I think I would have been champion trainer a couple of times if it was on the number of winners saddled but I do think it should be decided on prize money.'
Holland has ridden many of Johnston`s winners and said: 'I`ve been associated with the stable for four or five years and it is nice to have ridden Mark`s 1000th winner.'
And Kevin Darley paid tribute to the trainer, adding: 'It`s a great achievement for a trainer to reach 1000 winners in such a short space of time.'
Donal Nolan sent out his first winner since June 1998 when Go Thunder stormed home in the Stonefield Selling Stakes.
The horse also gave jockey Iona Wands her first success since she lost her claim six weeks ago.
Nolan trains the winner for Gail Joughin, an advocate in Glasgow, and was delighted to be back in the winner`s enclosure.
He said: 'We got the horse last year and he was a bit of a tearaway, but I showed them how to ride him and he is all right now.
'We have got a dozen horses in and that is just enough - I would not be able to play golf if I had any more!'
Tony Culhane ended a losing run of 33, his longest of the season, aboard Joint Instruction in the Plumb Centre Nursery.
But he had to share the spoils when the Mick Channon-trained gelding dead-heated with Alan Berry`s Classy Act, ridden by jockeys` title leader Kevin Darley.
