John and Thady Gosden: 'It's no different to managing a top footballer'

For National Racehorse Week, the Racing Post has visited racehorses at five different stages of their lives. In part three, Lee Mottershead went to the yard of John and Thady Gosden in Newmarket to meet Stradivarius.

He knows, you know.

Stradivarius, arguably the most popular Flat horse in training, indisputably the most prolific winner in European Group-race history, and early last Monday the white-faced chestnut making steady progress up Warren Hill, undoubtedly knows. Those closest to him insist he knows rather a lot. First and foremost, he is aware of his superstar status.

Not that it's obvious on this September morning. It's one like any other. At such a time Stradivarius is a horse like any other, at least to the untrained eye. The eyes of John Gosden are, however, exceptionally well trained. Across a training career that has spanned more than 40 years, he has masterminded the careers of good horses, great horses and ordinary horses. He knows that the seven-year-old entire galloping up Warren Hill is one of the great ones. Two of those in front of him fit that bill as well.

It's just after 7.15am. Further down the grass Sir Mark Prescott is holding court, almost certainly entertaining a group of admirers with a top-notch anecdote. From a vantage point higher up the incline, Charlie Fellowes and then David Simcock have been and gone after seeing their charges stretch out. Gosden has only just arrived, followed in a separate car by his son Thady. It was the younger half of the training partnership who had brought the binoculars. As he looks down in the direction of Newmarket's town centre, it is he who rattles off a list of names to make the heart beat faster.

He informs his father, who probably already knew, that Mishriff is leading the way, the first horse in Clarehaven's first lot and one of three exalted individuals tied in first place at the top of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings. Two places back in third is Palace Pier, former leader of the world league table and still the planet's highest-rated miler.

Stradivarius and work-rider Bradley Bosley exercise up Newmarket's Warren HillCredit: Edward Whitaker

Then fifth in the line-up is a horse who bears comparison with the greatest Flat stayers of all time, a marathon marvel who at the time of this gentle workout had won three Gold Cups, four Goodwood Cups, three Lonsdale Cups, two Yorkshire Cups, a British Champions Long Distance Cup and one Doncaster Cup. By now, we know – and they would tell you he knows – that another Town Moor trophy has since been claimed. At this moment, though, he is just the fifth horse in a very long line, doing the same as all the others.

To the untrained eye, or indeed the non-trainer's eye, the only one who really stands out is Mishriff, yet simply because of his visually unappealing head carriage.

"He carries his head very low, always does," says Gosden snr. "That's him, it's just his way of travelling. You see jumpers do it more often, it's unusual in a Flat horse."

So, too, are the achievements of Stradivarius, Palace Pier and Mishriff. Stradivarius alone has netted over £3 million in prize-money. Mishriff has career earnings of more than £11m. All three will eventually head to stud, something that must be in the mindset of not just their owners but also their trainers. What they are accomplishing now sets them apart from the vast majority of racehorses, as does what they are set to do for many years to come. Their talent makes them different to the rest. The way they are treated does not.

John Gosden: 'They all get the same care, that's the point, but it's something people don't realise'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"They all get the same care, that's the point, but it's something people don't realise," says the elder Gosden as he surveys the equine traffic flow.

"All the horses are attended to in exactly the same way. It's not as though the less talented horses don't matter. Inevitably, the trainer would be watching the better horses a little more, but there's nothing more to it than that. There is no difference to the riding, the grooming, the feeding or the care. It's the same for all of them. All horses respond to being cared for and respected."

From the great horses down to the not so great horses, the animal husbandry is the same. The horses, however, are very much not.

"They're all different individuals with different requirements," stresses Gosden, before highlighting that the creme de la creme, champions like Stradivarius, do not simply run faster than those with less ability.

"The top horses are more assertive," he says. "Within a football or cricket team there are certain players who can just a pick up a game and take control of it, whether that's an outstanding midfielder, batsman or bowler. They can change a game because they have the mental strength to do so. You can be a superb athlete, but if you don't have that mental strength to go with it, you're not going to be the one who makes the match-winning difference.

"It's the same with horses. All the great horses can take it to another level mentally. People just think it's about one horse being able to run faster than the others. It's actually about much more than that. When a great horse gets into a battle, when it becomes tight and tough, they have that extra bit to give, just like Federer, Nadal or Djokovic in a fifth set. It doesn't mean the other player, or the other horses, are not capable of extraordinary things, but they don't all have that mental strength.

"Stradivarius has certainly proven to be both mentally and physically very strong indeed. He is an amazing character but he has the mental strength to go with it."

John and Thady Gosden's first lot walk back to Clarehaven StablesCredit: Edward Whitaker

Such robustness must come in handy for anyone woken each day at 5am. That's when Andy Laird, head lad in Clarehaven's main yard, begins his shift – and that shift normally kicks off with Stradivarius. His legs are checked, temperature taken and general wellbeing assessed. With those jobs done, Stradivarius gets his first meal of the day, half a bowl of racing mix, a feed whose contents vary according to the proximity of a race. When a contest is on the horizon, as it was last week, the normal combination of oats, barley and corn will include added protein, aimed at firing up the recipient in advance of competition.

"This fella is a character," says Laird. "He's a great horse to be around. He's more like a friend, really. Flat horses are normally in and out, but when you're with this lad it feels like you're in a jumps yard. He has been with us for so long that if there was something wrong with him you would know immediately."

With Stradivarius there is seldom anything wrong, although if there was, Laird would be well equipped to deal with the problem.

"I've been with the boss for 27 years," he points out in his Scouse accent. This means the boss has known Laird longer than his 26-year-old training partner and son.

"I think he loves Thady more," the laughing Laird adds, prompting Gosden jnr to interject: "I don't know about that sometimes!" Neither man offered an opinion as to how they compared against Stradivarius in the master's affections.

Thady Gosden trains Stradivarius alongside father JohnCredit: Edward Whitaker

"When you're with any horse all the time they get to know you," says Laird. "They definitely know who is who. When some horses see a vet coming they run to the back of the box."

Fortunately for the Strad, Garry Rothwell is not a vet. He is one of the trainers' assistants, a part of the team for 15 years. Like Gosden and Gosden, he stands looking out over the members of the first lot as they walked around the outdoor ring, their morning manoeuvres on Warren Hill completed.

"I've got two children aged five and six, but I've probably spent more time with Stradivarius than I have with them," says Rothwell. "He's definitely a character and a great little horse to have around the place. Some mornings he can be a handful when he's being tacked up, but that's just to let us know he's the boss. He is only ever playful, never nasty. There's not a bad bone in him."

This is already the horse's second stint in the ring. Having been left alone to enjoy his breakfast, he had been greeted by Bradley Bosley at 6am. As Stradivarius's regular morning rider, Bradley's role requires him to brush the horse, check his shoes, pick out his feet, apply bandages and tack him up, prior to 15 minutes of walking in the ring and then five laps of trotting.

"He's great until you tie him up," explains Laird. "As soon as that happens, he gets it in his head that he's going out. He changes from being a quiet horse to one who knows he'll soon be out and saying hello to everyone."

The sport's star stayer is a gregarious chap.

"It's great to ride him every day," says Bosley. "He's such a good horse and he loves doing what he's doing. When the other horses come towards him he gives a little whinny. He has plenty of character."

He also has a favourite colour – either that or he likes to hint that a transfer to another yard is on his mind.

Andy Laird: 'When you're with any horse all the time they get to know you'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"For some reason, he particularly likes the blue of Godolphin," says John Gosden. "When he sees Saeed Bin Suroor's string coming past he does enjoy talking to them. He has always been vociferous but these days, my word, he really does shout and scream at the other horses."

Concurring with the guv'nor, Rothwell adds: "As soon as he gets to the bottom of Warren Hill he starts shouting and letting everyone know he's there. The funny thing is if he sees Godolphin's string coming he'll give them a shout. He does the same if he sees a filly. He isn't boisterous, he just likes you to know he's there."

There are plenty of people who like to see him, as befits one of racing's pin-ups.

"People gather at the bottom of Warren Hill to watch him cross the road," says Rothwell. "They come from all over. Last year there were two people from Durham who had travelled down to see him."

It must be quite a thrill for the man on his back.

"What Garry just said really does happen," agrees Bosley. "People stop and take photos. The Heath is a public place, so people can always come and see the horses. Everybody knows him. When I'm out on him I can see people saying: 'Look, there's Stradivarius!'"

They see him. Bosley experiences him.

"When you gallop him he basically does it all himself," he says. "You only have to point him up there. He gets to the five-pole, changes his legs and quickens. He knows what he has to do. He's pretty clued up."

Evidence of how clued up was the placing of two extremely large horseboxes that blocked the view out of the back window of Stradivarius's abode.

"They are parked in a strange place but there is a reason why," says Gosden snr. "They are there because yesterday there was a large public charity ride all around Newmarket. The watering station was just the other side of our back drive. Stradivarius would have been able to see all the horses – and that would have been a problem.

"We've learned from past experiences that once those horses go by he becomes very revved up. As a result, on the two Sundays every year when the event takes place, we park those horseboxes by the back of his box window so that he cannot see the horses through the trees.

"That's the sort of character he is. From his window he clocks every horse going in and out of the yard. If you took him away from that box, and therefore denied him the opportunity to watch everything that was going on, he would become really fed up and frustrated."

Stradivarius's groom Surinder Parmer at Clarehaven Stables in NewmarketCredit: Edward Whitaker

Gosden adds: "They're all individuals. You get to know their likes and dislikes. You get to know all the things that make them happy and you quickly get to know all the things they do not enjoy. We therefore try to mould every exercise programme to each horse's individual requirements. However, that is true of any horse, whether it's a 65-rated handicapper or a multiple Group 1 winner.

"When you are training a horse it's no different to managing a top cricketer or footballer. You play to their strengths and try to cover any potential weaknesses or flaws in any way you can, whether that's related to the ground, the distance or any other significant factor. It's an endless jigsaw puzzle and endlessly fascinating as well."

With Stradivarius back from the ring, his personal interest switches back to food and another two bowls of racing mix. Bosley's concentration is fixed on removing bandages and sponging four of racing's finest legs with soapy water. The legs that do not move quite as quickly would have also received that sort of diligent attention.

"We treat them the same but the top horses know they're good," says Laird. "They also know when they win, and they sulk when they don't win. This lad definitely knows when he's won. I'm certain he did at York last month. If you look at the head-on pictures you can see his eyes looking towards the winning post – well, I think you can see that, anyway."

Stradivarius and rider Bradley Bosley return to Clarehaven Stables after a Monday morning workoutCredit: Edward Whitaker

At York it was close. At Doncaster it was not. Three days after our visit, Stradivarius is imperious in victory. He wins but he was expected to win, as the sport's elite invariably are. Does that heap pressure on the trainers of those horses?

"I'll tell you what pressure is," says John Gosden. "Pressure is staring at a load of empty boxes. Pressure is having your stable empty. Pressure is having a team of slow, unsound horses. Pressure is when an owner does not pay you. That's pressure. There is good pressure and bad pressure. Training a top racehorse is good pressure."

For groom Surinder Parmar, that pressure is also a privilege, particularly at 3.30pm when during evening stables he brings his illustrious friend three more bowls of racing mix and fresh water.

"He has always been very good with me," says Parmar. "He even plays with me in the box. I enjoy that. I so love this horse. I love him too much, really."

Read part four of our National Racehorse Week series, looking at veterans with Rosie Margarson and Caribbean Spring, from 6pm on Wednesday. If you would like to take part in the many events of National Racehorse Week go to nationalracehorseweek.uk for more details.

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Catch up with the first two parts here:

The foal: 'If I was a horse living in a paddock like this, I'd think life was pretty good'

Two-year-olds: 'If they were revved up to win they wouldn't keep on improving'

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