When Eve Johnson Houghton’s grandmother, Helen, trained the winner of the 2,000 Guineas in 1956, the credit went to Charles Jerdein, her assistant, because the Jockey Club refused to issue training licences to women until the mid-60s. Even then, it was only the threat of a legal action the Club knew it would lose that forced the change to its rules.
Much has changed in racing since then, though not, perhaps, quite as much as we sometimes like to think. There are still three male trainers in Britain for every female with a licence, while at Group One level, the bias towards male trainers is even more pronounced. There are 36 Group Ones in Britain each year but when Johnson Houghton took the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot with the 33-1 chance Accidental Agent, she was only the fourth British woman to train a domestic Group One winner, after Pam Sly, Lady Cecil and Laura Mongan.
The four-year-old returns to action on Sunday in the Prix Jacques le Marois and is likely to start as the second-favourite behind the exceptional Alpha Centauri, already the winner of three Group Ones this season. Alpha Centauri is trained in Ireland by Jessica Harrington and so this promises to be a very rare European Group One when the first and second favourites are trained by women.
“Ten years ago, it was probably about 10 per cent [of trainers were female] and I think the numbers are improving rapidly, so hopefully it’s something we’ll see more of,” Johnson Houghton said.
“Of course, women can do the job as well as men, it’s not rocket science. I think, basically, owners don’t really care what sex you are. If you can train, you can train and if you can’t, you can’t, so long as you’re personable, so that they enjoy themselves.”
Accidental Agent’s success at Royal Ascot was an upset according to the betting but less of a surprise for his trainer.
Brighton 1.40 Austin Friars 2.10 Big Baby Bull 2.40 Solesmes 3.10 Pendo (nap) 3.40 Poyle Charlotte 4.10 Imbucato 4.40 Kodiac Pearl
5.10 Solveig’s Song
Chepstow 2.00 Essaka 2.30 Sir Victor
3.00 He’s Our Star 3.30 Swendab 4.00 Come On Come On 4.30 Geetanjali 5.00 Master Grey
Pontefract 2.20 Final Rock 2.50 Ventura Ocean 3.20 Shouranour 3.50 Reverend Jacobs (nb) 4.20 Classic Pursuit 4.50 Alejandro
5.25 Full Intention
Yarmouth 5.20 Terri Rules 5.50 Machell Place 6.20 Tyrsal 6.50 Martinengo 7.20 Ocelot
7.50 Gainsay 8.20 Letmestopyouthere
Kempton 5.40 Oskemen 6.10 Maaward
6.40 Nawar 7.10 Summer Blossom 7.40 Elasia
8.10 Atticus Boy 8.40 Vis A Vis 9.10 Zaajer
“I always thought he was a Group One horse,” she said. “He slightly went off track and had a few issues but I thought he would definitely be placed [at Ascot]. It was a shock [that he won] but not because I don’t believe in the horse, it’s that things like that don’t happen to me. And the form has been backed up since. Lightning Spear [third] has won a Group One, and Benbatl [10th] has won a Group One.
“Obviously we’re taking on what would appear to be the superstar of the season in Alpha Centauri, but it’s a horse race. There’s no point giving her a walkover. You need to have a crack at it, and if we get beat, we get beat.
“Alpha Centauri needs a good pace and is happy to make it, and we like to sit off a good pace so it should turn out to be a great battle and may the best horse win.”
