Barbados beginnings and BBC rejection: the extraordinarily eclectic roots of Sir Michael Stoute's life in racing

This year saw the end of one of the greatest training careers of all time and, while the final days of Sir Michael Stoute’s time in the profession were somewhat less interesting than his earliest ones in the sport, perhaps that was inevitable, because of all the journeys made by those to reach the top of the trainers’ tree in Britain, Stoute’s was certainly the most eclectic. 

Stoute’s baptism into the world of horseracing came about by chance. Born in Barbados to parents whose ancestors had lived on the Caribbean island since the late 17th century, he was five when his father settled the family at Garrison – on the fringes of the capital, Bridgetown – on his promotion to deputy chief of police.

Soon after their arrival, Stoute’s mother took her young son to the racecourse at Garrison Savannah for the first time.