Johnston crowns successful week with Holberg win in Queen’s Vase (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Johnston crowns successful week with Holberg win in Queen’s Vase

3:11pm Friday 26th June 2009

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LAST WEEK, we witnessed a truly superb Royal Ascot, with top class action over the five days, and Middleham trainer Mark Johnston was among the winners.

Johnston had to wait to the penultimate day to score with Holberg who came home in front in the Queen’s Vase to give his trainer his fastest ever 100 winners.

Johnston has a great record in this particular race, winning the Group 3 contest five times since 2001, and afterwards he said: “He has been a good horse all winter and probably would have done better last time but the slow pace was against him and we held him up.

“We know it’s a quality performance and Joe said maybe he’s a Gold Cup horse for next year. Clearly the further he goes the better he goes.”

Johnston was yet again on the scoresheet in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes on the final day of the Royal meeting with Drill Sergeant leading home stable mate Record Breaker.

Closer to home, and not as prestigious as Royal Ascot, Pontefract staged an interesting card last Sunday and Johnston was on the scoresheet again in the very first race with Hafawa, who looks potentially very smart, when making a winning debut in the 6f maiden.

Jockey Phil Makin was in double form at the West Yorkshire venue with Furmigadelagiusta in the Listed race and Mister Tinktastic in the 6f handicap. Trainer Karl Burke, who had three place runners at the Royal meeting with Lord Shanakill, Lesson In Humility and Rignier all narrowly denied success, was delighted with Furmigadelagiusta’s performance, saying: “We are in debate as to whether to have a crack at the Melbourne Cup, he is that sort of horse.”

Makin’s second winner, Mister Tinktastic, was scoring for the second time in six days for his handler Michael Dods.

One of Dods’s neighbours, Chris Wilson had a welcome winner over the Jumps at Hexham last Sunday. Owned by his wife Julie, Esme Rides A Game won the staying handicap chase in good style under jockey Keith Mercer.

With the sun shining, there was a packed crowd at Beverley on Tuesday, and another sprint winner for Dandy Nicholls with Fol Hollow who was ridden by the trainer’s son Adrian.

The four-year-old made every single yard of the running to beat the favourite Everymanforhimself by three-quarters of a length.

The following day was Carlisle’s turn to race in the sunshine, and Alan Swinbank was the man to follow after Stevie Gee won the oldest race in the calendar, The Carlisle Bell, to give the trainer a landmark 400th winner.

Afterwards, Swinbank, who took this prize back in 2005 with Hartshead, said: “He ran badly at Thirsk last time but was in the handicap here, so we thought we’d give him a try as there was decent money.”

Just over an hour later and the Piercebridge handler was back in the winner’s enclosure with Honimiere, who made all the running under Dale Gibson to win the fillies’ handicap.

Earlier in the day, Karl Burke and Phil Makin teamed up again to win the two-year-old maiden with Merseyside Star.

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