Former leading French-based trainer John Hammond, who won the Arc with Suave Dancer and Montjeu, answers the questions
During a 32-year training career in Chantilly, John Hammond produced numerous G1 winners, including two standout performers in Suave Dancer and Montjeu, who both captured the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
In 1991 Suave Dancer won the Prix du Jockey Club by four lengths and ended the year with G1 triumphs in the Irish Champion Stakes and Arc under Cash Asmussen. Those feats were to be surpassed by the brilliant Montjeu who, from a record of 11 wins from 16 starts, won the Prix du Jockey Club, Irish Derby and Arc as a three-year-old, and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes the following year.
The expat Englishman also enjoyed Royal Ascot success with Nuclear Debate, who in 2001 became the last of three Hammond-trained winners of the Haydock Sprint Cup. He won the Arlington Million with Dear Doctor in 1992.
Hammond, 62, retired in 2019 and now helps manage the racing interests of leading French owner-breeder Gerard Augustin-Normand.
Which racing figure past or present do you most admire?
It’s very difficult to nominate one person but for purely personal reasons I would have to say Andre Fabre. I worked for him; he was my mentor. He’s been the leading trainer in France for a long time and I know how difficult it is to run a business training horses in France, on top of actually winning good races. For his longevity, that is pretty impressive.
I should also mention Arthur Budgett, who is the only guy to have bred and trained two Derby winners, which is pretty amazing.
Which is your favourite venue and favourite race anywhere in the world?
We are biased about where we were lucky enough to win good races. I’ve always thought racing at Royal Ascot is amazing. If you wanted to encourage people into racing, you take them for a day’s racing at Royal Ascot. It’s very difficult for them not to think it’s great. The great racing, the great horses, the whole ambience, it’s got a real wow factor.
The Arc is the race in Europe where all the horses come together. In terms of strength in depth it is usually the best race of the year in Europe. The Japanese horses always add a bit of colour. They haven’t won it yet but they’ll win it one year.
Who is your favourite racehorse and why?
I think what Frankel did was pretty exceptional to be unbeaten at two, three and four. That is pretty unique. When I was a kid Nijinsky had wow factor, and lucky for me I’ve had a couple of good horses. They were different in their own ways. They didn’t always turn up for their races in top shape but when they did, they were at the top of their game. When Montjeu won the King George, I’m sure I’ve seen a mile-and-a-half horse who would’ve beaten him that day – other days, yes, but not that day. Suave Dancer was pretty amazing when he won the Irish Champion Stakes.
But I have to say in my time in racing no horse has done what Frankel’s done. The trainer did an amazing job with him. You have to doff your cap at that.
What is your fondest memory in racing?
Everybody’s first winner is amazing, and then the first Group winner and first G1. Winning the big races was great – but there were other moments with horses that I’d really struggled with, sometimes not even good horses, that have won a small race. I once trained for a lady in her 70s who was a psychiatrist and would have a very small stake in a horse every year. We won a claimer one day at Saint-Cloud. She was quite small with fuzzy hair and big glasses and she was absolutely pumped up. She said: “John, having a winner is like a mental orgasm!”
So I have to say the answer is any winner. It’s not all about having big-race winners. It’s also about having big buzzy moments.
If you can change one thing in racing what would it be?
There are lots of things one would want to change, including the obvious ones like better prize-money in England. Some say you need to take out 300 races there because the races are so diluted. One Saturday I counted there were 40 Flat races between five meetings and only six had more than nine runners.
If you could find the right person to be the racing tsar that would be good for English racing. Would that be possible? Maybe not with all the different factions. You need to find someone who can say ‘We are going to do it like this’. You are not going to be very popular but there has to be someone at the very top taking the decisions for the whole of racing.
John Hammond was speaking to Jon Lees
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