Mark Johnston

Group 1 winner Gear Up (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) is training well in advance of a start in the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. at York on May 13, trainer Mark Johnston has revealed. The bay colt broke his maiden at York last July and added the G3 Acomb S. there in August. Only fourth in Newmarket's G2 Royal Lodge S. on Sept. 26, Gear Up handled heavy ground with a win over 10 furlongs in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud on Oct. 24. "He's got all the credentials,...

He was missing throughout all of last season, but Paul Dean's Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}) made certain he is front and centre this year after dominating Saturday's G2 Betfair Exchange Jockey Club S. at Newmarket. Returning for the first time since finishing second in the 2019 G1 St Leger when winning Nottingham's Listed Further Flight S. over 14 furlongs Apr. 7, the 15-8 joint-favourite was always in his element out in the clear much as this race's last winner Communique (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) had been in 2019. A...

Group 1 winner Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), a winner of the G2 Dubai Gold Cup on Mar. 27, is likely to start next in the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June. Successful at the highest level in the Prix Royal-Oak last fall, the Dr. Walker colourbearer also saluted in the G3 March S. on Aug. 29 and earlier in the season won the Listed Glasgow S. "He had a fantastic campaign last year--we always thought of him as a genuine St Leger horse, but that was probably his...

When we wrapped up last Flat season, the lofty assumption was that by the start of this new one we would be back to some semblance of normality. How wrong could we have been? After a brutal winter, the pandemic is only now easing to the point where a limited number of owners were permitted to attend racecourses in England and Scotland from yesterday (Monday).  There are not too many areas within racing in which Britain is ahead of Ireland or France—witness the Irish domination of the Cheltenham Festival and...

Dr Jim Walker's Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) threw down a notable marker for some of the top staying contests in Europe this summer when running his rivals ragged to win the G2 Dubai Gold Cup by 5 3/4 lengths  in a new track record time of 3:17.77. Taking his first ride at Meydan, Joe Fanning had the Mark Johnston-trained 4-year-old handy throughout, positioned just off the early leader For The Top (Arg) (Equal Stripes {Arg}) in the initial stages before making his intentions clear ahead of the final bend. Easing Subjectivist...

Finals Day on Good Friday, is set to compete in the Long Distance Turf H. at Riyadh in February. The listed winner is one of several likely competitors for the yard in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 20. "He'll definitely go to Lingfield on Finals Day and he's in at Saudi next month," said Mark Johnston's son and assistant Charlie. "I'll have to clarify how their system works out there as to whether he'll get a penalty for his win, because at the moment he's not guaranteed a run. Were they...

MGSW Elarqam (GB) (Frankel {GB}-Attraction {GB}, by Efisio {GB}), who ran third in the G1 Juddmonte International in 2019 for Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell, has been retired and will stand at Haras de Saint Arnoult in partnership with Shadwell next year. The three-time group winner will command €6,000. The partnership to stand the dark bay son of Classic heroine Attraction was brokered by Richard Venn. "We are extremely excited to be standing Elarqam in France from next season, in partnership with Haras de Saint Arnoult," said Shadwell Stud Director Richard Lancaster....

Set against the gloom of a damp autumn day, Sunday's G1 Prix Royal-Oak belonged to the Brits as Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) made all under Joe Fanning to take the ParisLongchamp feature. Always content on the front end as he had been when registering a 15-length success in similarly testing conditions in Goodwood's G3 March S. Aug. 29, the 6-1 shot drifted left into the centre of the track up the home straight but was as resolute as could be expected of a Mark Johnston representative. At the line, the...

Bred by Jim Bolger and trained by a Brit who stands comparison in Mark Johnston, Gear Up (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) had all the right credentials on a special afternoon for Redmondstown Stud and duly made all for G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud glory. Tough and resilient when successful in the seven-furlong G3 Acomb S. at York Aug. 19 before finishing fourth in Newmarket's G2 Royal Lodge S. tackling a mile Sept. 26, the Teme Valley 2 syndicate's €52,000 Goffs Orby bargain relished this step up to 10 furlongs in testing conditions...

G2 Norfolk S. winner and G1 Phoenix S. bridesmaid The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}) anchors the 1,617-lot Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale catalogue, which was released on Tuesday. One of more than 90 group and listed performers to be offered from Oct. 26-29, the bay is listed as lot 1071 from the consignment of Jamie Railton. MGSP Devious Company (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) (lot 630) from Tom Dascombe's Manor House Stables is another lot of note, as he is a half-brother to Group 3 winner Circumvent (GB)...

Last month's G2 Dante S. winner Thunderous (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) will sit out the rest of his 3-year-old campaign after picking up an injury while training. Trained by Mark Johnston for Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, Thunderous has won four of his five starts and bettered the highly regarded Highest Ground (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) by a neck in the Dante. Thunderous was preparing for a run in the Sept. 13 G1 Grand Prix de Paris. "Sadly Thunderous has met with an injury in training and it is something we are...

With vital course-and-distance experience to call upon, Mark Johnston's Gear Up (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) proved toughest in a war of attrition to land York's G3 Tattersalls Acomb S. on Wednesday. Successful over this seven-furlong trip on debut July 25, the 9-1 shot was placed prominently by Silvestre de Sousa from the outset and battled gamely to overhaul Spycatcher (Ire) (Vadamos {Fr}) close home. At the line, there was half a length between them, with the long-time leader Broxi (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) three lengths away in third having forced a...