Martin Pipe today became the most successful trainer in British racing history.
A quarter of a century after gaining his first victory in a selling hurdle at Taunton, the West country bookmaker's son gained the 2,989th success of his career when Through The Rye scored at Folkestone.
The 1-8 favourite made every yard of the running under Tony McCoy in the Sponsor A Race At Folkestone Juvenile Novices' Hurdle.
That victory enabled Pipe to pass the British record of the late Arthur Stephenson, who sent out 2,988 winners in his 46-year training career.
He had beaten Stephenson's mark of 2,644 jumps winners last August.
Pipe has been in the game 21 years fewer than the northern training legend, having recorded his first winner in 1975.
After that initial taste of success, he has developed something of an "addiction" and has been breaking records for more than a decade.
Since he beat Michael Dickinson's hitherto awesome mark of 120 winners in a season in 1987/8, the West Country maestro has set a new standard by reaching 200 in a campaign no fewer than five times.
Pipe has trained at least 100 winners in each of the last 14 seasons - another record - and has been the fastest ever to 100, 150 and 200 in a term.
Nor is it just a numbers game.
He has won the prize-money-determined trainers' championship nine times, with big-race wins including the Champion Hurdle (twice), Grand National, Scottish Grand National, Irish Grand National and Welsh National (five times).
In January - shortly after receiving a CBE in the New Year's Honours List - he reached £1 million in money won for the season in the fastest-ever time.
Major contributors in 1999/2000 include Rodock, Wahiba Sands, Gloria Victis and Carlovent - who was part of an across-the-card six-timer on November 6th.
Tony McCoy joked: "The governor could have put me on one that didn't pull so hard!
"I don't know how Martin does it, day in and day out. A win with a moderate horse gives him just as much pleasure as a Cheltenham victory."
Fellow trainer Venetia Williams paid tribute to Pipe.
She said: "It is a fantastic achievement to have done what Martin has in such a relatively short space of time."
Pipe, who watched Through The Rye's victory from his Nicholashayne base, was clearly delighted at breaking yet another record.
He said: "It's a great thrill to get there. I'm very excited.
"I've just watched it live now, I'm still on a high - very excited. I've got some friends here with me and it's nice to get number 2,989.
"Arthur Stephenson was a fabulous trainer. I met him several times and he really was a genius. I followed his career - he was very shrewd.
"We've had some great horses through the years, great owners, great jockeys.
"Tony McCoy has ridden a lot of winners for me and will ride many more I hope.
"We just keep the horses happy and I couldn't have done it without a fabulous team behind me."
Peter Scudamore and Richard Dunwoody are other champion jockeys to be associated with the yard and Pipe went on: "Peter Scudamore has just been on to congratulate me. He was a great champion."
Through The Rye won by 25 lengths and Pipe joked: "Even 'Scu' could have won on Through The Rye. He's a nice horse and he'll go to Cheltenham now."
Scudamore was quick to pay tribute to the champion trainer.
He said: "It is a magnificent achievement. I'm delighted for him and it is appropriate the horse should win in the style which is typical of Martin's horses."
Scudamore recalled some of his memories as stable jockey to Pipe.
"Granville Again's win in the Champion Hurdle was one of my favourite rides and Sabin Du Loir was on of my favourite horses," he added.
Dunwoody remarked: "It's a fantastic achievement and thoroughly deserved.
"As far as winners are concerned it's incredible he's been able to dominate for so long and he doesn't look like stopping.
"My best memory was winning the National for Martin on Miinnehoma."
Pipe's first winner was Hit Parade in a seller at Taunton in 1975.
"The first horse I trained was Hit Parade who just won a very small, weak race at Taunton and that was a great thrill," he said. "I think I celebrated for about a month after that. In between I just celebrate for a few minutes but I'll be celebrating all day today."
Len Lungo, who partnered Hit Parade and is a successful trainer in his own right, said: "I take my hat off to him for being an absolute workaholic and so professional. He is the king of the modern era and this is a marvellous achievement.
"He's simply worked and worked and has an insatiable appetite for trying new things. You could say it was a blinkered determination.
"I am sure that he would have succeeded in whatever field he had got involved in."
