Mark Johnston registered his fourth victory of the week at the Qatar Goodwood Festival and a 54/1 double on Ladies’ Day following the impressive success of 9/2 favourite Governor Of Punjab in the £25,000 Telegraph Nursery Handicap.
Johnston, who has won the Leading Trainer Award at the Qatar Goodwood Festival 12 times, including for the last three years, was delighted with the two-year-old son of Footstepsinthesands performance.
Ridden by Ryan Moore, Governor Of Punjab won the seven-furlong event by a length over the Eve Johnson-Houghton-trained Sword Beach (33/1).
The Middleham trainer said: “Governor Of Punjab is a massive horse. He belongs to Rob Ferguson, who also owns Visinari who is very similar size of horse.
“You have got that dilemma with a big horse like this who is showing so much speed; do you take advantage of that or do you hold back and wait for him to mature and hope that he is going to be better? You hope that he is going to be better but you don’t know.
“We have made a bit of hay, so perhaps we can relax for a bit and see if he continues to fill out and improve.
“Ryan said he got squeezed out a little bit early on, but he had a dream run really. The horse relaxed and he was able to put him where he wanted.
“Ryan said he is a great big horse, that a mile would not be a problem and that he will get better with time.”
AUSTRALIAN VISITOR WHO KNOWS HOW TO WIN
The Australian cricket team may be struggling against England in the Ashes Test Match at Edgbaston, but there was a winner from down under at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
Rob Ferguson and his wife Jenny, who live in Sutton Forest, New South Wales, keep horses in training with Yorkshire-based Mark Johnston, and were present to watch their Governor Of Punjab win the Telegraph Nursery Handicap for two-year-olds. The win was sweet compensation for the defeat of Visinari, who they also own, and whose first-race win and early promise was deflated when he finished a well-beaten fourth in Tuesday’s G2 Qatar Vintage Stakes.
Stating that he keeps horses with Johnston because, “I like winners, and Mark is a winner,” Rob Ferguson, said of Governor Of Punjab (9/2f), who beat Sword Beach (33/1) and Toro Strike (10/1) by a length and a short-head: “I saw the horse last week and thought he looked a bit light, but today he looked a million dollars. He’s a beautiful horse.
“I thought we were beaten early on, and he was being bustled, but while it was a struggle to get going I could see he was going to get through in the final 50 metres. I love the way he hit the line, and he’s out of a mile-and-a-quarter family so he should get further.
“We had an offer to sell him to Hong Kong and we said yes, but it turned out his handicap mark was too low – he would get in now, but I don’t want to sell him, and my wife said she would kick me out if I sold any of our horses. She’s a good cook, so I want to keep her!
“I wasn’t expecting huge amounts from Visinari because he’s such a big gawky horse and needs to grow out. He’s still weak. I’ve backed him for the 2000 Guineas and will probably tear that up – he’s got lengths on Governor Of Punjab at home, but this horse is improving so much that you never know. I thought we were bringing the stable pony here, but he’s won.
“I love coming to Goodwood, and came here the first time when Dilum won the [Qatar] Richmond Stakes [1991]. I came a couple of years ago and fell in love with it again, and now we’re here for the whole week. We’ve been staying with Mark and Deirdre [Johnston] and flying up and down with them. Mark’s a great trainer and also a great buyer of a yearling.
“His family play a great role, and that’s a feature of racing in Australia, where trainers and their families share the work – that’s so important because it’s such a high-pressure job.”
BEACH BOWS TO THE GOVERNOR
The Henry Ponsonby Racing-owned Sword Beach (33/1) came home the length second to Governor Of Punjab (9/2 favourite) in the £25,000 Telegraph Nursery Handicap over seven furlongs.
Trainer Eve Johnson-Houghton commented: “Sword Beach has run an absolute blinder form a bad draw (13). If he could have sat handier, possibly he could have won. The gaps came when we wanted them and I am thrilled with the run.”
Jockey Tom Marquand added: “Sword Beach ran a belter. I had a lot of luck in running but we weren’t quick enough going forward, so we went backwards at the end.”
4.10pm Telegraph Nursery Handicap, 7f
1 Governor Of Punjab (Rob Ferguson) Mark Johnston 2-9-00 Ryan Moore 9/2 fav
2 Sword Beach (Hp Racing Sword Beach) Eve Johnson Houghton 2-8-10 Tom Marquand 33/1
3 Toro Strike (Al Shaqab Racing) Richard Fahey 2-9-02 Tony Hamilton 10/1
14 ran
Time: 1m 26.39s Distances: 1, sh
Tote Win: £5.60 Places: £2.00, £11.60, £3.20 Exacta: £244.50
Breeding: ch c Footstepsinthesand (GB) – Simla Bibi (GB) (Indian Ridge (IRE))
Breeder: Joan Murphy
Mark Johnston – 151st Goodwood winner (82nd at Qatar Goodwood Festival)
Ryan Moore – 135th Goodwood winner (47th at Qatar Goodwood Festival)