THE LION ROARS
On a day when the betting mattered little, The Last Lion (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) followed on where Brave Anna (War Front) had left off by recording a 25-1 surprise in Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. at Newmarket. Despite those odds, which were too large given the manner of his four-length success on his penultimate outing in Kempton's G3 Sirenia S., there were no excuses for beaten rivals and no fluke to this all-the-way victory under Joe Fanning who was gaining a long-overdue first top-level success on his 46th birthday. “The owner said if he was in the first five he'd have run well and although we always thought he was better on soft ground, it's quick today and he's done it well,” he said of John Brown and Megan Dennis's hard-campaigned bay who held off the 11-10 favourite Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) by 3/4 of a length. “He's had a long year, but he's very laid-back and I thought at Kempton he'd stay seven. It's nice to do this on one of Mark's.”
Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
JUDDMONTE MIDDLE PARK S.-G1, £180,000, NEW, 9-24, 2yo, c, 6fT, 1:12.13, g/f.
1–&THE LAST LION (IRE), 126, c, 2, by Choisir (Aus)
1st Dam: Mala Mala (Ire) (G1SP-Eng & Ire), by Brief Truce
2nd Dam: Breyani (Ire), by Commanche Run (GB)
3rd Dam: Molokai (Ire), by Prince Tenderfoot
(€82,000 Ylg '15 GOFORB). O-John Brown & Megan Dennis; B-Barronstown Stud & Mrs T Stack (IRE); T-Mark Johnston; J-Joe Fanning. £102,078. Lifetime Record: 10-4-4-2, $299,254. *1/2 to Contest (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), SW & GSP-Fr, SW-Ire & SP-Eng, $209,226; and Russian Rock (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), MSW-UAE, $366,147. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Blue Point (Ire), 126, c, 2, Shamardal–Scarlett Rose (GB), by Royal Applause (GB). (110,000gns Wlg '14 TATFOA; 200,000gns Ylg '15 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Oak Lodge Bloodstock (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. £38,700.
3–Mehmas (Ire), 126, c, 2, Acclamation (GB)–Lucina (GB), by Machiavellian. (62,000gns Ylg '15 TAOCT; 170,000gns 2yo '16 TATBRE). O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Epona Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Richard Hannon. £19,368.
Margins: 3/4, 2 1/4, HF. Odds: 25.00, 1.10, 6.00.
Also Ran: Intelligence Cross, Koropick (Ire), Mokarris, Medicine Jack (GB), Peace Envoy (Fr), Mubtasim (Ire), Silver Line (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Mark Johnston is an exponent of running horses as often as they can take it, which stems mainly from his veterinary background and this approach has paid off many times down the years for the trainer of the likes of Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}) and the sires Mister Baileys (GB), Lend a Hand (GB) and Double Trigger (Ire) among countless others. The Last Lion was out with the morning dew of the current British flat season, taking part in the “Brocklesby” Conditions S. on Doncaster's opening card Apr. 2 and joining a clutch of the stable's sharp-starting juveniles by winning with authority. Demoted from second to third behind Wesley Ward's Brocklesby absentee Create a Dream (Oasis Dream {GB}) in a conditions race at Ascot 25 days later, he ran second to Prince of Lir (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) attempting to give him seven pounds in a valuable conditions race at Beverley May 28 before filling the same spot again behind that rival on level terms in Royal Ascot's G2 Norfolk S. June 16. Back in action in Sandown's Listed Dragon S. July 1, he registered a well-deserved comprehensive success there before finishing three-lengths second to stablemate Yalta (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) in the G3 Molecomb S. at Glorious Goodwood July 27.
At that point, the tendency in Europe would be to overlook such a juvenile with no dramatic improvement in evidence after six runs and The Last Lion was 14-1 when stepped up from five furlongs in the G2 Gimcrack S. at York Aug. 20. Although he was only 4 3/4-lengths third to Blue Point there, he raised some eyebrows when impressive just a fortnight later in inflicting a four-length defeat on Koropick (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in the Sirenia on Kempton's Polytrack. Reverting to five for the G2 Flying Childers S. at Doncaster 15 days later, he again ran up to his high standard when 3/4-of-a-length second to the Listed Windsor Castle S. winner Ardad (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) but was largely dismissed by the punters with his seemingly exposed profile. He did, however, remain an unknown quantity entering this championship test, with just two runs at this distance on a sound surface and when allowed a relatively easy time on the lead for the first quarter mile was always going to prove a tough opponent. Blue Point sat behind with him in his sights, with Mehmas running a more languid race than usual after missing the break in contrast to Mokarris (More Than Ready) who raced far too freely. As The Last Lion entered the “dip”, only Blue Point came after him with any meaningful challenge but what was at one stage a half-length advantage grew inch by inch as they ascended to the line with the leader never looking likely to be reeled in. As a point of reference, his Sirenia victim Koropick was exactly the same four-length margin down on him at the line.
For Mark Johnston, the result marked a happy ending to a story which began with woe. “It is a fairytale, as we had his relative Mister Monet break his leg in the Champion Stakes here many years and when I saw this horse at Goffs from the same family I told John [Browne] he had to have him,” he explained. “I keep saying you shouldn't pigeon-hole horses after one or two runs. After the Brocklesby, Franny [Norton] said he'd be far better on faster ground but on his form behind Yalta at Goodwood everybody started to think that his only chance was with cut in the ground. Here he is, on fast ground running the race of his life on his tenth start of the year. I think that's enough for one year. It's fantastic for Joe [Fanning], who has ridden a huge number of winners for us over the years and usually doesn't get the opportunity to ride in group ones.”
Connections of TDN Rising Star Blue Point were far from downcast and are looking at next year's Royal Ascot meeting rather than the Guineas back here. “He travelled into the race nicely and he had a nice horse in front to aim at but full credit to the winner and he couldn't get past him, so no excuses,” trainer Charlie Appleby said. “If Mehmas hadn't have been third, beaten two and a quarter lengths, I might have questioned the form but he's beaten him so that's better. The [G1] Commonwealth Cup at Ascot is the most logical step at the moment.” Mehmas bows out now for his second career and Harry Herbert, racing manager to Al Shaqab Racing, paid tribute. “The show is over and he's going to stud and he's been a cracking horse. He's been tough and consistent and a great flag-bearer, especially among the two-year-olds, this year. He won the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood which was very special to us and the view from the Sheikh [Joaan] and the team in general was that he's a horse who has done what he's done. He's a commercial proposition and he's off to the Tally Ho Stud in Ireland where Kodiac stands. This horse has all of the attributes to be very successful as a stallion and he has great confirmation.”
Mala Mala, who was third in the G1 Cheveley Park S. and G1 Moyglare Stud S. as a 2-year-old before producing the classy sprinters Contest (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), a dual listed winner who was runner-up in the G3 Prix de Meautry, and Russian Rock (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), a dual Jebel Ali listed winner, is a half-sister to the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Tarascon (Ire) (Tirol {Ire}). Her other notable half-sibling is the G3 Rose of Lancaster S. and G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano winner Mister Monet (Ire) (Peintre Celebre) that Mark Johnston was referring to in his post-race interview. Also featuring in this family are the Australian luminaries Serene Majesty (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), Fravashi (Aus) (Falbrav {Ire}), Pure Joy (Aus) (Fusaichi Pegasus), Alegria (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), Vivacious Spirit (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}), Costa Viva (Aus) (Encosta de Lago {Aus}) and Snowland (Aus) (Snippets {Aus}), as well as the G1 Futurity S.-winning sire Al Hareb and G1 Prix Morny-winning sire Myboycharlie (Ire). Mala Mala has an as-yet unnamed yearling colt by Power (GB) to come.
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