The Weekly Wrap

Proudly Scottish: Mark Johnston | Racing Post

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This is most certainly not a tipping column, but from this admittedly Scottish-biased corner it looks as though the 2017 winners of the Grand National and the Derby will both be trained by Scots.

The first half of the double has already been completed by Lucinda Russell and One For Arthur (Ire) (Milan {GB}), and come the first Saturday of June it will all be down to Permian (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). Mark Johnston may have migrated south from his homeland to establish a formidable stronghold in Middleham, but he remains fiercely proud of his Scottish roots, as demonstrated by the tartan livery of his staff at the races. The last Scottish-born trainer of a Derby winner was Henry Cecil, whose fourth victory in the race came in 1999, before he was knighted. It is both accepted and expected that each Flat season we will see winner after winner emanate from Kingsley House Stables, but adding his name to the Derby roll of honour is undoubtedly high on the wish-list of the famously competitive Johnston.

Followers of the Mark Johnston Racing Twitter account will regularly see banners flash up detailing each winner by number (Permian's G2 Dante S. victory was the stable's 54th success of the year) and among the many there's always been a decent sprinkling of group winners. None has perhaps been more important than the trainer's most admirable early warhorse, the G1 Gold Cup and treble G2 Goodwood Cup winner Double Trigger (Ire) (Ela-Mana-Mou {GB}), who is just one of a number of classy Johnston-trained stayers, along with such as Royal Rebel (GB) (Robellino) and Jukebox Jury (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Mister Baileys (GB) (Robellino) provided a first Classic success in the G1 2000 Guineas of 1994, a feat followed 10 years later in the fillies' version by Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}), who also won the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas. It is high time another Classic came Johnston's way.

Receiving such significant patronage from Sheikh Mohammed has been a blessing numerically, but it has meant that in the past, horses who have shown star potential early in their careers, such as G2 Royal Lodge S. winner Steeler (Ire) (Raven's Pass), have often been moved into the main Godolphin stables as 3-year-olds. Shamardal (Giant's Causeway) was another to have made this move, though under slightly different circumstances, while the purchase of the ultra-tough The Last Lion (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) by Godolphin last autumn signalled a premature end to his racing career and robbed Johnson of a potential top-notcher this season.

The decision to leave Permian in Yorkshire is already making amends for that, however. His detractors may point to the fact that the Darley-bred colt was plying his trade in handicaps as recently as Apr. 14, when he was beaten a neck into third at Bath. But look at his record since then. Beaten only a short-head in the Epsom Derby Trial by Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who arguably remains disproportionately short in the betting by comparison, Permian then made Ryan Moore's eyes light up when running out the easy winner of the Listed Newmarket S. before outgunning Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) at York in what is regularly one of the soundest Derby trials of all.

Throw into the mix the fact that you don't have to trawl too far back through Permian's pedigree to find an abundance of classy gallopers, not least Miesque (Nureyev), and that Johnston runners rarely shirk a battle, and you'll find plenty of good reasons to eschew a buttonhole of lucky heather on Derby day for a lucky thistle instead.

Stars Aligned For Niarchos Family…

While it is Miesque's full-sister Massaraat who appears as the grandam of Permian, Miesque herself is the great grandam of another of this week's highly impressive winners, the Niarchos family homebred Alpha Centauri (Ire). The statuesque daughter of the underrated Mastercraftsman (Ire) looks a year ahead of her peers physically and her facile listed success at Naas on Sunday rightly has Jessica Harrington dreaming of a Royal Ascot trophy to add to her extraordinary haul of National Hunt silverware this year.

A 'TDN Rising Star', Alpha Centauri and her dam Alpha Lupi (Ire) (Rahy)–out of Miesque's daughter East of the Moon–are each named after the brightest stars in the respective constellations of Centaurus and Lupus. It may be early in the season still, but the unbeaten Alpha Centauri is certainly living up to her prophetic title.

Nathaniel Has His Say…

Nathaniel (Ire) may have lived somewhat in Frankel's shadow on the racecourse, and that theme has continued with his first-crop runners as the offspring of the Juddmonte superstar have come under unrelenting media scrutiny. Frankel may have to play second fiddle on Oaks day, however, as Nathaniel now has two strong fancies for Epsom, ironically both owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah.

Current second-favourite for the G1 Investec Oaks is the Juddmonte-bred Enable (GB), the impressive winner of the Cheshire Oaks for John Gosden with a good dose of Sadler's Wells close up on each side of her pedigree. Also waltzing into contention on Saturday on the rain-softened turf of Newbury was Natavia (GB), who, like Arrogate, was a rare Juddmonte yearling purchase.

The half-sister to G1 Sun Chariot S. winner Spinning Queen (GB) (Spinning World) was an expensive foal at 300,000gns and her price doubled the following year when offered by Watership Down Stud during Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Sale. Already a listed winner, further success for Natavia, whether at Epsom or elsewhere, will be a double bonus for her breeder Newsells Park Stud, which also stands Nathaniel.

The stallion also provided the runner-up in Sunday's G2 Derby Italiano when Back On Board (Ire) finished five lengths adrift of Mac Mahon (Ity) (Ramonti {Fr}) to provide the quinella for Stefano Botti, who trained six of the 11 runners. Enormous credit for Back On Board must however go to his dam, the Italian listed winner Holy Moon (Ire) (Hernando {Fr}), who provided three consecutive winners of the G2 Oaks d'Italia between 2012-14 in Cherry Collect (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}), Charity Line (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}) and Final Score (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}). The last two named also won the G1 Premio Lydia Tesio.

Another of Nathaniel's offspring worth keeping an eye on is the Luca Cumani-trained God Given (GB), a half-sister to Postponed (Ire) who runs in the colours of her breeder St Albans Bloodstock and was second to Star Rock (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in what looked to be a well above average maiden at Newmarket on Saturday. God Given's two previous placed runs at two came behind subsequent G1 Prix Saint-Alary winner Sobetsu (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) on debut and G3 Musidora S. winner Shutter Speed (GB) (Dansili {GB}) on her second start, so the form looks rock solid.

Not So French…

It seems almost sacrilege to divert our attention from the Flat at this crucial time in the season, but homage must be paid to owner Magalen Bryant, who on Sunday saw her colours carried to victory in the G1 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris for an historic third year in succession. French jumps horse of the year Milord Thomas (Fr) (Kapgarde {Fr}) started the ball rolling in the 2015 and So French (Fr) (Poliglote {GB}) has just completed the notable double.

The 6-year-old So French was indeed bred and is trained in France. He is also by one of the country's most versatile sires in Haras d'Etereham's Poliglote, who provided the 2012 Arc winner Solemia (Ire), but he has two key international links through his owner and jockey.

The American-born Bryant has raced horses in France for more than three decades and bred Sheikh Mohammed's 2000 Guineas winner Pennekamp as well as the 1984 G1 Prix de la Salamandre winner Noblequest (Fr) (Gay Mecene). Now focused primarily on National Hunt racing, the popular 88-year-old is currently the leading owner in France in that discipline, with 23 winners already this year.

So French has struck up a fruitful partnership with the British jockey James Reveley, whose move to France nine years ago to ride principally for leading jumps trainer Guillaume Macaire was rewarded by him claiming the French championship in 2016 with 84 winners to his name.

 

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