Behind The Stable Door with Charlie Johnston

Charlie Johnston talks to Vicki Gibbins about his training career

Horse Racing

Tue August 11, 2026 · 10h ago

Any yard who welcome visitors with a pot of tea and cuddles from a large Labradoodle feature high on my list of approved establishments, and that’s the reception that greets me at Kingsley Park.

I haven’t visited Johnston Racing since Guineas heroine Attraction was the star turn at Kingsley House during a Good Friday open day and things have changed a bit since then. The horses have moved a short distance up the road to Kingsley Park, a 300-acre, purpose-built training complex, and Charlie is undergoing his fourth year as sole trainer on the licence, having taken over from father Mark in 2023.

“It’s Mum and Dad’s hard work, for the last 30-odd years,” says Charlie. “They started off training five horses on the beach in Lincolnshire and now, they’ve built this.”

‘This’ defies words. Yorkshire may be God’s own county, but he’s probably quite pleased with what the Johnston family have created in their own little corner of Wensleydale. The view across the dale is heavenly: the neat collection of buildings nestled in the valley, youngstock gambolling in the surrounding green fields and no noise other than the heavy breathing of racehorses making their way up the gallops.

“The sole use of a variety of gallops is probably the greatest advantage I have and I’ve been spoilt,” he acknowledges. “It’s such a tranquil and relaxed environment for horses to train. I’m not sure I could even face the thought of training in Newmarket, with the chaos that can ensue. We’re very lucky that we can do what we want, when we want. I’m very fortunate to have inherited the facilities.”

The stunning views from Charlie Johnston's yard

The facilities, oh, the facilities. Assistant trainer Jock Bennett was forced to drag me away from the ‘horse gym’, which features treadmill, swimming pool and an unusual sight in a British racing yard, a water walker. Embedded below floor level with six separate compartments on a circle, equine users walk in water up to near shoulder height as a form of physical therapy. I was less taken by Mark’s aircraft hangar, featuring the two Johnston planes, but I’m happy to acknowledge the reduction in travel time is a gamechanger for the team.

“Do you get nervous?” I asked Jock, casting an anxious glance at the smaller of the two planes.

“No, it’s great fun,” he said merrily. I’m unconvinced.

Back with Charlie, we discuss the use of water therapy and other Kingsley Park perks.

“We have more access to water therapy than the vast majority of yards and that’s a big asset,” he says.

“Your water bill must be extortionate,” I laugh.

Charlie smiles. “Thankfully it’s filtered, cleaned and reused rather than filling it from scratch, otherwise people might have something to say at the point the fields are all yellow!”

Mark’s proficiency as a pilot and qualifications as a vet have been well-documented over the decades, yet it’s often forgotten that Charlie followed the same path with a degree in veterinary science from Glasgow University. There has to be an advantage, day-to-day, to have that expertise on the yard.

“I was always going to train,” he explains. “I don’t think that’s ever been in much doubt, but I was keen to go to university. Maybe there was a bit of laziness by doing the same thing as Dad did, but I needed to find a degree which helped the end goal of training.

“We have two full-time vets in-house, in addition to me and Dad. They’d be nearly the first people I speak to in the morning and the last people I speak to at night. We’re in a constant dialogue about the horses and the veterinary degree means I can have a constructive discussion about what to do next.”

One of the string in the pool

I feel I let Charlie down by asking what it was like to take over the licence from Mark – he’s had to explain the feeling 1000 times before – but the handing over of the reins continues to be an intriguing topic.

“It was always going to be tough, given what had come before me in terms of success,” he says. “I can’t say I wake up every day feeling pressure, but I have a determination to not take any backward steps. Maintaining those standards was going to be a monumental achievement, let alone building on them. There’s an assumption that we will have winners at all the big meetings but I don’t let it burden me anymore.”

It’s fascinating to think Charlie spent his youth with horses like Mister Baileys, Double Trigger and Shamardal outside the back door and I’m desperate to know what he remembers.

“Mum and Dad will tell you that from a very early age, I could name every horse on the yard. All the doors had name cards on, and I used to call one of them ‘Feed One Scoop’ because that’s what the sign on the door said!

“I have a vivid memory of Double Trigger’s third Goodwood Cup, because he used to make all and this time, he’d had to fight back after dropping behind in the final two furlongs. Then I remember walking the track before Attraction’s 1000 Guineas and sneaking out to the toilets between lessons when she won the Coronation Stakes. But I was watching, rather than being involved in any way.”

Watching turned into assisting and now, as the sole name on the licence at Kingsley Park, Charlie forges his own path as a trainer, with all the advantages and disadvantages of the role.

“I like the planning,” he explains. “I’m quite analytic and mathematical as a personality so I like to plan the list in an evening. Hayley, my assistant trainer, puts together the framework and I will go and change it all, which probably infuriates her! If it’s done well, and done right, the yard should run like clockwork.

“It can be relentless and I can’t help but feel guilty if I take any time off. You wouldn’t be able to lie in bed all morning and listen to the horses coming past the window. It’s very much 365 days a year, but none of it should have come as a surprise to me, given I saw it for the first 30 years of my life.”