The Finish Line with Gaie Johnson Houghton

I can’t tell you how exciting it is to breed a horse like Mohaather. It’s unbelievable and I haven’t come down yet.

All sorts of things went through my mind watching the race. Everything was going swimmingly until there was nowhere to go. But then he got himself organised – it was just a case of hoping the winning post didn’t come too soon.

Showcasing [Mohaather’s sire] gets horses that stay further than he did, like his sire Oasis Dream.

I’m not surprised he stays a mile. It all depends which part of the pedigree comes out. I am a big fan of Showcasing and went to him in his first season – I bred a horse called Prize Exhibit, winner of two Grade 2s and two Grade 3s in America.

When I saw Mohaather win his first race I thought he was something out of the ordinary.

He showed a lovely turn of foot that day [at Nottingham]. Marcus [Tregoning] has always liked the horse and I know Marcus pretty well, so he’s always kept in touch about the horse.

It’s really good for [owner] Sheikh Hamdan – he’s got some wonderful horses at the moment.

Mohaather is not very big but he’s got some engine. A stallion career further down the line would be lovely but it would be difficult for me to send him anything – all my mares are related to him.

At present I have three broodmares but I might retire one so I’ll be down to two: Roodle and Lady Marigold.

Mohaather’s dam [Roodeye] died when he was two or three weeks old. He came home with a foster mum, who was wonderful.

When Accidental Agent won the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, that was his Derby and Guineas rolled into one.

He ran his little socks off. Mohaather is in a different league – just a higher-class horse.

I had another mare that bred me a wonderful old horse, Fluke, winner of 14 races.

I thought he was my horse of a lifetime but Accidental Agent, who didn’t sell, has rather eclipsed him. It doesn’t get any better than a Group 1 winner at Royal Ascot, trained by my daughter [Eve]. That made it extra special.

Roodle has bred one good horse but she’s got to do a bit better – I have told her!

Her brother [Mohaather] has done very well and she has to do so as well. Lady Marigold is out of a full sister to the dam of Astaire, winner of the Middle Park Stakes, so there could be something there or not.

Ile de Bourbon [winner of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 1978, trained by husband Fulke] was a Rolls-Royce.

My mother-in-law owned a third and my husband had a 10% share; that made him stand out. Where does Mohaather rate? Very highly. He has a turn of foot, like Rose Bowl [dual winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes], though you can’t compare different generations. Visually he’s breathtaking.

We’ve kept going through Covid-19.

There’s not much choice – the mares are in foal, though I didn’t cover one; that’s the mare I will retire. Eve has two mares here and she didn’t cover either of them. I would imagine that fewer mares would be covered in future.

One of our owners has just won a Great British Bonus.

Although I haven’t quite got a handle on it yet, it could well help [the sale of British-bred fillies]. However, I think buyers either like a horse or they don’t.

I’ve been very lucky [breeding racehorses].

I suppose I’m good at it. I’m just having a nice time. There aren’t that many races left for Mohaather now – it would be wonderful to see him run at the Breeders’ Cup. But that’s a decision for the owner and trainer.