Sponsored by
Johnston eases to famous five in Vase
AFTER attributing two near-misses at Royal Ascot to poor draws, Mark Johnston had no such ill-luck in the Queen's Vase – a race which may now have to be renamed in his honour.
Holberg's success yesterday, stretching right away from his rivals under Joe Fanning, was the Middleham trainer's fifth victory in the last nine renewals of the two-mile contest.
If it continues, the canny Scot may find himself subject of a Monopolies Commission inquiry.
"He'd been a good horse all winter and Joe rode him in the Glasgow Stakes at Hamilton where we thought he was our first string," said a relieved Johnston afterwards.
"We won the race with Parthenon but Joe missed the kick and didn't want to hassle his stable companion for the lead.
"That meant we didn't see him in his best light. Clearly the further he goes, the better he is. I've not thought about the St Leger. He might be a Cup horse next year."
A 7-1 shot, Fanning sent Holberg to the fore early on in the straight.
The three-year-old switched to the rail and really began to find top gear with two furlongs to run.
He only had to be kept up to his work in the closing stages to beat the staying-on Yankee Doodle (11-2) by four lengths.
Fanning added: "They went a little bit slow, but once they turned into the straight we came back on the bridle and he galloped all the way up the hill.
"I thought he'd run better than he did at Hamilton.
"But, like Mark said, the pace was slow – he could have been more impressive if they'd gone quicker today."
The victory certainly made amends for Johnston's Lovelace missing out on Royal Hunt Cup honours on Wednesday, after receiving an unfavourable draw on the far side, and Capercaillie only coming fourth in the Queen Mary Stakes on the same day.
Lovelace is certainly a horse to follow – the five-year-old cut through the pack like a knife through butter under top weight, but found his group well in arrears and finished ninth overall.
Expect a big performance should he turn out for the Bunbury Cup at Newmarket's July meeting.
The undoubted highlight of yesterday's Royal Ascot card was the emphatic manner of 1000 Guineas heroine Ghanaati's victory in the Coronation Stakes, producing a jaw-dropping display to break the course record in this Group One heat over a mile.
It was as impressive as Yeats' fourth successive Gold Cup victory the previous day.
With fellow Classic winners Again and Elusive Wave, not to mention champion two-year-old Rainbow View, in the line-up, this was a stellar renewal. Trained by Barry Hills, and ridden by his son Richard, this was a victory to savour; the 2-1 favourite, owned by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, waltzed into the lead soon after passing the two-furlong marker, and the race was over in an instant.
"There are only two women in my life, my wife and this filly," said Hills junior.
"She's aptly named because in Arabic, Ghanaati means 'My Love' and she's certainly that today.
"I'm very pleased for my father as there was plenty of emotion – she performed beautifully.
"I heard someone say the time was very good – the course record – so that is great, I'm absolutely delighted.
"She's the best filly I've ridden, without a doubt.
"My dad never lets me take the handbrake off her at home, and for a very good reason."
Email to a friend
Print this page- Three-inch blanket of snow heading our way today
- Alan Shearer in list of favourites for Leeds and England jobs: Latest odds
- Barnsley’s Keith Hill invokes Fawlty Towers over link with Leeds job
- McCormack feels United search can be narrowed down
- Redfearn throws down gauntlet as queue builds at Elland Road
- Rival chips in with £500,000 to restore the original Harry Ramsden’s
- Visit from Princess as Serbian culture celebrated
- SportsTalk: Leeds United’s manager search, Super League and Calcutta Cup
- Libraries aren’t like supermarkets, they are magical places where dreams begin
- Strategic review will lead to job losses at Yorkshire Bank
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
