Ern McQuillan captured Malcolm Johnston’s delight as he returned to scale on Kingston Town after one of his twenty five wins on the champion. Few jockeys have had the rapport with race crowds that Malcolm enjoyed at the height of his powers.
In a relatively brief career, Johnston won 2000 races including 39 Group 1’s. He won three Sydney jockey’s premierships, one of them as an apprentice with a staggering 107.5 winners. Those that saw him at his best, proclaim that he was one of the most naturally gifted jockeys to appear on Australian racecourses. Tommy Smith must have seen something very special in Johnston, because he appointed him number one jockey for the huge Tulloch Lodge operation, when the brilliant apprentice was only 20.
Malcolm will tell you today that he probably was too young for the high pressure role, but had he declined the offer, Kingston Town would never have entered his life.
