THOSE GOLDEN MOMENTS

This month JOHN SCANLON looks back to June 2015 and Buratino’s victory in the Group 2 at Royal Ascot

HEN Buratino flashed Acclamation who produced a career-best colt, Air Force Blue, an impressive winner past the post to take the performance to scorch home on the rail, of his sole previous run in a Curragh W Coventry Stakes at the while Buratino led the remainder of the maiden. Royal meeting, it was a field home. The field split into two groups in the first success in the historic race for trainer Back over six furlongs in Epsom’s early stages, with Buratino held up by Mark Johnston, jockey and on Derby Day, Buratino William Buick at the back of the group owners . was bumped at the start and was slow to racing towards the stands’ side of the Established in 1890, the track. Always travelling Coventry Stakes commemorates powerfully, Buratino was George William Coventry, the 9th produced with more than a Earl of Coventry. A former furlong to run, taking the lead just Master of the Buckhounds, as Air Force Blue was making a Coventry had a long association forward move, and pulling clear with as an owner of that rival in the closing stages and breeder. Remarkably, he won to score by two lengths, with successive runnings of the Grand Eltezam the same distance back National with Emblem (1863) in third. Beaverbrook and Ode To and Emblematic (1864), and on Evening ran great races too, the Flat his Verdict won the finishing fourth and fifth many years later. respectively. On the introduction of the The time figure for the race Pattern, the race was classified as was an impressive 0.57 fast, and a Group 3 event, but it was when added to the manner of the elevated to Group 2 level in 2004. colt’s success, this was clearly a Long established as one of the top-class effort from the colt at premier races in the juvenile the highest level. calendar, the race has been won After this fabulous by some legendary names in performance, the Group 2 winner British racing, including Rock completed his juvenile campaign Sand, , , Tudor with two placed efforts in Group Minstrel, and Royal 1 company. Having finished third Applause. in the at the On the first day of the 2015 Buratino and William Buick win the 2015 Coventry Stakes Curragh, Buratino turned in Flat season, Buratino turned out perhaps his career-best in a maiden race at Chelmsford. performance in the Middle Park The son of Exceed and Excel overcame a get going. However, he recovered well, Stakes. After a determined effort to catch tardy start to score in good style from bursting into the lead under William Buick the and winner, Young John, an Acclamation colt who before storming clear in the final furlong. , the Exceed and Excel colt had to won next time out in a maiden at Chester’s At the post, Buratino had won by six give best by half a length, but finished two May meeting. lengths from Nelspruit, a performance lengths’ clear of the remainder of the field. It was something of a red-letter day for which sealed his place in the Coventry Johnston Racing; having run three Stakes at the Royal meeting, just 10 days LAS, Buratino failed to fire as a juveniles on the day, all three were later. A three-year-old, but this should winners, with Rah Rah taking a Kempton Buratino was one of three stable runners not detract from his juvenile maiden and Ravenhoe winning the in the field of 17 who went to post for the brilliance, which earned him a Timeform Brocklesby at Doncaster to make it an Coventry, the others being Beaverbrook rating of 118. electric start to the Flat campaign. and Ode To Evening, and one of 12 So, how, then, to sum up Buratino’s Buratino scored again in a Newmarket juveniles from Johnston Racing to run at achievements as a juvenile? Well, Darley’s novice event in mid-May, stepping up to the meeting as a whole. The market leader current banner advertising Buratino’s six furlongs with aplomb and winning in was Godolphin’s Round Two, winner of talents online puts it nicely: ‘G1 juvenile the capable hands of . the Listed Marble Hill Stakes at the who won on the first day of the season. Sent to Sandown to contest the National Curragh, where he had defeated Won the G2 Coventry in a faster time than Stakes, back at five furlongs, Buratino ran Washington DC by two lengths, while Calyx and the Woodcote faster than www.johnston.racing into King of Rooks, another son of Aidan O’Brien relied on the .’ 27