Mark Johnston in prime form for Goodwood
Mark Johnston has never been afraid to cast his net wide in search of winners as proven by the fact that he has been the leading trainer at the Glorious Goodwood meeting seven times, despite it being 300 miles away from his Middleham yard.
While he was supervising his runners at Ascot, Lady Jane Digby rewarded the patience of her owner, Kirsten Rausing, when he home-bred won the Group One Grosser Dallmayr-Preis Bayerisches at Munich.
Greg Fairley was always up with the lead which meant that he was in the right place on what was only a moderate pace set by White Lightning. Fairly slipped through a gap between White Lightning and Scolari to lead with about two furlongs to run and, typical of so many Johnston-trained runners, the mare then repelled all challengers to beat Night Magic by a length with Goldolphin’s Alexandros, ridden by Frankie Dettori, in third.
Lady Jane Digby, whose best previous victory had come in a Group Three at Bremen last year, provided Fairley with the biggest win of his career. "It really is wonderful, obviously it was a little bit of a shot in the dark with taking her to Group One company but she's been running really well. She's a fantastically consistent, tough horse.
"It's wonderful for the owner who’s been so patient with her. She broke the point of her hip at the end of last season and I think most people would have retired her at that, but Kirsten decided to give her another go, actually with the EP Taylor in Canada at the end of the year as the target. But we decided to have a shot at this Group One along the way.
"Kirsten's a wonderful owner, she’s so patient. It’s great to have an owner-breeder like that in the yard and I've trained several of the family and it’s just smashing for the filly and the owner. Most owners would have retired her but Kirsten had a lot of faith in her, and I really wanted even a place in a Group One before retiring to stud and it’s paid off.”
Although she is entered for the Yorkshire Oaks, the Arlington Million, in Chicago on August 21st, is a more likely race.
Johnston also saddled a double at Ascot, with Bay Willow and Malthouse, and the treble took the trainer’s tally for the month so far to 36. But it was rising 5lb claimer John Fahy who grabbed the plaudits at Ascot. The Irishman, who was formerly with John Oxx in Ireland and now apprenticed to Ralph Beckett, has now ridden 20 winners this year.
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