St Moritz takes Bunbury Cup for Mark Johnston
Mark Johnston has already clocked up yet another century of winners for the year and kept up the pursuit of last year’s incredible figure of 216 with a pair of valuable handicap wins on the final day of the July meeting at Newmarket.
St Moritz had been going close in his three starts this season, including third in the Royal Hunt Cup last month and finally got his reward in the won the 32Red Bunbury Cup. Frankie Dettori had him up with the pace from the start and asserted in the final two furlongs but still had to hold off a determined final-furlong run from Kieren Fallon on the topweight Palace Moon.
“I had a good draw, no-one took me on and he galloped right to the line. From two-and-a-half I wound it up and I had a good partner. He kept on stretching and he kept on running to the line.”
Earlier Sea Lord (pictured) won for Johnston in the 32Red Casino Handicap.
Sea Lord had done little wrong this season, bar an eighth place in the Britannia Stakes at Royal Ascot where he was drawn on the slow side of the course. With a number of front runners in the field the danger for 5lb claimer Amy Ryan was not going too fast. But Ryan had Sea Lord in the lead early on and then settled him in front and kept enough in reserve to hold the challenges First Cat and Dance East.
Johnston admitted that the booking of Ryan was a rare one for the yard but may well not be the last judged on the trainer’s opinion after this win. “I thought she was great, beautifully cool in front and then, when she did have to go for the stick, very balanced and a beautiful ride.
“He was in front a long time and they were queuing up to have a go at him but she kept her cool with horses looming up on all sides which was great.”
Ryan is the daughter of Yorkshire trainer Kevin Ryan and Johnston admitted that the booking was decided by the views of his own teenage son Charlie, who is something of a form judge.
“Frankie [Dettori] was down for the horse originally,” Johnston said. “With a penalty taking him above the maximum top weight it looked at one stage of being 10 stone. Psychologically you think three-year-olds don’t normally carry that so we thought we’d better put an apprentice on.
“I have to admit I’m not very up to date with who the leading apprentices are at the moment, so we phoned our son Charlie, in South Africa, and said ‘who’s best at 5lbs?’ And he said Amy Ryan.”
The jockey said that her instructions from the trainer were simple enough: “He said ‘just drop your hands on him and leave him alone’. I’ve watched a few of his race and a couple of times it looks like he was going to get swallowed up but he’s stuck his head out. He stuck his neck out – he wanted to win.”
Like trainer, like horse.
http://www.senore.com/Starspangledbanner-flies-proudly-in-July-Cup-a15694http://www.senore.com/King-Torus-crowned-in-Superlative-Stakes-a15685
Tags: