Charlie Johnston trained a first Qatar Goodwood Festival winner in his own right as Arisaig came with a decisive late charge in the Ridgeview Fillies’ Handicap.
Johnston, who took over the licence at his family’s Middleham yard at the start of last year, had been involved in two winners at the meeting when holding a joint-licence with his father Mark. Johnston snr was leading trainer at the Qatar Goodwood Festival on 13 occasions.
The 9/2JF Arisaig was ridden with trademark patience by Jamie Spencer and cut down Surveyor near the line to win by a neck, with the other joint-favourite Strutting a further two lengths back in third.
Johnston said: “Arisaig has done well to win there. I think the second and third were at a massive positional bias. Jamie said that after a couple of furlongs he was further back than he was intending to be, so it’s been a pretty huge effort to make up that ground in the last couple of furlongs.
“She is a filly we have always thought a lot of. We felt she was a little bit unlucky in the Sandringham at Royal Ascot in that she was drawn on the wrong side of the track and met some trouble in running.
“We always thought there was a nice one in her and are delighted it is here. She is another one of dad’s miracle purchases for six grand. It has settled the nerves and we can enjoy the rest of the week now. It was a very long week last year, so much so that I buggered off to Saratoga on the Friday for a runner out there.
“She is one of our nicer three-year-old handicappers and not far from stepping into stakes company. She was always coming here, it was just a question of picking the right race. Thankfully, we did that.
“She is a huge filly and Jamie said, if anything, what she does this season is a bonus because she will be a better horse next year. She’s always been a filly that we thought could hold her own in black type company and I’m sure that will be on the radar at some point this year.”
On her entry later in the week, Johnston added: “I think the owners won’t be too keen for this filly to be reappearing here this Saturday. And to be fair she doesn’t need to.”
Johnston’s mother Deirdre part-owns JL Dublin, who won Olympic Gold in Paris under Team GB’s Tom McEwen. He added: “Mum, dad and my brother Angus have come straight here from Paris. They were all there for the weekend and had a fabulous time.
“It is something mum has got more and more passionate about over the last few years, particularly with the fall of Nicola Wilson. JL Dublin has been quite an emotional roller-coaster for them. For it to culminate in an Olympic Gold medal is pretty special.”