Death of a legend

off his career in style by winning the champions I trained or might be lucky three elements of his stayers’ triple crown, Goodwood and Doncaster Cups. At enough to train in the future, I will always remembered the horse fondly. Doncaster, he was given a great be remembered more for having trained “He won Cups all around the country, reception by the Yorkshire Double Trigger than for anything else,” he whether it was at Doncaster, Goodwood crowd, led into the winners’ said. or Ascot, and everybody loved him,” he enclosure, and into “He captured the public’s imagination said. retirement, by an like no other animal I have been Recalling the horse’s early appearances emotional Geordie associated with, and rightly so.” on Middleham Moor, Jason remembered: Charlton, who looked Taking comfort from the fact that “He was just a playboy early doors. after him at the yard, Double Trigger appeared to be ‘in rude Before he ran he did one decent piece of and a young Robynne health until the end’, Mark asserted that work at home and went on to win at Watton, now Senior Double Trigger had enjoyed ‘a life well Redcar, which made everyone sit up and Travelling Manager. It lived’. take notice. He just kept improving from was a typical Trigger Owner Ron Huggins also paid heartfelt there.” success, finding more for tribute to the horse. Bloodstock expert Tony Morris once jockey Darryll Holland in the “Double Trigger was the horse of a summed up Double Trigger and his career closing stages to hold off the late lifetime for us,” he said. perfectly in one sentence. It seems challenge of Busy Flight having made “Horses like him become ‘public appropriate to finish this reflection with Darryll Holland and every yard of the running, stalked by the horses’ and the amount of fan mail and Tony’s well-chosen words: Double Trigger in 1998 joint-favourite Canon Can. messages we used to get about him was “Few horses in history have displayed Mark paid tribute to the great horse on phenomenal.” in such full measure the class, courage, the stable website. Jason Weaver, who rode Double stamina and durability that were his “It seems that, no matter what Trigger to 10 of his wins, including in all hallmarks.”

An emotional Geordie Charlton, with Mark by his side, leads in Double Trigger and Darryll Holland

OUBLE TRIGGER, the length success in a nine-furlong maiden, wins during the year included the Ascot legendary stayer whom Mark before landing the Listed Gold Cup, the and the D Johnston trained to land the over 10 furlongs at Newmarket, giving , the traditional stayers’ Stayers’ Triple Crown in Mark the first of his five winners of that Triple Crown. His defeat of his full 1995, has died at the age of 28 years and race. brother, Double Eclipse, at Goodwood 11 months, writes John Scanlon. As a three-year-old, Double Trigger remains one of the most memorable wins The chestnut son of Ela-Mana-Mou was forced to spend several months on the of any Johnston-trained horse. died on February 23 in his paddock at sidelines through injury, only returning to Double Trigger won the John and Sarah Haydon’s Clarendon Farm the track in August. Even so, he finished and the Henry II Stakes in 1996 before Stud in Wiltshire. It is suspected that the third in the St Leger at Doncaster before finishing second to in his horse suffered a heart attack. landing the Italian equivalent at Turin attempt to retain his Gold Cup crown. He Trigger was a remarkable horse in so later that autumn. 1995 proved to be the added a second Doncaster Cup win later many ways. Purchased for just 7,200 Irish great horse’s annus mirabilis. His five in the year, and in the following season Punts at the Goffs gained his Orby Sale in revenge on 1992, he was Classic Cliche unbeaten as a He captured the public’s imagination when landing the juvenile. He Goodwood Cup. surprised like no other animal I have been Second again everyone on his in the Ascot debut at Redcar, associated with, and rightly so showpiece in romping to a 10- 1998, he rounded 16 17