The Johnston barn

He needs a better Goodwood than last year, not a winner if memory serves me well.

Quality of the horses at the yard look to have dropped off too.

Quantity down, quality way down and there are very few in, rated above 100. 61 winners YTD, and in terms of prize money, look like posting their lowest since 2007. Hopefully they will bounce back !

a big drop off on those metrics

3 edges I associate with this yard all 3 have carried on since name on licence changed

just think of the great trainers in competition with each other, vincent, cecil, hern guy, cumani, young stoute, hills tree , hannon, balding dunlop , even young johnson ,  what the hell has happened , no wonder aiden is dominating, he wouldnt against the trainers mentioned

Dad put his lot in with Hamdan Maktoum and his son Bin Maktoum a few years ago training the younger horses before  they moved on to M/east, was happy with the situation but the source seems to have dried up since H/Maktoums passing.

They've cut back on Saeed's numbers and staff have been made redundant, so will the cut-backs by the Maktoums affect  the Johnston yard too?

Charlie Johnston has still won more domestic prize money so far this year than his Yorkshire neighbours David O'Meara (but only just) and Richard Fahey (who's probably won more when foreign prize money is also included), but is lagging behind Karl Burke by around £300K.

* £600K

When I looked he had more in than last year, he charges a straight 500 a week that includes vets fees so he gets the bottom end more now, they just run and run and the transport is where they money is made imo, he gets lots of losing runs but not for long, he must have the most runners of any trainer its the way he operates now

They've got Francophone who appears a rapidly improving filly. Doesn't have any entries currently but if I were a fiver behind her owner Kirsten Rausing, I'd be tempted to supplement her for the Irish Oaks.

It seems there was talk of the Ribblesdale for Francophone but Miss Rausing wants the filly to stay at 10f, so a race at this weekend's Northumberland Plate meeting is being considered instead.

https://ascot.attheraces.com/news/2024/June/09/francophone-camp-keeping-options-open-at-present

Nope, hasn't been entered for the Hoppings, five day entries are in for that race. They've Madame Ambassador entered instead and Rausing also has Empress Wu.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum has really downsized, a big blow to the stable. 1 winner from 47 runners

Burke seems to be completely outperforming all the Yorkshire trainers for the last couple of years. Situation in Ireland isn't hectic either, Joseph hasn't a breeze; Weld hasn't the real ammunition any more and Lyons doesn't seem to have the same level of horse as a few years ago. Twomey's have done nothing big this year either and he seems afraid to run horses (probably because he is spending a fortune), Mullins or even Gordon would clean up in Ireland on the flat if he was any way bothered.

Ireland has much better jumps trainers, but the English flat trainers would dominate if they came over more, same poor of fairly average horses running in our Premier Handicaps from what I see.