Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , top trainer Charlie Johnston has run the rule over the rest of his team heading to the Ebor Meeting at York .
Johnston has picked out improving types across the four days, from stayer Ghaiyya and Listed filly Francophone to nursery contenders Telegraphic and bargain buy Carnival Of Light , purchased for just £1,000.
The Middleham handler has also flagged Evanesco and Thunder Wonder in the meeting's closing handicap, arguing the latter was the unluckiest loser at Goodwood and could go well again at a big price.
Wednesday & Thursday
What Are Your Plans For Ghaiyya?
On day one, I think we'll probably run Ghaiyya in the two-mile Stayers' Handicap . She ran well on her first try over two miles at Ascot in the Brown Jack , just beaten by Kirchner , who finished second to Align The Stars in the Northumberland Plate . She's a half-sister to Subjectivist so was always likely to end up over this kind of distance. She was a little bit keen at Ascot , and I'd like to think that, sort of getting used to the pace of those races over that kind of trip, she'll settle a bit better next time. She is still unexposed at those kinds of trips, so I wouldn't be shocked to see her go well.
What About Francophone and Telegraphic?
On Thursday, besides Venetian Lace , Francophone could go for the Galtres Stakes Listed race. She was second in a mile and a half Listed race at Newmarket recently, which was her first try at that trip for a long time, and she ran very well. She hung across the track in the closing stages, which possibly cost her the race in doing so. Having come up a bit short in Group 2s earlier in the year, she has stepped back in class slightly and ran very well.
In the seven-furlong nursery that day, we'll run a horse called Telegraphic , who has had three runs and won very impressively at Brighton on his second start. He then finished second at Yarmouth , getting caught in the last 25 yards trying to give away a penalty to a horse that had shown a reasonable level. I thought he emerged from that with a lot of credit and I hope the handicapper leaves him at the same mark of 82, one I'd like to think that he could be competitive off. It will be a cavalry charge, and a tough race, but I think he's a nice horse.
Is There Value in Your £1,000 Buy Carnival Of Light?
Also on Thursday we'll probably run a filly called Carnival Of Light in the seven-furlong fillies' handicap. She is a Night Of Thunder filly that I bought for £1,000! There won't be too many of them about, that's for sure. I got her at the end of her three-year-old career, having still been unraced at the time, and she'd had plenty of injuries and issues, and it's probably taken us the best part of the year to get to the track. But she's won her last two, albeit at Wolverhampton . She has only had four runs in her life and is an improving filly. Who knows how high she could climb. This would be a big jump up from Wolverhampton , but having won her last two, I think she deserves a crack at something better.
Friday
What's the Plan For Si Grass and Happy Love?
On Friday, I would like to run a filly called Si Grass if she gets into the mile handicap. She ran at Goodwood on her first run after a six-month layoff after an injury. She was very hot in the preliminaries, quite keen in the race, just generally very fresh and full of herself after six months off. She finished eighth, which might not look very encouraging, but if you read between the lines, to finish as close as she did, I could see her taking a big step forward. I think she's a filly that's better than her mark anyway, so I would be hopeful that she'll sneak in at the bottom of the weights.
In the Convivial Maiden Stakes , I could well run a horse called Happy Love , who was second on debut at Beverley and ran a nice race, only getting beaten by one of Karl Burke 's that had previous experience. The two of them pulled a long way clear from the rest. I thought he emerged from that with a lot of credit and would step forward for the run. He's a smart horse, and he probably deserves the opportunity. Folk Pageant might go in the mile and a quarter fillies' handicap if there was a sudden transformation in the weather and it turned up soft. She's been a bit disappointing since she won on Derby Day at Epsom , but I think that's largely down to her needing some cut in the ground, which she hasn't had for a while now.
Saturday
Who Runs on the Final Day?
On Saturday, in the Melrose , we could run a horse called Sea And Sun , who finished midfield in a handicap at Goodwood . He's lightly raced; he's only had four runs and is still a maiden, but I think he's crying out to go up to these kinds of trips. I think he'll stay every yard and a bit more. Again, he's another one that probably wouldn't mind a bit of dig in the ground. It's a big ask for him. I'm campaigning him quite boldly given the fact he still hasn't broken his maiden. I think he'll make up into a smart staying handicapper next year, and the owners were keen to roll the dice once more in a big one like this, and if he comes up short, then he can go and win a little handicap somewhere and get his head in front. But I think he's a nice horse for the future.
In the mile and a quarter handicap that closes the meeting, I'd imagine we'll probably run Evanesco there again. He was only beaten a length or so in an equivalent race at Goodwood . It is tough for him in that he showed his hand at the Guineas meeting when he won very impressively and went up to a mark of 100. He's off a mark of 99 now, but in these sorts of races there's generally horses less exposed than him that he's having to give away a lot of weight to. He's a little bit in that land that if he goes up into Pattern company there's probably horses in there rated 105 to 110, but in these handicaps, he's having to give away a lot of weight to less exposed horses. He's a tough, genuine horse.
He could also be joined in there by a horse called Thunder Wonder , whose run at Goodwood I couldn't believe nobody really picked up on. I was reading a thing in the Racing Post the other day about the unluckiest losers at Goodwood . Well, they can't have watched the racing very closely, not to have mentioned him. He is notoriously a bit of a slow starter, but he jumped off okay and then proceeded to clip heels and stumble about ten to 15 yards into the race and went down on his nose. Marco Ghiani nearly fell off. By the time he regathered himself, he was ten lengths detached at the back of the field. He ended up having to come round the whole field in the straight and finished fifth, beaten about two lengths. In the circumstances, I thought he ran an extraordinary race. He's not the most trustworthy; he hasn't won for a little while, but if he starts 33-1 again like he did at Goodwood then it's probably worth a little bit each way.
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