Subjectivist gave a display of staying brilliance for Joe Fanning and Mark Johnston in Thursday's G1 Gold Cup, one of the crown jewels of Royal Ascot.
Run over the marathon trip of two and a half miles, many expected three-time winner and 5/6 favourite Stradivarius to strike again, but it was the four-year-old Subjectivist who took the honors as Fanning set sail for home entering the straight and never looked like being caught.
Princess Zoe outran her odds of 28/1 to take second place for Irish trainer Tony Mullins, fully five lengths behind the impressive winner. Spanish Mission (7/1) was a further half-length back in third.
Stradivarius briefly met trouble in running on the home bend and could never land a blow under Frankie Dettori, ultimately finishing fourth.
This was a fourth Gold Cup success for Mark Johnston, following Royal Rebel (2001 & 2002) and Double Trigger (1995), and a 47th Royal Ascot win in total for the Middleham handler.
Johnston said: “We thought in the wintertime that Subjectivist was so much on the up. He won in France last season on heavy ground and people were thinking he needed heavy ground to excel. But then he went onto Dubai and that was the big question mark, could he go on fast ground? That was the performance of his life and I couldn't be confident coming here that he could replicate it after such a long time off and a big gap in between. I knew if he could reproduce that, he would take an awful lot of beating.
“I was really happy throughout the race. We never tell the jockey to lead, we just say to go the pace that suits our horse and Joe is the master at it. When he is sitting second like that, settled and relaxed with a horse giving him a beautiful lead in front, I thought it was perfect.
“With half a mile to go, I knew we were going into new territory, but he hadn't asked for any effort yet. He had a beautiful ride round and we knew how he could finish from Dubai, and he did that again.
“I thought he was the best horse we've taken Stradivarius on with, but we had a scare just after the Dubai race, so he's missed quite a bit of work after that. The preparations have not been smooth in that 45 minutes after his run in Dubai, he was filling in one leg and we thought that would be serious. When he came home from Dubai, he had scans at Newmarket, so he had lots of time off. Then in Middleham last week, he skinned both knees and one hock. The only positive was that Attraction did a similar thing before winning the Queen Mary and that didn't stop her either.
“We'll look at the Goodwood Cup. It is the obvious next race, then we'll have an eye on the wintertime. We can't ignore the money on offer in Dubai and Saudi. If the horse is well after this, we should work the horse back from this race next year.”
On Fanning, Johnston added: “I think that's his third Group One, so he's not new to this entirely, but it's waited until the sort of twilight of his career and he deserved it long ago. You really see him at his best there.
“Everybody talks about Steve Cauthen as a great front running jockey, and I always put Jason Weaver up in the same sort of league, although he wasn't around for so long, but I don't think there's anybody better than Joe Fanning. He is absolutely perfect at setting the pace. People kept saying is he going to lead today, is he not going to lead today? However many thousands of runners Joe's had for us, we never tell him where he's got to be in the field, and it was just a perfect pace all the way around.”
Fanning said: “Subjectivist has been a great horse this year, even last year, he just keeps improving.
“In Dubai on that good ground, he was always doing his best work near the end, so I never felt that was an issue or ground as well, he'll go on any ground. I just find he's a horse you don't complicate things with; if there's something in front, let him go. He is a little bit keen, but every race he's been getting better, more relaxed, and I said to Mark [Johnston], we are better off jumping and letting him do everything. If there is no pace then let him stride on; if there is pace, then just [leave him] wherever he settles.
“It was a steady pace, but he was relaxed, which was the main thing. In Dubai the race collapsed in front and I took it up, and I thought six down he was starting to push a bit in front, but I was never going to take him back. It was always the plan that if he wanted to roll on, let him roll on. Five out and before the home bend, I was able to get breathers into him to fill him up, and I thought it would take a very good one to get by him.
“Mark is a great man to ride for. Charlie is there now and the staff have been there for years – it's a great team. I went to Mark after my apprenticeship, I think my first winner was for him in about 1991, and I went full-time in 1995. A few years ago! It's great for the yard and Dr Jim [Walker], who has been a brilliant owner with us for years.
“It was nice to get such a reception from the other jockeys when I came in – they are a great bunch of lads. It's great to be here in a big race with the crowd back.”
Winning owner Dr Jim Walker said: “It's nice to be in the winning enclosure at Ascot for once!
“It was almost a re-run of the Dubai Gold Cup. I just thought at that point Joe had him, and it was going to be everything else that was going to have to try and catch him – and that's hard.”
Explaining what it means to win the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, he added: “It's the pinnacle, because this is my division – staying – same as Mark, so it's fantastic.”
Jockey Joey Sheridan said of the second: “Princess Zoe was brilliant. I am delighted for Tony [Mullins] and all of the team. I am over the moon.
“People were probably doubting her after her last run saying she had a lot to prove, but we know how good she is. All she needs is cut in the ground. I think the better horse beat us today, but on softer ground you don't know what could happen.
“To ride in a Gold Cup is unbelievable. It is incredible to be riding in situations like this.”
Tony Mullins said: “Around a furlong down, I just thought for a second… I was so excited, but we're over the moon with the run we had, because I believe this [Subjectivist] is the new Stradivarius, and unfortunately we met him. He beat us in France and he beat us here, so we'll have to think of something new to try to beat him. He's going to be a great champion.
“The Prix du Cadran is always the one in our head, maybe now we'll look at the Irish St Leger or a staying race in France, because it's doubtful the Goodwood Cup or the Doncaster Cup are going to have cut in the ground. She didn't have it here, but the longevity of her legs won't stick this ground all the time. Paddy [Kehoe, owner] still has aspirations of going to Cheltenham, and I'm not discounting it if he wants to go. It's on our agenda, but for the moment the Prix du Cadran is the one.”
Spanish Mission's rider William Buick said: “It was a great run. That trip probably stretches him. The last furlong was a long one, and the winner won very well. Credit to the winner, but Spanish Mission gave me a great ride.”
John Gosden said of Stradivarius: “It didn't work out exactly. The winner was most impressive. We were an awful long way back and then we had Princess Zoe behind us. We were just caught too far back. Frankie couldn't get out when he wanted to. You need these races to go right, it didn't exactly go to plan in running, but full marks to the winner, I thought he was mightily impressive.”
Dettori said: “I ran into a pocket turning for home. When you get stopped in a two-and-half-mile race, you never get going again. The winner's a good winner, but I'd love to have had another shot at it.”
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