Forthright purist always trying to get the message across

He leans forward, puts his arms on the desk, pauses for breath, as though he has something essential to impart. He does. "The answer to your question," says Mark Johnston, "is no. I'm not mellowing."

The question referred to the absence of recent contributions to his 'Bletherings' column on the stable website, an opportunity for the trainer to let off steam about the vexations of racing. The answer can also be found on the front page of the day's Racing Post, where a beaming Johnston is recommending that ITV remove all 'betting talk' from its forthcoming racing coverage. The man who kicked the hornet's nest beams again, warming to his task.

"I don't agree with Bruce Millington's comment about racing ending up marginalised like showjumping. Racing is more likely to end up like greyhound racing – taken over by the bookmakers, promoted entirely as a betting medium based on numbers and colours with all the interest taken out of it.