A NORTH East racehorse trainer fighting to save his career suffered a devastating blow yesterday when his main patron sent six of his top thoroughbreds to a champion trainer.

Howard Johnson, who trains Tyneside software tycoon Graham Wylie’s horses at his farm on the outskirts of Crook, County Durham, is the subject of a British Horseracing Authority inquiry over horse welfare and doping charges.

Yesterday champion trainer Paul Nicholls said that he had received six horses from Mr Wylie.

Mr Johnson, 57, is charged with running one of Mr Wylie’s horses, Striking Article, eight times after the horse had a palmar neurectomy.

The operation involves the severing or removal of leg nerves running to the foot and can leave the horse unaware of any possible pain.

He is also charged with administering steroids to three of his other horses. A guilty verdict could lead to a lengthy ban for Mr Johnson, who has held a trainer’s licence since 1986.

The hearing was concluded earlier this week, but a verdict may not be made public until next Wednesday.

Mr Johnson declined to comment last night, but earlier had insisted he had done nothing wrong and would stand by that “until my dying day”.

He said: “I have done nothing wrong at all but I am not the best man at reading the rules of racing.

“I admitted that the vet de-nerved the horse but I didn’t know it was called a neurectomy. The horse was in pain with the state of his feet, and the corns. We relieved the pain of that horse to run eight times, and the horse won three races.”

Mr Johnson said the horse would not have pulled up on his final start at Mussleburgh in February 2010 if he had no feeling in his foot.

Striking Article was put down after that race. It was discovered in the post-mortem examination that the neurectomy had taken place.

Mr Johnson also denies the charge of giving the steroid laurabolin to three horses, Whisky Magic, Mintaka Pass and Montoya’s Son.

Mr Wylie – founder of Sage and owner of the IT group TSG and a portfolio of commercial property – has enjoyed a fruitful racing partnership with Mr Johnson including three-times Cheltenham Festival World Hurdle champion Inglis Drever.

Mr Nicholls said: “Graham Wylie has just sent me six lovely horses.

“The six horses from Graham are all rated 130 and over.

“The most notable is Quwetwo, and the others are Ascendant, Doeslessthanme, Double Expresso, Hold Fast and The Knoxs.”

In April last year Mr Johnson and his wife Sue were the victims of robbers armed with a gun and a knife who terrorised the pair before getting away with more than £100,000 at their home, White Lea Farm, Roddymoor, Crook. The robbers have not yet been caught.