John Blackburn knows a thing or two about fast horses. In 2014, Move In Time, owned in partnership with Andrew Turton, a good friend from his school days, and Reg Bond, who bred the gelding, scorched home to cause an upset in the Group 1 Prix de l’Abbaye on Arc day at Longchamp.
Now Blackburn has found another seriously talented sprinter in the shape of two-year-old Ain’t Nobody, co-owned with John and Allison Matthews, who got the better of 26 rivals to take the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.
Two magical moments, undoubtedly, and each wonderful in their own way.
“To have an Abbaye winner is fantastic but Royal Ascot is very special for anyone who has owned horses,” Blackburn relates. “It’s a dream come true, really.
“Royal Ascot attracts people from all over the world. You’re racing against horses from America and Australia. It’s a global event and the premium meeting of the year.”
He adds: “The time was quicker than the [Group 2] Norfolk [won by Shareholder] the following day but I couldn’t get there on the Thursday, which is why we ran in the Windsor Castle. We would have probably won the Norfolk if we’d run!”
While Move In Time was trained by David O’Meara, Ain’t Nobody – given a peach of a ride by Jamie Spencer to overhaul US raider Gabaldon in the Windsor Castle – is in the care of Kevin Ryan. Blackburn’s choice of trainers reflects his Yorkshire roots.
there are plenty of good trainers up here
He says: “I’m a Castleford lad – now I live in the village of Monks Fryston, which is only about nine miles away.
“I’ve always tried to keep things local – I like supporting northern trainers. That’s important to me as there are few people like me in the north.
“My foundations are here and there are plenty of good trainers up here.”
Blackburn, who sold his luxury worktop business, Sheridan Fabrications Ltd, to Howdens in 2022, has started to name his horses after songs – “Ibiza classics or soul records” – and many readers will recognise the Chaka Khan tune referenced by his latest star.
Ain’t Nobody, who failed to show his true colours when stepped up to six furlongs in the July Stakes on his next start, certainly makes his owners happy, though that is unlikely to stop prospective suitors from making enquiries about the son of Sands Of Mali.
“He’ll be worth a few quid now,” Blackburn says of his juvenile, snapped up for £30,000 at last year’s Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale. “I retired a couple of years ago after decades of hard graft, but I don’t think it would make any difference if I was still working. I don’t want to listen to offers, but I can’t speak for John or Allison.”
It was with another stalwart of the northern racing scene, Michael Dods, that Blackburn took his first steps in ownership.
In 2005, the trainer informed Blackburn that his two-year-old Glasshoughton, making his second start, wouldn’t get beat at Ayr. Blackburn and friends duly travelled up to Scotland, bets placed and full of hope, only to find a Kevin Ryan-trained debutant too good.
I would love to have a runner at the Cheltenham Festival
“We ran into Amadeus Wolf!” Blackburn states, the victor going on to land the Gimcrack and Middle Park Stakes. “Glasshoughton didn’t get the clearest of runs, but he wouldn’t have beaten the winner.”
Having initially declined to follow the sport of horseracing so loved by his grandads – “I used to hate watching it on Grandstand on a Saturday afternoon” – Blackburn got the bug in his late teens working in a pub while studying for his A Levels.
He now has over 30 horses in training under both codes – “I enjoy the National Hunt scene and would love to have a runner at the Cheltenham Festival” – and has also expanded into breeding.
“I have three broodmares with Mick Easterby – he’s a legend!” Blackburn says. “I’ve had homebred runners but I’m still waiting for my first homebred winner. So far, it’s an expensive hobby!
“Mid Winster, who Paul Midgley trained for me, achieved black type and I’m excited to see what she will produce.”
While Ain’t Nobody secured £62,000 for his Royal Ascot efforts, Blackburn is less than enamoured with purses at everyday meetings. “It’s embarrassing,” he says. “I’m not into racing politics but you do wonder what’s going on.
“We took Spring Is Sprung down to Lingfield, he won and earned £3,700 – half of that will be gone in travel costs.”
Blackburn is more impressed by the coverage that the sport receives on the telly, both terrestrial and on the dedicated racing channels.
“The people that run the TV side are doing a good job,” he says. “ITV Racing has got better and better. Racing UK do a great job as does Sky Sports Racing. They’ve got some excellent people on there that really care about racing and the welfare angle.”
As for Ain’t Nobody’s next steps, Blackburn is happy to defer to his trainer. “I leave it all to Kevin,” he says. “Sometimes people who have been involved in other businesses think they know more than the trainer. You’ve got to be honest about the situation – just let the trainer do their job.
“There are lots of options – you could even run in the Nunthorpe – but I’m not one for looking too far ahead.”
