William Raphael "Rae" Johnstone (13 April 1905 – 29 April 1964), was an Australian flat-race jockey. After enjoying considerable success in his native country, he relocated to Europe in 1932 and spent most of the rest of his life in France. He won twelve

British Classic Races The British Classics are five long-standing Group 1 horse races run during the traditional flat racing season. They are restricted to three-year-old horses and traditionally represent the pinnacle of achievement for racehorses against their own ...

and two

Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris, France, over a distance ...

s. On his retirement in 1957 he was described as "one of the greatest international jockeys of modern times". He died of a heart attack in 1964.

Background

Rae Johnstone was born to Robert James Johnstone (a coalminer) and Elizabeth Johnstone (''nee'' Harvey) in 1905 in New Lambton, a suburb of

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle ( ; Awabakal: ) is a metropolitan area and the second most populated city in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie local government areas, and is the hub of the Greater Newcastle area, w ...

. In later life he was somewhat evasive when talking about his origins, claiming that his original surname was Davies and on others that he was of Portuguese descent. There is some evidence, however, that he may have attempted to conceal the fact that he was of

Australian Aborigine Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait Islands ...

heritage. Early in his riding career he was nicknamed "Togo" after

Admiral Togo Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet ...

on account of his dark complexion and "oriental" appearance: Johnstone reportedly found the name offensive.

Riding career

Johnstone began his riding career in Australia, winning his first race in 1920 at the age of 15. He had several brushes with the racing authorities and received a two-year ban in 1927 after he "conspired to lose a race". In 1931 he was the Champion Jockey in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

and began to attract attention from abroad. By that time he had won more than 600 races in Australia and also ridden successfully in India. In the following year he travelled to France to take up a position as the retained jockey for

Pierre Wertheimer Pierre Wertheimer (8 January 1888 – 24 April 1965) was a French businessman, who co-founded Chanel with Coco Chanel. Family business Wertheimer was born to a Jewish family,Lord Glanely William James Tatem, 1st Baron Glanely (6 March 1868 – 28 June 1942), known as Sir William Tatem, Bt, between 1916 and 1918, was a Cardiff ship-owner and thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. Career Tatem was born in Appledore, North De ...

. He made an immediate impact by winning the

2000 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 ...

aboard

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

but was criticised for his tactics when finishing third on the same colt in the

Epsom Derby The Derby Stakes, also known as the Epsom Derby or the Derby, and as the Cazoo Derby for sponsorship reasons, is a Group 1 flat horse race in England open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey o ...

and returned to France shortly afterwards. In the following year he partnered the French-trained filly Mesa to win the

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

. In his early career Johnstone had been known to bet of his mounts, but gave up gambling on his second marriage in 1940. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Johnstone was rejected for military service and briefly went back to India, before resuming his riding career in France. In 1942 he was

interned Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...

by the occupying forces but returned to race-riding in late 1944. In 1945 he won the

on Nikellora. In the immediate post-war period Johnstone had great success riding French-trained horses in major British races. Between 1947 and 1956 he won the 1000 Guineas on Imprudence and Camaree, the Derby on My Love,

Galcador Galcador (1947–1970) was a French Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from autumn 1949 to June 1950 he ran four times and won three races. In 1950 he won England's most prestigious race, The Derby. He never raced aft ...

and

Lavandin ''Lavandula'' (common name lavender) is a genus of 47 known species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is native to the Old World and is found in Cape Verde and the Canary Islands, and from Europe across to northern and easte ...

, the

Epsom Oaks The Oaks Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Epsom Downs over a distance of 1 mile, 4 furlongs and 6 yards (2, ...

on Imprudence, Asmena and Sun Cap and the

St Leger 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 d ...

on Scratch and Talma. In France he won a second Arc de Triomphe on Sica Boy in 1954. Arguably the best horse he rode however was

Sayani Sayani ( fa, ساياني, also Romanized as Sāyānī; also known as Sīānī) is a village in Pir Sohrab Rural District, in the Central District of Chabahar County, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran Iran, officially the Islam ...

on whom he won the

Cambridgeshire Handicap The Cambridgeshire Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile and 1 furlo ...

in 1946. Johntone regarded his Derby win on My Love as his greatest achievement. He rode in the United States but did not enjoy the experience, commenting "There's no atmosphere. As far as I can make out, people go to races in America to eat sandwiches and hot dogs and to bet on a number".

Riding style

Johntone was known for his judgment of pace and mastery of waiting tactics. He acquired the nickname "The Crocodile" because "he comes from behind and eats you up". He was also reluctant to use the whip on horses who were already beaten, which led to accusations of a lack of effort. He defended himself by saying "If the owner wants me to place, I’ll try. But I don't like to ride a horse into the ground for nothing".

Later life

Johnstone retired from riding to become a trainer. He died in Paris on 29 April 1964 after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

Le Tremblay Le Tremblay () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 15 December 2016, it was merged into the new commune Ombrée d'Anjou.

Personal life

Johnstone was married twice. In June 1925 he married Ruby Isabel Hornery-Ford but their partnership was short-lived. In 1940 he married Marie Marcelle Augustine Goubé, a former dancer at the

Folies Bergere Folies () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. Geography Folies is situated on the D329 road, some southeast of Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern ...

. His second marriage lasted until his death although he also carried on a long-term relationship with a mistress, Margo Winnick.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnstone, Rae 1905 births 1964 deaths Australian jockeys Sportspeople from Newcastle, New South Wales Sportsmen from New South Wales