IT’S A ROYAL ASCOTA DOUBLE By John Scanlon Baghdad and Main Editioon scoop honours for Kingsley Park T is hard to overstate the Royal Ascot 2018, he had trained a total of or Buratino’s success in the Coventry importance of Royal Ascot to Mark 41 Royal Ascot winners, including the Stakes just a few years ago? I Johnston. Simply put, it is the most winners of some of the great races of the Mark has also twice won the prize for important week in the racing meeting – the Gold Cup, with Double Leading Trainer at Royal Ascot and gone calendar. Trigger and Royal Rebel (twice); the St close to repeating that feat on a number of For those who genuinely aspire to be James’s Palace Stakes, with Bijou d’Inde; occasions. masters of their craft, whether they be the Coronation Stakes, with the great This year the Kingsley Park team of owners, breeders, jockeys or trainers, it is Attraction; and the King Edward VII horses looked a formidable one. That said, important to be involved in the thick of the Stakes, with Monterosso and again with some of the yard’s leading lights had to Ascot action. For Mark Johnston, it is Permian last year. bypass the meeting, for a variety of unthinkable not to achieve success there. The yard’s juveniles have also enjoyed reasons. Would a Kingsley Park team Over the years, Mark has assembled a great success there. Who can forget without such talents as Mildenberger, record of which he is rightly proud. Before Attraction’s win in the Queen Mary Stakes, Elarqam and Dee Ex Bee be able to add to Baghdad and Andrea Atzeni, nearside, win the King George V Stakes Baghdad’s owner Mohammed Bin Hamad Khalifa Al Attiya with Mark and groom Ratan Singh in the winner’s enclosure Mark’s Royal Ascot Roll of Honour? became part of the Royal Ascot and started as 9/2 favourite. Joseph We’re delighted to confirm that it could. programme in 1948. O’Brien’s Downdraft, impressive last time With two victories and a gallant second in Mark has won the race five times over out in a Navan handicap and John a Group 1 event, this year’s campaign was the years with high-class horses. Diaghilef Gosden’s Newbury winner, First Eleven, well up to standard and once again led the way in 1995, while Systematic and were others fancied to give a good account confirmed Mark’s status as one of the Fantastic Love won back-to-back renewals of themselves. leading trainers at the meeting. of the race in 2002/3. Linas Selection was In the race itself, Communique and The first of the yard’s two wins came on the winner in 2006 on his first run over the Baileys Excelerate battled for the lead, Thursday June 21 in a race in which the trip, a feat matched by Fennell Bay in with stablemates Baghdad and Elegiac yard has an exceptional record, The King 2012. This year, Mark appeared to have a settled in third and fourth. Turning for George V Stakes. This race, a handicap particularly strong hand in the race, home, Silvestre de Sousa had over a mile and a half restricted to three- entering six in-form horses. year-olds, was inaugurated in 1946 and After his impressive win in Newbury’s was actually run then in July as part of the London Gold Cup, the yard’s first fixture after the Royal Meeting. It Communique was the choice of the punters Continued on p.20 18 19 Continued from p.19 by his first win in the Group 3 Albany Stakes, a six-furlong event open to juvenile fillies. This race originated in 2002, when Main Edition wins the Albany Stakes it was run as the Henry Carnarvon Stakes, under James Doyle Communique at the head of affairs as in memory of the Queen’s racing manager, Baileys Excelerate just began to falter. the 7th Earl of Carnarvon, who had died Andrea Atzeni made a forward move on the previous year. It was promoted to Baghdad upon straightening up for home, Group 3 status in 2005. immediately pursued by Jim Crowley on In this year’s renewal of the race, which Corgi and Frankie Dettori on First Eleven. opened Friday’s card, Mark fielded Saif Baghdad, a Frankel colt owned by Ali’s Main Edition and Sheikh Hamdan Mohammed Bin Hamad Khalifa Al Attiya, bin Mohammed’s Octave. Aidan O’Brien’s dug deep to repel these challengers, and in Listed winner, Fairyland, and Curragh a tight finish held on to score from Corgi maiden winner, Just Wonderful, were all and First Eleven, the distances being a the rage in the betting, while dual winner neck and a nose. Main Edition started at odds of 7/1. The “We ran six in the race,” a relieved Mark race had a real international feel, with five told the Klarion, “and, to be honest, I different countries represented in the field. found it hard to split them before the race James Doyle took the ride on Main and during the race. Edition. “I told Baghdad’s owner before the race The 18-strong field split into two that I wasn’t sure how the horse would get groups, with Wesley Ward’s Stillwater on. He’s not the biggest and it was difficult Cove blazing a trail on the far side. Main to know if he was progressing. But he is a Edition led the nearside group, but the far tough little horse and we knew he would side definitely seemed to be favoured in stay every yard of the trip.” the early stages of the race. Winning jockey Andrea Atzeni was Travelling strongly throughout, Main complimentary about his partner. Edition was ridden to lead with two “Baghdad is a typical Mark Johnston furlongs to race, and although she edged horse in that he is very brave and wasn’t slightly to her right inside the final furlong, “We came here knowing Main Edition going to let anyone get by him,” he said. she kept finding more for James Doyle to was pretty useful,” admitted Mark after the Mark’s sixth success in the King George score by a neck from La Pelosa, with race. V Stakes was followed the next afternoon Fairyland half a length back in third. “We think our team of fillies is very Saif Ali and groom Paddy Trainor lead Main From left: David Redvers, James Doyle, Edition and James Doyle to the winner’s enclosure Saif Ali and Mark strong this year and her winning here says willing partner.” Alpha Centauri was rightly lauded for a a lot for our other horses too. There are With Mark’s Royal Ascot tally of fantastic performance here, but lots of good 2yo races to go this season, winners now standing on 43, he came close connections conceded that she was but we’ll work back from the Cheveley to making it 44 when Sheikh Hamdan bin perfectly suited by the conditions and Park.” Mohammed’s Threading finished second in Threading would have nothing to fear in a James Doyle admitted after the race he’d the Group 1 Coronation Stakes behind rematch should that materialise somewhere drawn a little inspiration from the Royal Alpha Centauri. The Exceed and Excel down the line. Hers was a career best Procession. filly ran an absolute cracker, finishing performance and she looks an exciting filly “I went up where the carriages went inside the previous course record for the to follow throughout the rest of the year. down earlier,” he said. round mile and defeating the winners of So the royal meeting is over for another “It must be slightly quicker but I had the English and French Guineas in the year. Goodbye Ascot, hello Newmarket, William Buick and Threading finish second in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes nothing to race with, and she was such a process. Goodwood, York . 20 21.