DUBAI: Mark Johnston does not take long to recall his most cherished Dubai World Cup (DWC) moment.
In 1999, one of the world’s most successful trainers won what was then the Dubai Turf Classic with Fruits of Love. Since then, it has been one close call after another for his horses.
On Saturday, Johnston will be hoping to redress the balance when his four-year-old colt Subjectivist runs at the Dubai Sheema Classic on the DWC’s 25th anniversary.
“He’s a horse from a family we know very well,” the Scotsman told Arab News. “We have his half-brother Sir Ron Priestley who was second in the Saint Leger in 2019.
“So, Subjectivist was always considered to be a potential top-class middle-distance horse and climbed steadily through the ranks last year culminating in a Group 1 win at the end of last season in France.”
That win at Prix Royal-Oak – France’s equivalent of the St. Leger Stakes and run at Paris Longchamp – back in October was the last time Subjectivist was in action, but any concerns over his readiness are more than outweighed by his obvious strengths, according to his trainer.
“He’s coming here on the back of a win at Group 1 level, and the only question in our minds really is that the horse has never raced on anything firmer than good ground,” the owner of Johnston Racing said.
“He did win his Group 1 on soft ground, so there is a little bit of uncertainty there on whether he’s actually better on soft ground, but I do feel that if he can perform to his best on the faster ground then he’s going to take an awful lot of beating. He’s the youngest and arguably the most progressive horse in the race.
“He’s going there without any preparation race, where others in the field have run in Saudi and Dubai, so he’s going in there first time up for the year. But we are quite relaxed about that,” he added.
Subjectivist was bred by Susan Hearn at Mascalls Stud in Essex and was purchased by Johnston for only 62,000 guineas at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 2 in 2018.
The break between races was not intended, with plans to race him at the Saudi Cup falling through thanks to a “quirk of handicapping” that saw him miss out while another of Johnston’s horses was allowed to run.
“We ran Mildenberger, rated the same, but one (Subjectivist) is a Group 1 winner and you would have thought the better horse, so unfortunately didn’t get into Saudi,” he said.
“Originally we were thinking ahead to the cup races in Britain and the Ascot Gold Cup will be his main target, but obviously the money in the UAE is very, very attractive so we’ve been tempted to go there.”
Johnston’s numbers are staggering. With 4,691 career wins to date, he is the UK’s most successful trainer, with more than 100 winners in 27 consecutive seasons. In nine of those seasons, he has sent out over 200 winners, and he has 25 Group 1 victors to his name.
Now he is hoping to add to his one major Dubai win and his peerless international record.
He said: “It’s very, very exciting but obviously it’s quite difficult to travel around the world. Dubai has been a bit of frustration for us. We won the Sheema Classic, what was then the Dubai Turf Classic, back in 1999. I don’t think we’ve had a winner in Dubai since, but we’ve had seconds and photo finishes, so it’s not been that the horses were not running well.
“International racing is very exciting and it’s tremendous to go around the world. Particularly for us, we’ve been training for the Maktoums, for Sheikh Mohammed (bin Rashid) and his family since 1994, it’s always very important to come to Dubai when we can.”
Beyond Dubai this weekend, Johnston will turn his attention to the talent at his base at Kingsley House Stables – bought in 1988 – in the scenic North Yorkshire village of Middleham.
“We are very strong with these cup horses. Sir Ron Priestley, Subjectivist, and Nayef Road particularly last year was very much living in the shadow of Stradivarius. And the year before we had Dee Ex Bee living in the shadows of Stradivarius. So, it will be quite exciting to be taking on Stradivarius this year with a few more guns blazing in Subjectivist and Sir Ron Priestley, top-class horses.
“Then, among the three-year-olds, we have Gear Up, another Group 1 winner in his last outing. He’ll go to the Dante Stakes with the dream being the Derby,” Johnston added.
“Dubai Fountain for Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, she missed out on the top level last year, she was fourth in a Group 1 on her last start, but we are very, very hopeful that when she steps up to a mile-and-a-half, we think she’s a serious contender for the oaks this year.”
Before that, there is the little matter of winning in Dubai again. All eyes on Subjectivist.
