Mark Johnston | Horse Racing Free Tips

Teofilo’s Gear Up Game In the Criterium de Saint-Cloud

Bred by Jim Bolger and trained by a Brit who stands comparison in Mark Johnston, Gear Up (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) had all the right credentials on a special afternoon for Redmondstown Stud and duly made all for G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud glory. Tough and resilient when successful in the seven-furlong G3 Acomb S. at York Aug. 19 before finishing fourth in Newmarket’s G2 Royal Lodge S. tackling a mile Sept. 26, the Teme Valley 2 syndicate’s €52,000 Goffs Orby bargain relished this step up to 10 furlongs in testing conditions as James Doyle executed a masterclass from the front. Shaking off the attentions of Ballydoyle’s TDN Rising Star Bolshoi Ballet (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) turning into the straight, the 27-1 shot saw off the non-staying G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Tiger Tanaka (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}) and Jessica Marcialis but that was not all. Tackled latterly by Godolphin’s Botanik (Ire) (Golden Horn {GB}), he had to dig deep to prevail but was equal to the task for a short-neck verdict from that rival, with the previously unbeaten 13-10 favourite Makaloun (Fr) (Bated Breath {GB}) 1 3/4 lengths behind in third. “It wasn’t necessarily the plan to make the running, but he was very comfortable there and Franny Norton told me that last time in the Royal Lodge they went very slow and he was caught for speed,” the winning rider explained. “He was still very green turning for home and tried to hang left most of the way up the straight, but it was only inside the last furlong that he was finding his best stride. He’s very tough and courageous, a typical Mark Johnston horse, and he stays well and has now won on all sorts of ground so hopefully he has a bright future.”

On a day when Godolphin just missed in two of the leading contests, the runner-up put up an improved performance and Lisa-Jane Graffard said, “Botanik ran a superb race and we are delighted with him. Mickael Barzalona said that he ran very nicely–he felt that Botanik was very honest and still slightly immature, so he should hopefully progress further next year.” Jean-Claude Rouget said of The Aga Khan’s impressive G3 Prix de Conde winner Makaloun, “It was a different race to what he is used to–he is normally closer to the pace or in front but this time because of the draw we waited and he finished well. He was bumped a few times, so nothing was ideal and as he has had five runs we’ll give him a long break and see where we start off next year.”

Gear Up is a full-brother to Bolger’s G3 Eyrefield S. winner Guaranteed (Ire), with the dam Gearanai (Toccet) being a half-sister to the Argentinian group 3 winner Plainswoman (Arg) (Zensational) and the dam of the G3 Anglesey S. and G3 Tyros S. runner-up Theobald (Ire) also by Teofilo. The third dam is the four-times grade I winner and Kentucky Oaks heroine Dispute (Danzig), whose descendants include the GII Golden Rod S. winner West Coast Belle (Tapit) and the G3 Round Tower S. scorer Maoineach (Congaree) whose 2-year-old colt New Treasure (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) emulated her success in that Curragh contest this year. Dispute is a full-sister to the GI Champagne S. and GI Cowdin S.-winning sire Adjudicating and a half to the GI Flamingo S.-winning sire Time For a Change (Damascus). Gearanai’s yearling full-brother to the winner topped the recent Tattersalls Ireland September Yearlings Sale @ Newmarket when sold to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for £325,000, while she also has a colt foal by Parish Hall (Ire).

Saturday, Saint-Cloud, France
CRITERIUM DE SAINT-CLOUD-G1, €150,000, Saint-Cloud, 10-24, 2yo, c/f, 10fT, 2:21.99, hy.
1–GEAR UP (IRE), 126, c, 2, by Teofilo (Ire)
1st Dam: Gearanai, by Toccet
2nd Dam: Plaintiff, by Seeking the Gold
3rd Dam: Dispute, by Danzig
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€52,000 Ylg ’19 GOFOR). O-Teme Valley 2; B-Jim Bolger (IRE); T-Mark Johnston; J-James Doyle. €85,710. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, 4-3-0-0, €123,234. *Full to Guaranteed (Ire), GSW-Ire, $170,221. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Botanik (Ire), 126, c, 2, Golden Horn (GB)–Autumn Lily, by Street Cry (Ire). O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. €34,290.
3–Makaloun (Fr), 126, c, 2, Bated Breath (GB)–Makana (Fr), by Dalakhani (Ire). O-H H The Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan’s Studs SC (FR); T-Jean-Claude Rouget. €17,145.
Margins: SNK, 1 3/4, NO. Odds: 27.50, 16.00, 1.30.
Also Ran: Tiger Tanaka (Ire), Bolshoi Ballet (Ire), Sweet Lady (Fr), Best of Lips (Ire). Scratched: Belloccio (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Tattersalls Autumn HIT Catalogue Features The Lir Jet

G2 Norfolk S. winner and G1 Phoenix S. bridesmaid The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}) anchors the 1,617-lot Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale catalogue, which was released on Tuesday. One of more than 90 group and listed performers to be offered from Oct. 26-29, the bay is listed as lot 1071 from the consignment of Jamie Railton.

MGSP Devious Company (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) (lot 630) from Tom Dascombe’s Manor House Stables is another lot of note, as he is a half-brother to Group 3 winner Circumvent (GB) (Tobougg {Ire}). Alignak (GB) (Sea the Moon {Ger}) (lot 693), a listed winner and sporting an RPR rating of 110, will be sent through the ring as one of 22 from Sir Michael Stoute’s Freemason Lodge Stables. A son of the German Champion Older Mare Albanova (GB) (Alzao), he is a half-brother to GSW Algometer (GB) (Archipenko); SW Alwilda (GB) (Hernando {Fr}), the dam of SW & G1SP Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}); and MSW All at Sea (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}).

The ever popular Juddmonte draft of 26 features the listed-placed Emissary (GB) (Kingman {GB}) (lot 1126), a half-brother to European highweight and MG1SW Workforce (GB) (King’s Best). Ballydoyle has a quartet of GSWs amongst its consignment of 47 in the forms of: G1 Phoenix S. third and G2 July S. victor Royal Lytham (Fr) (Gleneagles {Ire}) (lot 289); G2 Ballysax S. scorer Nobel Prize (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) (lot 714); lot 713, two-time group winner Royal Dornoch (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}); and G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial S. hero Cormorant (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) (lot 717).

The largest consignment in the sale is Shadwell with 97, among them 18 horses rated over 95 by Timeform. The Castlebridge Consignment fields 81 and 69 will go through the ring from trainer Richard Hannon’s East Everleigh operation. Other large consignments belong to Mark Johnston’s Kingsley Park (64), Richard Fahey’s Musley Bank (46), Roger Varian’s Carlburg Stables (35), and Andrew Balding’s Park House Stables (34).

In 2019, 985 horses sold for a gross of 25,393,400gns. The average was 25,780gns and the median was 12,000gns. Topping the sale was the 625,000gns Summer Sands (GB) (Coach House {Ire}) to Joseph O’Brien.

“The unique diversity of the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale is the key to its enduring appeal to both domestic and international buyers,” said Tattersalls Chairman Edmond Mahony. “Every year the sale produces top-class Flat and National Hunt performers and this year’s catalogue has all the ingredients to appeal to the customary global audience. We have already seen our live internet and telephone bidding facilities widely embraced, particularly at the recent July and August Sales, and we will continue to explore every possible avenue for buyers to participate at all of our sales despite the prevailing challenges.”

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Thunderous Injured, Out For The Year

Last month’s G2 Dante S. winner Thunderous (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) will sit out the rest of his 3-year-old campaign after picking up an injury while training. Trained by Mark Johnston for Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, Thunderous has won four of his five starts and bettered the highly regarded Highest Ground (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) by a neck in the Dante. Thunderous was preparing for a run in the Sept. 13 G1 Grand Prix de Paris.

“Sadly Thunderous has met with an injury in training and it is something we are going to run out of time for getting him back this year,” said Highclere’s Harry Herbert. “It is really disappointing as the horse has just improved hand over fist this season. Winning the Dante was fantastic, but at the same time you want to be competing in these Group 1 races, which he was about to do.

“Horses like this are hard to get, but we will have an exciting performer on our hands next season–just sadly it wasn’t to be for the rest of this year. We are now looking forward to him competing in all of the top mile-and-a-quarter and mile-and-a-half races next year.”

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Teofilo’s Gear Up Battles To Acomb Success

With vital course-and-distance experience to call upon, Mark Johnston’s Gear Up (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) proved toughest in a war of attrition to land York’s G3 Tattersalls Acomb S. on Wednesday. Successful over this seven-furlong trip on debut July 25, the 9-1 shot was placed prominently by Silvestre de Sousa from the outset and battled gamely to overhaul Spycatcher (Ire) (Vadamos {Fr}) close home. At the line, there was half a length between them, with the long-time leader Broxi (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) three lengths away in third having forced a pace which found many out. “He was a different horse from his debut here,” the winning rider explained. “He jumped off and knew his job. He showed a very willing attitude.”

Getting loose in the preliminaries prior to his debut, Gear Up was ultimately able to win with some authority there and his stamina came to the fore with this demanding pace cracking several of the fancied contenders. “Everyone was thinking of him as quite a difficult horse after his debut, where he was off the bridle early before flying home,” Johnston said. “He was very different in the prelims today–laid-back and relaxed and Silvestre said he learned more today than first time. He’s not the most impressive horse at home, but we’ve seen his style again today, he looked the first under pressure then found more and more. He wants a mile now and he’s bred to get a mile,” his trainer added. “We weren’t thinking he’d be ready this early, despite it being August now. He’ll have one or two more runs maximum and my first thought was the [G2] Royal Lodge.”

Karl Burke said of the maiden Spycatcher, “I thought we had it at the furlong pole when he went a length or so clear. He’s a nice colt, but there’s improvement in him. He didn’t really have a race first time when it all went wrong and he fell out of the stalls. He’ll learn a lot from today and he’s having a good, healthy blow. He travelled great and the winner is just typical of one of Mark’s–they don’t stop. I’m not sure where we’ll go now. We’ll just get him back home and see how he comes out of it.”

Out of Gearanai (Toccet), a half-sister to the G3 Manuel J Guiraldes winner Plainswoman (Arg) (Zensational), the Jim Bolger-bred Gear Up is therefore a full-brother to the G3 Eyrefield S. scorer Guaranteed (Ire). Plainswoman’s half-sister Sanaara (Anabaa) is the dam of another useful Bolger runner by Teofilo in Theobald (Ire), who was runner-up in the G3 Anglesey S. and G3 Tyros S., while the third dam is the GI Spinster S., GI Kentucky Oaks, GI Beldame S. and GI Gazelle H. heroine Dispute (Danzig). Also connected to Agitare (Ire), another Teofilo who was third in the G2 Golden Fleece S., and the G3 Round Tower S. and G3 Leopardstown 1000 Guineas Trial winner Maoineach (Congaree), Gearanai’s yearling is a full-brother to the winner.

Wednesday, York, Britain
TATTERSALLS ACOMB S.-G3, £40,000, York, 8-19, 2yo, 7fT, 1:24.59, gd.
1–GEAR UP (IRE), 127, c, 2, by Teofilo (Ire)
1st Dam: Gearanai, by Toccet
2nd Dam: Plaintiff, by Seeking the Gold
3rd Dam: Dispute, by Danzig
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€52,000 Ylg ’19 GOFOR). O-Teme Valley 2; B-Jim Bolger (IRE); T-Mark Johnston; J-Silvestre de Sousa. £22,684. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $34,996. *Full to Guaranteed (Ire), GSW-Ire, $170,221. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Spycatcher (Ire), 127, c, 2, Vadamos (Fr)–Damask (Ire), by Red Clubs (Ire). (90,000gns 2yo ’20 TATBRE). O-Highclere Thoroughbred Racing (Adriana Zaefferer); B-Tally-Ho Stud (IRE); T-Karl Burke. £8,600.
3–Broxi (Ire), 127, c, 2, Kodi Bear (Ire)–Own Gift (GB), by Rahy. (€8,500 Wlg ’18 GOFNOV; €8,000 Ylg ’19 GOFSPT). O-Weldspec Glasgow Ltd; B-Golden Vale Stud (IRE); T-Keith Dalgleish. £4,304.
Margins: HF, 3, HD. Odds: 9.00, 20.00, 28.00.
Also Ran: Royal Scimitar (Ire), Titan Rock (GB), Praise of Shadows (Ire), Darvel (Ire), Cloudbridge. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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