Alan Johns and his wife, Glenda, have little to complain about, they are living in the better of two worlds, working among horses in an environment at Flemington that is second to none.

The only house on the racecourse, no neighbours or hawkers calling in to worry about, or barking dogs, it is so serene and quiet you could hear a pin drop.

While they live less than 100 metres off Epsom Road, you cannot hear the traffic, or even the trams, it has a natural sound barrier.

Both are up and ready for a 3.30 am start, Alan goes through the side gate no less than a couple of metres from his front door, he is on the training staff at Godolphin, while Glenda is further away, about 50 metres working for David Hayes.

Alan was born and bred in the Riverina at Deniliquin a great racing town, years ago where Roy Higgins commenced his riding career.

Higgins had completed his apprentice and was riding winners in Melbourne when Alan Johns commenced his apprenticeship with Jim Watters.

Both were to suffer from the same fate, a legacy of Eileen Watters’s big breakfasts, Higgins always had weight issues while riding and Johns had nine rides for six winners before he got too heavy.

Johns remained around Deniliquin, breaking in a few horses, and after spending so much time among them you seldom give it up easily.

When he was approached by the leading trainer in the Riverina, Ken Sweeney, to break in a couple of horses, he didn’t realise he would have constant employment for the next 23 years.

Sweeney was based at Jerilderie; he was a very good trainer with up to 60 to 70 horses in work constantly, all year round.

Jerilderie held three race meetings a year in those days, it has since been reduced to one,   the town where Ned Kelly held up the local bank, and some years later it’s vault stored the precious Melbourne Cup trophy won by Russia in 1946.

When Sweeney came to Flemington with stables in Wisemould Street, it was just a matter of time before private stables would have to close, due to heavy traffic in Epsom Road.

When Sweeney and his wife left Flemington to train at Morphettville, Johns stayed behind to work for John Hawkes, among the stars of the stable was Lonhro, among the most underrated horse we have known, a great racehorse, only out of a place once in 35 starts, a champion sire, the best performed since Heroic all those years ago.

Johns has been a part of the Godolphin team for close on 20 years, there is always going to be a few favourites when you work among horses for so long, Sepoy would be high on the list, he won the Blue Diamond Stakes and the Golden Slipper Stakes, he would be close to the top of the list.

He rates Vain as the best horse he as seen, with good reason, no three year old has ever  beaten the open age horses, three times, during a spring carnival at Flemington.

Alan Johns - A great horseman