John Dunlop has revealed work rider and lad Mick Green as the big secret behind his St Leger victory with Millenary.

The Arundel trainer's horse, in the biggest field for 18 years, repeated his Goodwood victory over Air Marshall by three-quarters-of-a-length at Doncaster last weekend.

Towards the end of the season, which began with the Castle Stables trainer declaring that he had no serious hopes in the major league, Dunlop has now managed to follow a second in the Epsom Derby with Sakhee by winning his third St Leger.

But it is the habit of the Arundel handler to delegate that played a big part.

Dunlop has confidence in every member of his team, work riders, stable lads and girls through to the office staff who handle the documentation involved with 160 plus horses and their owners.

Thus it was no surprise after Millenary, named by his owner-breeder US based Welshman Neil Jones for the year 2000, had won to hear Dunlop sing the praises of Green.

He said: "Mick has looked after Millenary since the colt arrived here nearly two years ago. He could not have done more for this horse and deserves a huge amount of praise for his part in Millenary's successes culminating in this classic win. Mick is a credit to his profession."

The steady drain from the bloodstock industry of many of the best staff illustrates the effect of prize money which is below French and American levels.

It is not the fault of trainers that they cannot match the weekly wages of jobs elsewhere, but the low turnover of staff at Castle Stables speaks for itself.

Indeed Mick, now approaching 40, did leave racing for nearly ten years in 1985 to become a London taxi driver.

He said: "I did the 'knowledge' that is necessary for London taxi work and earned more than when I was in racing, but the bug never left me and I had friends in Sussex who badgered me to come back so I started work for Mr Dunlop in 1995 and I haven't regretted it."

Mick was born and bred for racing. His father was a contemporary of the Queen Mother's winning-most jockey David Mould as an apprentice to Epsom trainer Staff Ingham.

He said: "My Dad rode winners jumping and I began riding out race horses at the age of 12 for John Sutcliffe who also trained at Epsom.

"I left school just before my 16th birthday in July and on September 12 I rode my first winner. Actually my first love was football and I had trials as a professional, but I was too small and realised that I would have to take advantage of that and become a jockey."

Mick had a licence for five years and rode several winners but, as so often happens when the apprentice weight allowance diminishes and the weight itself increases, the opportunities dried up.

He said: "For the few rides I was getting in the early Eighties it wasn't worth the aggro of the sauna to try and do seven stone so it became a question of making a go of it as a lad or work rider."

When the popular Newmarket trainer David Morley died in 1998, Celeric, the horse he had trained for his brother-in-law, Jockey Club senior steward Christopher Spence, was moved to Arundel. Celeric was a previous winner of the Ascot Gold Cup and was then handed into Green's care.