Helen Marjorie Johnson Houghton (née Walwyn; 8 November 1910 – 4 December 2012) was a British

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

trainer. She was the first woman to train a

Classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...

flat races winner. Her horse

Gilles de Retz Gilles de Rais (c. 1405 – 26 October 1440), Baron de Rais (), was a knight and lord from Brittany, Anjou and Poitou, a leader in the French army, and a companion-in-arms of Joan of Arc. He is best known for his reputation and later convi ...

won the

2,000 Guineas The 2000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) and scheduled to take place each year at ...

in 1956, but her name did not appear in the record books as the

Jockey Club The Jockey Club is the largest commercial horse racing organisation in the United Kingdom. It owns 15 of Britain's famous racecourses, including Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom Downs and both the Rowley Mile and July Course in Newmarket, amo ...

did not recognise women trainers at that time and the horse ran under the name of her assistant, Charles Jerdein, instead. She was one of the first three women to be elected as a member of the

in December 1977, alongside

Priscilla Hastings Priscilla Victoria Hastings (''née'' Bullock, 28 February 1920 – 12 August 2010) was a British racehorse owner and trainer. She was one of the first three women to be elected as a member of the Jockey Club in December 1977, alongside her half-si ...

and Ruth Wood (née Primrose), Countess of Halifax.

Early life

She was born in

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

, the twin sister of

Fulke Walwyn Fulke Thomas Tyndall Walwyn CVO (8 November 1910 – 18 February 1991) was a British jockey and a celebrated racehorse trainer, who was particularly successful in National Hunt racing. Life Walwyn was born in Wrexham. His twin sister, Helen Joh ...

, later also a horse trainer. Her father, Colonel Fulke Walwyn, was an officer in the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers ( cy, Ffiwsilwyr Brenhinol Cymreig) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales' Division, that was founded in 1689; shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated ...

, and Master of the Monmouth Hounds from 1922 to 1931. Her mother died when Helen and Fulke were still young. She was educated at home. After her father married one of their governesses, she lived with an aunt in Cheshire. Their cousin

Peter Walwyn Peter Tyndall Walwyn, (1 July 1933 – 7 December 2017) was a British racehorse trainer. He was based at stables in the Lambourn, Berkshire, area and enjoyed his period of greatest success in the mid-1970s when he was British flat racing Cham ...

was also a racehorse trainer. She married Gordon Johnson Houghton in 1937.

Training career

Alongside her husband, she trained horses in Cheshire. Her husband served with the

Cheshire Yeomanry The Cheshire Yeomanry was a yeomanry regiment that can trace its history back to 1797 when Sir John Leicester of Tabley raised a county regiment of light cavalry in response to the growing fears of invasion from Napoleonic France. Its lineage i ...

in the Second World War. The couple bought the Woodway stable near

Blewbury Blewbury is a village and civil parish at the foot of the Berkshire Downs section of the North Wessex Downs about south of Didcot, south of Oxford and west of London. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it ...

from trainer Francis Cobb in 1945, and moved to Berkshire (now Oxfordshire). She took over the running of the Woodway stable after her husband was killed in a hunting accident in 1952. The Jockey Club refused to issue training licences to women until

Florence Nagle Florence Nagle (26 October 1894 – 30 October 1988) was a British trainer and breeder of racehorses, a breeder of pedigree dogs, and an active feminist. Nagle purchased her first Irish Wolfhound in 1913, and went on to own or breed twe ...

won a court case in 1966, and so the licence was held by a series of male assistants. While she continued to train the horses, the licence was officially held by Colonel Dick Poole, then Charles Jerdein, then her cousin

, before her son

Fulke Johnson Houghton Richard Fulke Johnson Houghton (born 1940) is a British retired Thoroughbred racehorse trainer. He trained over 1,200 winners in a career which lasted from 1961 until 2006. The best of his horses included Ribocco, Ribero, Habitat, Rose Bowl, I ...

took over in 1961. Her achievements were belatedly recognised by the Jockey Club in December 1977, when she was one of the first three women to be elected as a member, alongside

and Ruth Wood (née Primrose), Countess of Halifax. Her horse

won the

in 1956 under Charles Jerdein's name, at odds of 50-1. Other successful horses included * Ribocco, who won the

Irish Derby Stakes The Irish Derby (Irish: Dearbaí na hÉireann) is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 ...

and

St. Leger Stakes The St Leger Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Doncaster over a ...

in 1967, and Ribero, who did the same in 1968 *

Habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

, who the

Lockinge Stakes The Lockinge Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres) at Newbur ...

and the Wills Mile in England and then the

Prix Quincey The Prix Quincey is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged four years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is scheduled to take ...

and the

Prix du Moulin The Prix du Moulin de Longchamp is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is sch ...

in France in 1969 * Rose Bowl, who won the

Queen Elizabeth II Stakes The Queen Elizabeth II Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is s ...

in 1975 and 1976 *

Ile de Bourbon Ile de Bourbon (1975–1997) was an American-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career which lasted from 1977 until October 1979 he ran twelve times and won five races. His most important success came in July 1978 wh ...

, who won the

King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot o ...

in July 1978 * Double Form, who won the

Temple Stakes The Temple Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled to ...

King's Stand Stakes The King's Stand Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled t ...

and

Haydock Sprint Cup The Sprint Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Haydock Park over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and ...

in England and the

Prix de l'Abbaye The Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged two years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse, L ...

in France in 1979 The licence has been held by her granddaughter Eve Johnson Houghton since 1999. Helen Johnson Houghton's achievements were belatedly recognised by the Jockey Club when she was one of the first women to be elected as a member in 1977. She was survived by her son and daughter.

References

Obituary
The Telegraph, 6 December 2012
Farewell to… racehorse trainer Helen Johnson Houghton
Horse & Hound, 13 December 2012
Johnson Houghton dies, aged 102
The Scotsman, 6 December 2012
Helen Johnson Houghton dies
attheraces.com
Obituary
The Times, 15 December 2012 {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson Houghton, Helen 1910 births 2012 deaths British racehorse owners and breeders British racehorse trainers

Helen Helen may refer to: People * Helen of Troy, in Greek mythology, the most beautiful woman in the world * Helen (actress) (born 1938), Indian actress * Helen (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) Places * Helen, ...

British centenarians Women centenarians People from Blewbury Sportspeople from Wrexham British twins