Mark Johnston

Can you see her still, in your mind's eye, that dark bay filly with a gait so ungainly as to almost belie her brilliance? Almost. But make no mistake, Attraction was brilliant, with a steeliness to match. The Irn Bru of racehorses: made in Scotland from girders. "People label horses as tough and talk about horses like Double Trigger being tough. Well, he wasn't particularly tough. I've encountered three horses in my career, I would say, that were exceptionally tough and they were all mares." So says Mark Johnston, the...

Dual Group 1 winner Jukebox Jury, an emerging force in the National Hunt stallion ranks, has died at the age of 19. "It is with great sadness that we announce Jukebox Jury has been euthanised due to complications following colic surgery," read the statement posted to social media by Burgage Stud, home to the son of Montjeu since 2018. "He had a lovely, kind personality and was a pleasure to work with. He will be greatly missed, but we are thankful he came to Burgage and the impact he has...

Group 1 winner Dubai Mile (Ire) (Roaring Lion) sustained an injury to his near-hind fetlock in a piece of work at Martyn and Freddie Meade's on Monday, and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. "We were preparing him to run in the [G2] Sky Bet York S. when he suffered a conjugal fracture on his near-hind fetlock, so it is an absolute tragedy," Martyn Meade told the Press Association. "We were giving him his last bit of work yesterday on our watered peat moss gallop, which...

Dual Group 1 winner Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}--Reckoning {Ire, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}) has been retired from racing, his former trainer Mark Johnston revealed on Friday afternoon. Stud plans for the 2021 Gold Cup winner are pending. The Dr. Jim Walker-owned 6-year-old is now trained by Mark's son Charlie. In his first start back from sustaining an injury after his Gold Cup victory, the March foal was unplaced in the G3 Red Sea Turf H. in Saudi Arabia in February. He bounced back with two third-place efforts in the G2...

The Johnston approach to sourcing talent sounds terribly simplistic and there's no doubting that it has appeared that way through the oodles of success the Middleham men have had on the racecourse. But this year was an important one for the Johnstons with Charlie taking over from his father Mark, the winningmost trainer of all time in Britain, who opened up on how he tackles the yearling sales to TDN Europe last year. Given the importance of Charlie enjoying a productive debut season as a full-fledged trainer and the need...

Not seen since Royal Ascot success two years ago, Group 1 winner Subjectivist (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) could return on the Saudi Cup undercard in Riyadh next month, according to trainer Charlie Johnston. "Entries closed yesterday morning for the Saudi Cup meeting and Subjectivist has been entered in the [G3] Red Sea Turf H.--[the] 1 mile and 7-furlong race," Johnston said. Winner of the 2021 G1 Gold Cup June 17, the now-6-year-old was previously victorious in the 2020 G1 Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp on Oct. 25 and the 2021 G2 Dubai...

Charlie Johnston has revealed that he has ambitions of training at least 200 winners in his own name in 2023 after taking over fully from his record-breaking father Mark at the turn of the year.  After a year sharing the licence with his son, Mark Johnston confirmed that Charlie would take the reins this season, and it didn't take the new master of Middleham long to get off the mark with just his second runner Asdaa (Ire) (Dutch Art {GB}) scoring at Kempton on Wednesday.  That tally was quickly doubled...

Britain's winningmost trainer Mark Johnston is set to cease training under a joint-licence on Jan. 1, 2023 and cede his licence. His son Charlie, with whom he has trained in partnership throughout 2022, will now hold the licence solely. However, the elder Johnston and his wife, Deirdre, will continue in their roles at Johnson Racing, Ltd. Charlie has a number of entries in his own name for the first week of 2023. The Johnstons released the following statement to the TDN on Friday, "With effect from 1st Jan. 2023, the...

Tim Cohen did not come halfway around the world to walk away from the Tattersalls table when the stakes get higher and the American-based agent did not blink in securing I'm A Gambler for 850,000gns on behalf of Red Baron's Barn and Rancho Temescal on day two of the Autumn Horses In Training Sale.  I'm A Gambler (Ire) (No Nay Never), a typical Charlie and Mark Johnston-trained runner who has gone from strength to strength this season and was last seen winning a Listed event at Redcar, will continue his...

Group 1 winner Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) (lot 749) is one of the highlights of the 1552-strong Tattersalls Autumn Horses-in-Training Sale catalogue that was released on Tuesday. Set for Monday, Oct. 24 to Thursday, Oct. 27, the sale--which contains 70 group and listed performers--begins at 9:30 a.m. each day. Offered by The Castlebridge Consignment, Thunder Moon was trained by Joseph O'Brien and won the G1 National S. as a juvenile. Part of a 155-strong draft, he currently holds a rating of 108 by Timeform, and was also placed in...

Few, if any, trainers have been in more consistent form this season than William Haggas, who now finds himself atop the table in Britain, with a strike-rate of 27% for the season. His earnings of £4,611,340 at the time of writing place him narrowly ahead of reigning champion Charlie Appleby. Top of the Somerville Lodge list of horses, and the earner of roughly a third of the yard's prize-money this year, is of course arguably the best horse in the world, Baaeed (GB), around whom continues to swirl uncertainty as...

Ahmad Al Shaikh's twice-raced 2-year-old colt Dubai Mile (Ire) (Roaring Lion--Beach Bunny {Ire}, by High Chaparral {Ire}), a €20,000 Goffs Orby graduate, notched a landmark score for Mark Johnston when making all in Wednesday's British Stallion Studs EBF Restricted Novice S. at Kempton. The March-foaled chestnut, who was let go as the 6-5 favourite, became the trainer's 5,000th winner when annexing the one-mile test by an impressive four lengths from 13-8 market rival Super Mo (Uncle Mo). 1st-Kempton, £6,800, Nov, 8-24, 2yo, 8f (AWT), 1:42.35, st/sl. DUBAI MILE (IRE) (c,...