Fab’s Cowboy: The horse you don’t want to meet in a bar

Fab’s Cowboy will be greatly missed when he retires and his trainer Bevan “Billy” Johnson has given a unique insight into the personality of the popular bush horse ahead of his final start on Saturday.

There are some well-told jokes about horses walking into bars, but trainer Bevan “Billy” Johnson says not even the toughest bar fly would want to tangle with feisty Fab’s Cowboy.

“If he was in a pub, you would walk around him rather than front up to him,” Johnson chuckles.

“He is a big upstanding sort of animal and he wants to be the boss.

“He has bitten me a little bit over the years and I have seen him get a jockey by the arm and drag her around a bit.

“On race day, Saturday, you won’t get near him – no-one will.

“He is big and robust and he knows when race day is and he gets even more big and bold.”

Fab's Cowboy has a gallop on the sand track at trainer Bevan "Billy" Johnson's Barcaldine property.

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Johnson says Fab’s Cowboy’s personality is the reason why apprentice jockeys have generally had the most success on him.

The young riders let the modern day racing marvel and renowned carrot lover have his way during races.

But if a senior rider takes the reins and tries to boss Fab’s Cowboy, the legendary bush horse is likely to hit the brakes.

“It is better getting more inexperienced jockeys to ride him as he likes to keep everything in his corner,” Johnson said.

“He likes to take charge of the jockey, so I always try to put apprentices on him.

“Once senior jockeys try to stand over him, he simply won’t go.”

Bush marvel Fab’s Cowboy works under trainer Bevan ‘Billy’ Johnson in Barcaldine. Picture: Supplied

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Record-breaking Fab’s Cowboy will be lining up for his 159th and final start and trying to score his 55th win when racing at Longreach on Saturday in his last stand before retirement.

While he will have a good retirement home at Living Legends in Victoria, Johnson will have a personal sense of sadness and miss his great equine mate terribly.

🎥 | Trainer Bevan "Billy" Johnson tells @bendorries76 how much Fab's Cowboy means to him.

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He says Fab’s Cowboy’s emergence on the racetrack in 2015 coincided with the rise of Johnson Racing, which is now based in Barcaldine in the Queensland bush.

“I will be sad,” Johnson says.

“Every morning when I walk out he looks at me, and I will miss riding him every day.

“Johnson Racing has got bigger and bigger and when our stable really got going, it was probably centred around him.

“I consider him a friend and everything will certainly be different when he isn’t here.

“I don’t think anyone in the bush will ever get a horse to Living Legends again.”

A big thrill for @bendorries meeting Queensland outback marvel Fab's Cowboy pic.twitter.com/zObLpskswn

— Racenet (@RacenetTweets) July 24, 2024

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As Fab’s Cowboy’s resume started to grow and he surged past the modern-day winning record by another Australian racehorse, Walk Cool, Johnson and his wife Mel have had to deal with increasing media interest.

This week, they have received dozens of requests for interviews from print, digital and broadcast media.

“There has been a lot of interest but, after Saturday, people will probably forget about us,” Johnson said.

“I’m not sure what I will do Saturday night, I will probably come home with the horse.

“When he was a young horse he was still growing and it took us a while to get him going because he kept going a bit shin sore.

“But since then he has just been great.”

Originally published as Fab’s Cowboy: The horse you don’t want to meet in a bar