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OYAL ASCOT is simply themost important week of theyear for Johnston Racing.

Having amassed 43winners at the meeting over the years,Mark and the team always make it atarget for their best horses, looking toadd to their impressive record ofsuccess in those five days in June whichsee some of the best quality Flat racinganywhere in the world.

And at Royal Ascot 2019, the yardturned up trumps once again, comingaway with two great winners: RafflePrize in the Queen Mary Stakes andBaghdad in theDuke of EdinburghStakes. On top ofthose were anoutstanding secondand two thirds,with that runner-upslot going to DeeEx Bee in thecentrepiece of themeeting, the GoldCup, for Dee Ex Bee.

For those who genuinely aspire to bemasters of their craft, whether they beowners, breeders, jockeys or trainers, itis important to be involved in the thickof the Royal Ascot action.

Over the years, Mark has assembledan Ascot record of which he is rightlyproud. He has trained the winners ofsome of the great races of the meeting –the Gold Cup, with Double Trigger andRoyal Rebel (twice); the St James’sPalace Stakes, with Bijou d’Inde; theCoronation Stakes, with the greatAttraction; and the King Edward VIIStakes, with Monterosso and again withPermian.

For good measure, Mark has also wonthe prize for Leading Trainer at RoyalAscot on two occasions, and gone closeto repeating that feat several times. But

that great record of success brings withit a measure of responsibility. For mosttrainers, a win at Royal Ascot wouldsimply be a fantastic achievement. ForMark Johnston, it is unthinkable not toachieve success there.

So there was relief all round whenRaffle Prize won the first race of thesecond day of the meeting, the QueenMary Stakes. In 2003 Attraction becamethe yard’s first winner of the race, whichis named after the consort of KingGeorge V. It was established in 1921and elevated to Group 2 status in 2004.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed’s

Raffle Prize, a Slade Power filly out ofthe Pivotal mare, Summer Fete, hadmade a promising debut in a Newmarketnovice event at the Craven meeting.She went on to land a Chester maiden insome style in late May, defeating TheNew Marwan by five lengths.

Raffle Prize was one of 25 fillies whowent to post for this year’s race. Asever, the race was targeted by Americantrainer Wesley Ward, who has won therace three times, with Jealous Again(2009), Acapulco (2015) and LadyAurelia (2016). Frankie Dettori,successful in the race on Bint Allayl(1998) and on Lady Aurelia, was calledup to partner Raffle Prize.

Run in a rainstorm, the field split intotwo groups. The stands’ side group wasled by the Ward-trained pair, Kimari andAnna’s Fast, with Raffle Prize racing

prominently. Passing the furlongmarker, Kimari was travelling thestronger under jockey John Velazquez,but Frankie Dettori conjured a fantasticrun out of Raffle Prize, who held ontenaciously to land the Group 2 contest,and prize-money of more than £62,000,by a head.

The favourite Final Song, another torace on the stands’ side, finished well toland third place, beaten a further length.

Raffle Prize gave Frankie Dettori histhird win in the race, his 61st RoyalAscot winner and his first win of whatturned out to be a stellar week for the

Italian jockey. “I knew it would

take a good one tobeat Wesley’s,” helater told the press,“but I knew my fillyhad won over sixfurlongs, so I tookhim on early andmade it a true test ofstamina.”

A delighted Mark Johnston mused onhow difficult it is to assess the juvenileraces at Royal Ascot.

“We thought Raffle Prize deserved tobe here, but you can’t say how good sheis in relation to the others,” he told theKlarion.

“We thought she had a great chance.” Mark went on to heap praise on

jockey Dettori. “You couldn’t be in a better position

in a race and I knew we were trackingthe right one,” he confided.

“Frankie was a true professional as ayoung jockey back in 1993, and I knowhe is now a superstar. On the big day,he’s special.”

Interviewed by Oli Bell for ITVRacing, Mark went on to suggest thatDettori is worthy of the title “greatestjockey”.

It’s a regal doublJOHN SCANLON on wins in Queen

Mary and Duke Of Edinburgh

which take yard’s tally to 45

R

I knew it would take agood one to beat

Wesley’s so I made it atrue test of stamina

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le at Royal Ascot

“No disrespect to Lester (Piggott), butis Frankie not the greatest jockey now?”he asked.

The winning filly is out of the Pivotalmare, Summer Fete. She won the OakTree Stakes (Group 3) at GloriousGoodwood as a three-year-old. In theimmediate aftermath of the race, Mark

said there were no firm plans for thewinner, but having won a Group 2 atsuch a prestigious meeting connectionswill no doubt be dreaming of Group 1targets in the fullness of time.

The yard’s second winner of themeeting came in the final race on thefourth day, courtesy of Baghdad in the

Duke of Edinburgh Stakes. It was a yearto the day since his win in the KingGeorge V Stakes at Royal Ascot 2018.

Mohammed Bin Hamad Khalifa Al

Clockwise from top left:

Hayley Kelly with

Raffle Prize

Raffle Prize, right,

wins the Queen Mary

Stakes under Frankie

Dettori

Duke Of Edinburgh

Stakes winner

Baghdad with jockey

Ryan Moore, groom

Paddy Trainor and

Senior Travelling

Manager Robynne

Watton

Continued on p.20

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Attiya’s Frankel colt fractured hiscannon bone when winning at RoyalAscot last year. As a result he was offthe track for 302 days before making hiscomeback in a hot handicap atNewcastle in April.

The four-year-old confirmed his well-being with a smooth win at Newmarketin a mile and a half handicap in earlyMay. From that point on, the plan was torun in handicap company at Royal Ascotas another win might have boosted hisrating too high.

The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes waspreviously known as the BessboroughStakes, but was renamed in honour ofPrince Philip in 1999.

It’s a race that the yard has taken onthree occasions – first, with TakamakaBay in 2001, then with Drill Sergeant in2009 and latterly with Fox Hunt in2011.

Baghdad and Aquarium were thestable representatives among the 19horses who went to the start for thisyear’s renewal. Baghdad, racing off a

stone higher mark than in the KingGeorge V Stakes, was the mount ofRyan Moore, while Franny Nortonpartnered Aquarium.

As Byron Flyer made the running,Baghdad was caught wide and raced inmidfield, with Aquarium slightly furtherback in the field. Making headway asthe field approached the home turn,Baghdad was carried slightly furtherwide but responded well to RyanMoore’s urgings to take the lead over afurlong from home.

Fantastic

Initially chased by Corgi, the coltthen had to withstand the late charge ofanother Frankel colt, Ben Vrackie, underan inspired Frankie Dettori. As theyflashed past the post together it was byno means certain that Baghdad had hungon. But the photo confirmed it: he hadwon by a short head, with Fujaira Princea length and a half back in third. Theprize-money was £56,000.

A beaming Mark welcomed thewinner back into the winner’senclosure.

“It’s fantastic for the horse,” he toldthe Klarion.

“Baghdad fractured his cannon bonein winning here last year and has hadonly two runs back from injury. Wesaved him for this a little bit as anotherstep up in the handicap could have ruledhim out of it. We took this race inbefore, possibly, bigger and betterthings.”

Mark was also full of praise forwinning jockey Ryan Moore.

“We had to go wide round the bendand I wouldn't have imagined Ryan wastotally happy with his position,” Marksaid.

“But he had to commit to make surehe got a clear run. He did well."

Baghdad has a range of optionsavailable to him, with an entry in theGroup 1 Irish St Leger catching the eye.

The stable double took Mark’s tallyof career Royal Ascot wins to 45. Some

Continued from p.19 Baghdad and Ryan Moore (left) dig deep to defeat Frankie

Dettori and Ben Vrackie in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes

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other runners came close to adding tothat tally, and how sweet it would havebeen had last year’s Derby second DeeEx Bee managed to dethroneStradivarius in the Gold Cup.

EE EX BEE led for most ofthe marathon journey anddespite being headed in thefinal stages battled back

bravely and was only a length down onthe winner at the line.

The runner-up slot carried prize-money of £107,000.

Charlie Johnston later told RacingTV: “Dee Ex Bee has come out of the

Gold Cup well and, although we are nolonger in the running for the WHStayers’ Million, the Qatar GoodwoodCup looks a fairly obvious next target.

“We were very pleased with the horse– I don’t think there was any reason notto be. It was a great run in defeat andagain he showed what a fantasticattitude he has, coming from lookinglike he would finish third or fourth atthe furlong marker to getting back upfor second in the final stride.

“The winner is a true champion whohas shown now over the last 18 monthsthat regardless of what conditions arethrown at him, he finds a way to win.”

Clockwise from top: Dee Ex Bee under Silvestre de Sousa; Jim Crowley aboard Elarqam; Nayef Road under Andrea Atzeni

DElsewhere at the Royal meeting, two

other stable representatives made it intothe frame. Hamdan al Maktoum’sElarqam, the son of Frankel andAttraction, ran a big race in the ListedWolferton Stakes, looking all over thewinner a furlong and a half from home,before being swamped by theimpressive Addeybb in the closingstages and finishing third.

Similarly, Nayef Road ran with greatcredit in the Queen’s Vase (Group 2).Mohamed Obaida’s Galileo colt foughthard, but just lost out in a drivingclimax, finishing third behind DashingWilloughby.