Mark Prescott

Commentators always either say he’s great or they say he’s a hard nut to crack but I genuinely never knew why is he held n high esteem or sometimes as an afterthought in the industry would anyone say he’s a top class trainer I really don’t know as I rarely back his horses I’ve never… Any info on him over tge years was he quite close to tge Queen is that why?

From a Newmarket yard with around 50 horses 78 year old Sir Mark must rate as one of the most astute trainers.

Everyone knows how he runs his 2 yo horses at wrong distances early in their career  to get a handicap mark and of course all within the rules.

He has been pulling off large gambles of his horses for many years and the money normally is not left behind.

Most remember pastenak winning the Cambridgeshire in 1997 a 32 runner race backed from 11/1 into 4/1 fav with his other runner Rudimental coming 2nd.

The late Graham Rock a part owner and racing correspondent at the time of  The Observer won enough to buy a new house.

Sir Mark also won The Prix De l'arc de Triomphe with Alpnista in 2022 and also another French classic The French Oaks with Confidential Lady in 2006.

So clearly Sir Mark has been winning big races for many years.

Sir Mark has been training horses for over 45 years although William Butler his business partner has been assisting him for the past 18 years

Sir Mark had an excellent record with horses he sent to race in Scotland and although many were short price favourites as bookmakers could not take chances with his runners

George Duffield recalls after a short price runner got beat at Musselburgh Sir Mark and George drove all the way back to Newmarket without them saying a word to each other and when they arrived back at Newmarket all Sir Mark said to his stable jockey was 'dont be late in the morning.

This are a few reasons why Sir Mark is held in such high regard

Very astute trainer in his day getting horses well handicapped by wrong running style or distance but the market and handicappers copped on.
Yesterday’s man.

Owners didn’t tell him we’re to run, he told them and you would be fortunate for Sir Mark to take you’re horse to train.

has he not had a few of todays top trainers
ie; w haggis amongst plenty as apprentices
over the years...!!!??

Past glories, apart from the winning the Arc he has rarely troubled some of the big races recently plus i dont rate his stable jockey.

Quite surprised he didn't tell the AMO guy to get to f@ck..

"Apart from winning the Arc"  There are many , many people in racing who would give anything to be able to utter that line.

Not many people have operated in such a way as to necessitate the need to change the rules of racing to try and prevent their edge. I believe SMP was the genesis of cumulative penalties, and the requirement to run at certain distances in qualifying runs.

He is 78 years where the majority that age do fck all.

One would not expect him to be as busy as Charlie Johnston or William Haggas these days.

Thanks Everyone I honestly didn’t know all the facts about him as I rarely back his horses and when I have done I never seemed to get them right so I kinda gave up. It’s just when other commentators talk about him they all seemed to be scared of him in a wird  kinda way? Also Cider can you explain to me in layman’s terms what you mean mate by your reply I’m just not understanding it cheers bud?

Back in the day, winners only got one penalty. For 10 days or a fortnight iirc, something like that. So when he got them well in, they would run in and win three or four races, carrying a single winners' penalty before the new mark was in place. He also ran them with staying blood over 5 and 6f to get their handicap marks, and would go straight to 10 or 12f for their handicap debut. Now they are not permitted to have huge leaps in race distances. I'm pretty sure he was also involved in multiple race winning 2yos. Back in the day it was not unknown for 2yos to win 8,10,12 races. Basically he was a master in exposing loopholes, I guess in a similar way that E Mullins has done in more recent times.

Lots of folk moaned of course, but he didn't cheat and those options were available to all connections. It was a game for him vs the authorities, so once one loophole was exposed, he would identify another one.

Brilliant great info cheers mate much appreciated as I know a bit more about why he is held in high regard I always thought it was because he was a bit of a snobby chap with friends in high places

Thanks again cider and everyone else. Danon

Another tactic was biding his time until the second part of the season. So he made sure they got good marks, and were also running against horses that the handicapper had more of a handle on. This is still his MO to some extent. If he got one that was a group horse at home, he didn't play games with them. More recently, he trained group 1 winning filly Marsha, that achieved 6 million guineas at public auction upon retirement, a record at the time.

Spindrifter won more than a dozen for him as a 2yo,at least 10 in a row...Wizard King another improving handicapper as a 3 yo,won good quality races starting with the Britannia..

Not to forget the horses he sold to Graham Wylie that went on to win at Cheltenham,Inglis Drever the best of them

I've never heard that about him being close to the queen.
Can you name any horse he'd ran in her colours?
I don't have recollections of ANY.

Hardly ever back his horses but he's as shrewd as they come.

I always remember that he said Rudimental would finish very close to Pasternak when
that horse was a well-laid out gamble for the Cambridgeshire nearly 30 yrs ago.

I backed him E/W at 28/1 - he was runner-up to Pasternak beaten 3/4 length

Shame he is a closet whoopsy as his nereditary baronetcy will die when he passes.

Odd comment, Crawford.

Despicable but factual,brandy

Jul 7, 2026 -- 7:40PM, brandyontherocks wrote:

Odd comment, Crawford.

Maybe friends. Who knows.