Mark Johnston

During a session which saw just 10 horses through the ring fail to change hands, the Ralph Beckett-trained and Juddmonte Farms-owned Fabilis (GB) (Frankel {GB}) fetched 350,000gns to establish a new record at the Tattersalls August Sale in Newmarket. The transaction easily eclipsed the previous top price of 220,000gns from last year's inaugural event. An own brother to G3 Darley Club S. hero Monarchs Glen (GB) and produced by a half-sister to G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Nebraska Tornado (Storm Cat), Fabilis, cataloged as lot 380, was a maiden...

Trading as the largely unconsidered 25-1 outsider-of-five for Wednesday's G3 Tattersalls Acomb S. at York, Highclere Thoroughbred Racing's Royal Patronage (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) turned that logic on its head with a command performance from the front. Coming off an impressive five-length success over this seven-furlong trip in an Epsom novice July 29, the bay was on his mettle at the break and a sharp getaway yielded immediate control. Unflustered on the lead down the centre of the track in the straight, he bore all the hallmarks of a typical...

Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}) could be facing retirement from racing after re-aggravating the suspensory injury that forced him to the sidelines for the entirety of his 4-year-old campaign last year, trainer Mark Johnston told Racing Post. Paul Dean's 5-year-old entire finished third in Tuesday's G1 Goodwood Cup, but was promptly pulled up by Franny Norton 300 yards after the finish line and brought back in the horse ambulance for assessment. "He has re-injured the old suspensory injury that kept him out during 2020," Johnston told Racing Post. "It...

Two-time Group 1 winner Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), who won the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot last month, has sustained a leg injury that puts him out of action until at least next season. A Dr. Walker colourbearer, the 4-year-old entire was targeting the G1 Goodwood Cup on July 27. A winner of the G1 Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp in October, the bay continued his rich vein of form with a victory at Meydan in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup on Mar. 27 and was making his first start...

Two-time Group 1 winner Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), who won the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot last month, has sustained a leg injury that puts him out of action until at least next season. A Dr. Walker colourbearer, the 4-year-old entire was targeting the G1 Goodwood Cup on July 27. A winner of the G1 Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp in October, the bay continued his rich vein of form with a victory at Meydan in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup on Mar. 27 and was making his first start...

On each day of Royal Ascot, there was at least one result truly to savour, if not more. Moreover, the meeting in its entirety felt at last like a return to some sort of normality. Even the British weather played its typically quirky part: boiling one day, rain of biblical proportions the next. One regrettable absence was the buzz of the crowd. The maximum number of 12,000 attendees per day is of course low by usual standards. With the late announcement that even this number would be permitted, not to...

There was to be no fourth Gold Cup for Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) on Thursday, as the King of Royal Ascot had to surrender his crown to the ultra-impressive Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) in a renewal set to enter into the meeting's folklore. While Mark Johnston's relentless galloper was a worthy winner and can justifiably be viewed as one of the race's best, the outcome was marred by the trouble-in-running that the three-times winner encountered as the fortune of the Gosden icon met an abrupt turn. Stuck in...

Group 1 winner Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) emerged from a Friday training incident in good order and is second choice in the G1 Gold Cup to dethrone Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) on June 17. The 4-year-old entire, who won the G1 Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp last October and the G2 Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan in March, fell en route to the gallops on Friday. "We had a scare on Friday, he fell over and skinned both knees and his hocks but just superficial grazes," Mark Johnston told...

Coolmore's Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) became the latest European freshman sire off the mark when the Mark Johnston-trained even-money favourite Highland Premiere (GB) shed maiden status in Thursday's EBF Restricted Novice S. going a shade over six furlongs at Hamilton. The 32,000gns Tattersalls December foal and 15,000gns October Book 2 yearling had earlier posted an Apr. 15 debut fourth over five at Ripon before running third upped to six in a May 18 Nottingham maiden last time. Prominent throughout, he was stoked up when tackled by Smullen (Ire) (Camacho...

There are 19 colts remaining in the 1 1/2-mile G1 Cazoo Derby at Epsom Downs on Saturday, June 5. Leading the way is current favourite and G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial S. hero Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), one of six for Aidan O'Brien and the various Coolmore partners. Joining the G3 Ballysax S. victor from Ballydoyle are: former race favourite High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who won the G2 Beresford S. at two and was third in the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. to Godolphin's Hurricane Lane...

Group 1 winner Gear Up (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) is still pointing to the G1 Cazoo Derby over 1 1/2 miles on June 5, according to connections. The colt, who won the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud over 10 furlongs last term, ran fifth in the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. at York in mid-May. The bay also scooped the G3 Tattersalls Acomb S. at two. Charlie Johnston, son and assistant trainer to father Mark, said, "Gear Up is still Epsom bound. Although he is a 33-1 shot, I think,...

York wraps up its three-day Dante meeting on Friday, with the G2 Matchbook Yorkshire Cup the dominant prize as the older stayers have their moment. Mark Johnston has made no secret of his passion for this category and 2021 promises to be his best year for some time with a trio of star names in the division hailing from Kingsley House Stables. While perhaps the chief member Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) is not on the Knavesmire, the other two are and his half-brother Sir Ron Priestley (GB) (Australia {GB}) has...