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a more strategic role with staff to undertake specifics - but they both train racehorses.” John was brought up on a farm in Scotland, where he rode ponies and dreamed of becoming a jockey. He rode as an amateur jump jockey, and worked for a few trainers in Newmarket before being granted a licence to train at Beverley House Stables in 1997. The British Horseracing Authority grant a licence to train at a particular premises and a condition of this licence dictates that someone must live at the yard (for security and welfare reasons) - and in the case of Beverley House Stables, this is John and his wife. Living over the shop underlines the hands-on approach that John has with the horses in his care. A typical day starts at 6.30am where he and his two full time members of staff tackle yard chores such as feeding, grooming and mucking out. During the morning, John will tack up and ride five horses out on the gallops or training tracks that thread through Newmarket. “If I ride them,” he says, “it saves me paying someone else to do the job!' Although there is clearly a sound financial reason to riding so many horses each day, one suspects that John rather likes that part of his job. After lunch, he will tackle endless admin jobs which may include liaising with owners, race selection, ordering feed and other yard supplies. Essentially, John needs to be a 'jack-of-all-trades' and, preferably, master of them all. John is also a journalist and part of each day is taken up with writing three weekly columns; he is overseas racing correspondent for an Australian newspaper, contributes to a Dubai racing magazine and a Newmarket racing website. This is guaranteed income and turns what, for him, is a small loss into a small profit. Ex-footballer and successful racehorse trainer, Mick Channon, is alleged to have said he would rather be a successful trainer than a good one. This seems an odd thing to admit but John explains that being a successful trainer is not necessarily linked to the ability to train horses. It is, he says, often more to do with the skill of consistently attracting owners. 'You are more likely to be successful,' he explains, 'if you have a stable of 300 horses, with a high proportion of quality yearlings to
bring on.” John's relatively humble but happy yard is home to fewer than 20 in-training horses between the ages of two and six. “On paper, there is no reason why some of these horses cannot be successful, but it's a numbers game,” he admits ruefully. Nevertheless, John has enjoyed success with dozens of horses over the years, with many wins for geldings Brief Goodbye, Il Principe and Jack Dawson in the early days. Of late, John's favourite protégé has been the filly, Ethics Girl. This mare, who retired at the age of eight last autumn, enjoyed seven wins and was placed 18 times out of her 57 runs. John, who rode the mare out on the gallops most mornings, admired her enthusiasm and willingness to please at all times and her determination and never-say-die attitude on the racetrack. John's wife Emma, calls the mare 'a wonderful little girl' and they remain in contact with her new career as a brood mare. I suspect it is this passion for the horses themselves as well as for the sport, that sets a great training yard apart from a good one. Yet good or great, trainers, horses, jockeys and studs, are the lifeblood of Newmarket. The town is undisputedly
John Berry, top, and above with members of staff riding out in the sunshine. Images: Collings Berry Media
“On paper, there is no reason why
some of these horses cannot be successful, but it's a numbers game . . .”
the centre of the racing world thanks to Newmarket Heath becoming the focus of racing in Britain in the 17th century. Due to the town's relative proximity to London and its excellent, undulating heathland, it became the place to which King Charles II and his courtiers flocked. In time, the monarch's passion became formalised by The Jockey Club and where the monarch led, the nobility followed. Racing was mostly regional until the advent of the railways but once horses could be transported around the country by train, the racing world opened up and a plethora of Victorian stable yards were built to meet demand. Modern Newmarket has developed around a delightfully anachronistic industry. Trainers, like John Berry, will continue to ride out their horses each morning, as the rest of humanity goes about its daily business to the backbeat of thundering hooves.
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