Born Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Was Champion Trainer 10 times and considered by many to be the greatest ever to grace the sport.

Royal patronage of horseracing commenced during the reign of King James VI & I. He built a royal palace at Newmarket and established the racecourse there. Members of the Royal Court, who had formed a passion for horseracing in Scotland, helped to establish Newmarket as the home of organised horseracing in Britain. The king himself was a very enthusiastic importer of Arabian stallions, with which British mares were bred to create the forefathers of today’s thoroughbreds. Royal patronage has continued from then to the present day.