By Tom Frary
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 second group 1 winner of the weekend in France for the stable and sire had two lengths to spare over fellow 3-year-old and 11-10 favourite Valia (Fr) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), with the 2018 winner Holdthasigreen (Fr) (Hold That Tiger) clinging gamely to third place 2 1/2 lengths behind. “He was very brave and we knew he would enjoy the ground, so I was determined to ride him that way,” jockey Joe Fanning explained. “He was a little bit keen going to post, but once he got in front he pricked his ears and was fine. I was trying to save a bit throughout and when I got to the straight he started to lug a bit left with me and I was worried he'd throw it away. He's never done it before, but has a bent front shoe so whether that has something to do with it, I'm not sure. He's a tough stayer and he's improving.”
A day after the stable's similarly cheap purchase Gear Up (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) had prevailed in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, Subjectivist was rounding off the current season in style for the Middleham trainer who has made no secret of his love of the stayers' program. While he has had to endure near-misses in most of Britain's major “Cup” events in recent times, this latest recruit is unexposed over marathon trips and could be one to provide some more heydays in the category in 2021. Runner-up in the Listed Stonehenge S. over a mile at Salisbury last August, the bay has progressed with each start since moving to middle distances as a 3-year-old and on his third outing captured the 11-furlong Listed Glasgow S. at Hamilton July 16. Third in the G3 Gordon S. at Goodwood July 30 and seventh in York's G2 Great Voltigeur S. Aug. 19, he moved up to 14 furlongs to dominate the March before finishing seventh in a strong renewal of Doncaster's Sept. 12 G1 St Leger from which three winners had already emerged before Sunday.
Subjectivist is the third foal out of the triple listed-placed Reckoning (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), with her second being this stable's Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}) who also took the March S. before finishing runner-up in the St Leger. Also responsible for the recent G2 Rockfel S. third Alba Rose (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), she is fast establishing a formidable reputation as a producer of note. Kin to the GIII My Charmer H. runner-up Hope Cross (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), she is a granddaughter of Aspiration (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) who is a full-sister to the G1 Gran Criterium hero and G1 Irish Derby runner-up Sholokhov (Ire). Connected to the G1 Irish Derby and G1 Coronation Cup hero Soldier of Fortune (Ire) (Galileo {Ire), the G1 Dewhurst S. winner Intense Focus (Giant's Causeway) and the G1 Moyglare Stud S. heroine Skitter Scatter (Scat Daddy), Reckoning's yearling filly is by Ulysses (Ire) while she also has a colt foal by Roaring Lion.
Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX ROYAL-OAK-G1, €210,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-25, 3yo/up, 15 1/2fT, 3:38.68, hy.
1–SUBJECTIVIST (GB), 122, c, 3, by Teofilo (Ire)
1st Dam: Reckoning (Ire) (MSP-Eng), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Great Hope (Ire), by Halling
3rd Dam: Aspiration (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (62,000gns Ylg '18 TAOCT). O-Dr J Walker; B-Mascalls Stud (GB); T-Mark Johnston; J-Joe Fanning. €119,994. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, 15-4-4-2, €225,070. *1/2 to Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}), GSW & G1SP-Eng, $414,683. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Valia (Fr), 120, f, 3, Sea the Stars (Ire)–Veda (Fr), by Dansili (GB). O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan's Studs SC (FR); T-Alain de Royer-Dupre. €48,006.
3–Holdthasigreen (Fr), 130, g, 8, Hold That Tiger–Greentathir (Fr), by Muhtathir (GB). O/B-Jean Gilbert & Claude Le Lay (FR); T-Bruno Audouin. €24,003.
Margins: 2, 2HF, NK. Odds: 6.00, 1.10, 8.60.
Also Ran: Princess Zoe (Ger), Mister Nino (Fr), Get Shirty (Ire), Libello (Ire), Hooking (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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