Dan Briden Two-Year-Old Guide: Charlie Johnston
The first-season trainer talks Dan Briden through some of the two-year-olds in his powerful team for 2023.
ARCH LEGEND
23/2 b c Camelot - Nakuti (Mastercraftsman)
Owner: Barbara & Alick Richmond Sales price: 82,000gns (Johnston Racing)
Half-sister to Listed-placed 6f-1m winner Heredia (108). Dam a Grade 2-placed 7f-1m winner (including at Group 3/Listed level; 109) who was a half-sister to US 2m Grade 2 winner Amade (114) out of a maiden (73) half-sister to four-time Irish 8/10f Listed winner Arch Rebel (116).
“A Camelot colt bought by Barbara Richmond with the dream of replacing Living Legend, which are incredibly big shoes to fill. That said, he is a gorgeous colt albeit a big and backward one at present. We won’t see him until September time at the earliest, but he’s a very nice horse for the future.”
BARNWELL BOY (IRE)
29/1 ch c Starspangledbanner - Frilly (Frankel)
Owner: Mrs Jane Newett Sales price: n/a
First foal of an unraced daughter of a triple 6f Group 3 winning (116) sister to Group 1-placed prolific 5-6.5f winner Hoof It (125) and half-sister to useful 7-10f winner Rise Hall (105).
“This is a compact colt from a good northern sprinting family. He looks a typical early two-year-old type who will debut at Goodwood tomorrow (May 26). I’m sure we will learn a good bit more about where we stand with him after that as it looks quite a nice race on paper.”
CAROLINA REAPER
10/3 b f Too Darn Hot - Dark Promise (Shamardal)
Owner: Gallop Racing Sales price: 46,000gns (Johnston Racing)
Half-sister to fairly useful 6-7f winner Gobi Sunset (92) and 1m 2yo winner Mystical Air (85p). Dam a 1m Listed winner (114) who was a half-sister to Oaks winner Love Divine (120; later dam of St Leger winner Sixties Icon (125)) and 12f 3yo Listed winner Floreeda (104).
“She is cleverly named as the Carolina Reaper is the hottest chilli in the world. I thought that was inspired being a daughter of Too Darn Hot. Unfortunately she had a setback in the spring and is only starting to move into faster work now, but I like her physically and think she’ll be a very nice filly one day.”
EMPIRE OF LIGHT (IRE)
15/1 b c Kodiac - Querulous (Raven’s Pass)
Owner: P D Savill Sales price: 52,000gns (Johnston Racing)
Full brother to 6f 2yo Group 2/3 winner Kessaar (113). Dam an unraced half-sister to 5f 2yo winner Classy Moon (92) out of a Group 3/Listed-placed UK/US 8-8.5f winner (107).
“We were expecting this colt to be one of our first two-year-old runners, but sadly he suffered a setback. He is back on track now and wouldn’t be too far off having a run. He shows both speed and promise in his homework, and I’d be disappointed if he isn’t winning races this year.”
HAND JIVE
12/4 b c Blue Point - Bergamask (Kingmambo)
Owner: Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum Sales price: n/a
Half-brother to Coventry Stakes winner Buratino (118), useful 7f-1m 3yo winner Smile A Mile (99) and fairly useful triple 7f 2yo winner Cape Bunting (88). Dam a Listed-placed French triple 1m 3yo winner (101).
“A half-brother to our Coventry winner Buratino. He can be a little hot at times but is fairly sharp. I’d expect him to be out over 6f within the next couple of weeks.”
INDIVIDUALISM
11/4 b c Too Darn Hot - Reckoning (Danehill Dancer)
Owner: Dr J Walker Sales price: 110,000gns (Johnston Racing)
Half-brother to Ascot Gold Cup winner Subjectivist (130), Group 1-placed 10-14f winner (including at Group 2/3 level)/St Leger runner-up Sir Ron Priestley (123) and useful 7f 2yo winner Alba Rose (99). Dam a Listed-placed 1m 2yo winner (103).
“Subjectivist’s little brother. He’s a slightly different proposition being by Too Darn Hot, who you’d expect to inject more speed into the pedigree. This colt has been going nicely and we were tempted to start him over 6f, but we’ll more than likely wait for the 7f races now. I like him a lot.”
LINCOLN LEGACY (IRE)
23/3 b f Footstepsinthesand - Crystal Valkyrie (Danehill)
Owner: G. P. S. Heart of Racing (Bloodstock) Ltd Sales price: €36,000 (Johnston Racing)
Full sister to 7f 2yo Group 3 winner Sent From Heaven (111) and a half-sister to 10f 3yo Group 3 winner Above Average (111) and 10f 3yo Listed winner Freyja (107). Dam a 6f 2yo winner (81).
“We’ve trained a few from this family, including half-sister Freyja who won at Listed level for us. This filly did really well to make a winning start at Kempton last night (May 24) as she was drawn wide and had to use up a lot of petrol to overcome that. She also exhibited some signs of greenness off the bridle but hit the line hard and won going away. You’d imagine she will only improve for stepping up to 7f and the family tend to get better with age, so she looks a good prospect.”
QUINTUS MAXIMUS
16/2 ch c Kitten’s Joy - Indian Blessing (Sepoy)
Owner: Newsells Park Stud - Waldmark Syndicate Sales price: 85,000gns (Vendor)
First foal of a Grade 1-placed 7-9.5f winner (including at Group 3/Listed level; 110) who was a half-sister to Listed-placed French 12-12.5f winner Glade (103).
“The first foal of a good racemare, he is nicely put together despite not being the biggest. He has done some promising pieces of work and should be running once the 7f races begin in earnest, though he’ll undoubtedly get further in time.”
RAKKI
1/3 ch c Sea The Stars - Waldmark (Mark of Esteem)
Owner: M C Sweeney Sales price: 100,000gns (Johnston Racing)
Half-brother to St Leger winner Masked Marvel (122), French 10.5f 3yo Group 3 winner Waldlerche (109; later dam of Arc winner Waldgeist (132)) and German 1m 3yo Listed winner Waldnah (101). Dam a Group 2/Listed-placed 7f 2yo winner (106) who was a half-sister to Deutsches Derby winner Waldpark (117).
“This colt was quite backward as a yearling, which is probably why he didn’t make as much money as his pedigree suggested he would. He is in full work and ticking along nicely, but I doubt we will see him in action until the backend of the year.”
SACRED ANGEL (IRE)
24/3 gr f Dark Angel - Sacred Aspect (Haatef)
Owner: Titanium Racing Club Sales price: £52,000 (Manor House Farm)
Half-sister to French 10f 3yo winner Anotherfortheroad (73). Dam an Irish 5f 2yo Listed winner (98) who was a half-sister to Listed-placed Irish/UK 8-11f winner Super Say (102) out of an unraced sister to Irish 6f Group 3 winner Tiger Royal (119).
"On pedigree this filly should be fairly sharp, but she has missed a couple of weeks training in the last month. If things pick up from now, she could be on track to make her debut during the second half of June.”
SOVEREIGN NATION
20/2 b c Ten Sovereigns - De Veer Cliffs (Canford Cliffs)
Owner: Mrs Jane Newett Sales price: n/a
Third foal of a 10f 3yo winner (87) who was a half-sister to Swedish 10f 3yo Listed winner Mill Marin (104; dam of 2022 Grosser Preis von Baden winner Mendocino (120)) and Listed-placed French 7-7.5f 2yo winner Olvia (98).
“This colt had been working well and we went to Ayr yesterday feeling quite hopeful ahead of his debut. However, he could only manage fifth after veering left from the stalls and running green for the most part. He might need a seventh furlong sooner rather than later.”
UNNAMED
23/2 b f Muhaarar - Alaata (Smart Strike)
Owner: Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum Sales price: 17,000gns (Johnston Racing)
Half-sister to useful 7-7.5f winner Motawaajed (103) and useful 7f-1m winner Lattam (101). Dam an unraced close relation to UAE 10f Listed winner Haatheq (120) and half-sister to US 1m Grade 3 winner Farhaan (117) and Listed-placed dual 6f 2yo winner Wid (98).
“A big, strong, masculine filly. As has been rather typical of those by the sire, she’s maybe not as forward as we might have anticipated. She will be one for later in the year, but physically there is lots to work with.”
UNNAMED
12/4 b c Mastercraftsman - Lady Darshaan (High Chaparral)
Owner: A Herd, P Holloway, D Finkler & Partner Sales price: 32,000gns (Johnston Racing)
Half-brother to 10f 3yo Listed winner Let’s Go (117), 2022 French 12.5f Listed winner Beholding (101) and useful UK/Hong Kong 7-9f winner Global Spectrum (104). Dam a 5f 2yo winner/Fillies’ Mile runner-up (109) who was a full sister to 13f 3yo Listed winner Tempest Fugit (103) and a half-sister to Prix de l’Abbaye winner Total Gallery (123).
“This colt is still backwards and will need plenty of time. He is a nice horse but we won’t see him until the backend of the year. It won’t be until he tackles middle distances next year that he really comes into his own.”
UNNAMED
9/2 gr c Frankel - Nyaleti (Arch)
Owner: 3 Batterhams and a Reay Sales price: 170,000gns (Vendor)
First foal of a German 1000 Guineas winner (113) who was a half-sister to Australian 6f Group 2 winner Weary (117) and French 1m 2yo Group 3/US 8.5f Grade 3 winner Stellar Path (109) out of a French 1m 2yo Listed winner (96).
“We trained the dam to plenty of Group-race success. This colt is her first foal but he’s anything but a typical first foal - he’s absolutely huge and weighs in at about 570 kilos. As a result he won’t be as forward as his mother and we’re unlikely to see him until the autumn. He has got a big pedigree and hopefully he can live up to it one day.”
UNNAMED (FR)
15/5 gr c Le Havre - Puggy (Mark of Esteem)
Owner: Al Wasmiyah Stud Sales price: n/a
Full brother to Poule d’Essai des Pouliches/Prix de Diane winner Avenir Certain (119). Dam a Group 2/3-placed 7f 2yo winner (101) who was a half-sister to the dam of 1m Group 2/3 winner New Mandate (112).
“A late foal who is still quite weak and immature at the moment. He’s also quite narrow physically but is bound to improve in that regard as the year goes on. We won’t see him until the autumn at the earliest, but he’s a nice horse who moves especially well.”
UNNAMED (IRE)
14/4 b f Kingman - Seventh Heaven (Galileo)
Owner: Kenneth Alexander Sales price: 70,000gns (Johnston Racing)
Half-sister to 2023 Irish 10f 3yo winner Boogie Woogie (102). Dam an Irish Oaks winner (126) who was a half-sister to Middle Park Stakes winner Crusade (113) out of a US 6f 3yo Grade 3 winner (112).
“The daughter of an Irish Oaks winner, she is still quite backward. This filly hasn’t done any fast work yet, and I doubt we will see her until the autumn. She is another with a big pedigree and if we can get a ‘1’ next to her name, she’ll hold a lot of residual value as a broodmare.”
UNNAMED (IRE)
9/6 b c Galileo - Tiggy Wiggy (Kodiac)
Owner: Sheikh Hamed Dalmook Al Maktoum Sales price: 115,000gns (Johnston Racing)
Full brother to Irish 7f 2yo winner/Vertem Futurity Trophy third Year of The Tiger (110). Dam a Cheveley Park Stakes winner/1000 Guineas third (121) who was the daughter of a 5f 2yo winning (86) half-sister to Norfolk Stakes winner Masta Plasta (117).
“A Galileo colt out of a champion two-year-old, he is a very late foal. As a result he was a backward and immature as a yearling. He hasn’t even had his second birthday yet, so he’ll be nowhere near as precocious as his dam. I hope we’ll see him in the autumn.”
UNNAMED
20/4 br c Too Darn Hot - Woven Lace (Hard Spun)
Owner: Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum Sales price: n/a
Three-parts brother to fairly useful 12f winner Great Esteem (95; by Dubawi) and a half-brother to German 1m Listed winner Broderie (110). Dam a Group 3/Listed-placed French 1m 3yo winner (104) who was a half-sister to Listed-placed French 6.5-7f 3yo winner Waitress (104; later dam of Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter (124)).
“This colt is a bit hot and now we’ve got a few by him, we wonder if that’s how Too Darn Hot got his name. A few of them have got a bit of a temperament and this lad’s would be the strongest of them all. Physically he looks like he should be out over 6f, but we just need to iron a few things out before pushing on with him.”
Also In The Series
Trainer interviews:
Owners, bloodstock agents & racing managers:
Pedigree guides: