Courteous Golden Gate Field
Golden Gate Fields is saddened to announce the loss of longtime Northern California racehorse trainer John F. “Mickey” Martin, who passed away at the age of 63 after a long illness.
Martin, who played his first starting role in 1984, trained the Quarter Horse early in his career before transitioning to the Thoroughbred. He has campaigned for more than 2,300 winners. From 7,707 Purebred starters, Martin won 1,960 races and accumulated a wallet income of $23,835,366.
“With the recent passing of Duane Offield and now it’s John, it’s been a rough couple of weeks,” said Golden Gate Fields Vice President and General Manager David Duggan. “We are still trying to process this loss. John was a respected figure among his peers. He’s the type of guy that will help anyone if they need it. He was an excellent horseman and had a very successful and distinguished career. We send our best wishes and thoughts to his family and large group of friends.”
Martin has coached many horsemen who have achieved success in the sport of kings. Among his students is Jonathan Wong, who passed away alone in 2015 and has been a longtime top coach in Northern California since 2018; and Reid France, who began training his sequence on his own in 2019 and has scored a 26% winning clip since then.
“John is really a great guy,” said owner Troy Onorato, a longtime customer and friend of Martin who runs the Hat Trick Racing Stable. “He has helped and mentored so many people throughout his life and never sought the attention to help people. He is focused and dedicated to taking care of his horses, but always trying to do the right thing.”
Martin’s best and favorite horse to train is Mended, the stout horse he claimed for $12,500 in 2017 at the Golden Gate, who has won 10 times in a row, including the one. Claiming Crown Glass Slipper at Gulfstream Park that same year. On the day her winning record was cut – January 13, 2018 – she lost to a top in the GII La Canada S. at Santa Anita. Two months later, she was again runner-up, this time GI Santa Margarita. Among other notable Martin interns are the Force, Me My Mine, and She’s Sensational stake winners.
“Mended took us on an extraordinary trip,” said Onorato, who owns Mended with his wife Maritza. “People will always say how well we lobbied Mended and the other horses. I told them, ‘We’re just following John Martin’s play.’ John is an excellent horseman. “
Service for John Martin is pending.
