Tag Archive for: Subjectivist

Subjectivist taking direct path to Ascot Gold Cup

Subjectivist will head straight to Royal Ascot as connections attempt to give the six-year-old the best possible chance of winning a second Gold Cup.

The son of Teofilo broke Stradivarius’ stranglehold on Ascot’s feature contest when storming to a five-length success in the Group One contest in 2021, but it was a long 618 days before he was seen on the track again having suffered a career-threatening injury.

He made his comeback in Saudi Arabia in February before moving on to Dubai last month in a bid to win a second Dubai Gold Cup and ran a pleasing race to finish third, beaten five lengths behind Broome.

Having come out of that race well, the six-time winner is enjoying a few easy weeks before being put through his paces again ahead of the Royal meeting, with trainer Charlie Johnston keen not to over-exert Dr Jim Walker’s fragile warrior away from the top staying contests.

“We’ve had a bit of debate about Sagaros and Yorkshire Cups and things, but the plan now for him, all being well and should we be able to get him there, is to go straight to Ascot,” said Johnston.

“With that in mind he’s just swimming and on the water walker at the moment and having an easy couple of weeks before we try to build him back up for the Gold Cup.

Joe Fanning riding Subjectivist celebrate winning the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 2021
Joe Fanning riding Subjectivist celebrate winning the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in 2021 (Steven Paston/PA)

“We have a big, black cloud hanging over us every day now since his tendon injury and how long is a piece of string really, we don’t know how many bullets are left in the gun for us to fire and with that in mind we don’t really want to waste any in races like a Sagaro.

“He’s going to be campaigned in the three or four races that we really want to win and, touch wood, he has taken two races in a four-week window quite well.

“But once you’ve had a tendon injury, that is always something that is hanging over you to some degree and as a result we are only going to go into battle when it matters and the next time that will be, will be the Ascot Gold Cup.”

Subjectivist on retrieval mission in Dubai Gold Cup

Mark Johnston has placed Subjectivist among the best three horses he ever trained but confesses it is a “wing and a prayer job” as to whether he will ever return to his very best.

The 2021 Ascot Gold Cup winner will line up in Saturday’s Dubai Gold Cup, a race he won prior to his career highlight, but to repeat that success he will need to step up markedly on what he achieved in Saudi Arabia.

Making his first start for 618 days following a tendon injury, Subjectivist was understandably keen early on, giving himself no chance, and Johnston, who handed over the licence to his son Charlie recently, admits that following such a setback it may be difficult for him to return to his best.

He said: “He’s just gone round the training track once this morning with Joe Fanning on him. Since he’s come back from his injury he’s been a bit keen, as you may have seen at Saudi.

“He was too keen for his own good there, as he is on the gallops at home, so the main thing for us is to try and get him relaxed and settled. I don’t think we’ll work him on the grass at all as Charlie said he got very wound up in Saudi by being on the track every morning.

“It’s brilliant to have him back but it’s a wing and a prayer job. When you have a tendon injury like he did, you’re always thinking ‘when does the end come?’ – it will come at some point.

“As he was too keen on the night in Saudi and the event and build up proved to be a bit much for him, Charlie was keen to go to the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot and then the Gold Cup. We debated about it with John, our senior vet, and he said just to see really, who knows whether he’ll still be going come Ascot Gold Cup time so we thought we’d come here. The money is fantastic and makes a huge difference.”

Saturday’s contest is a strong one but rather than worry about the opposition, Johnston feels that Subjectivist will take all the beating if he can get back to the form he showed two seasons ago.

He went on: “It’s a very good race on Saturday, but there’s been no better staying races than the Ascot Gold Cup he won two years ago and it’s probably no better than the Gold Cup he won here. It’s down to whether he’s able to come back and perform as he used to.

“I put him in the category of our best three ever, because with the other two horses I never looked at the opposition. Those two horses were Shamardal and Attraction and it’s the same with this horse, we don’t look at the opposition.

“We look at whether he can run to his best and if he does that he’ll be tough to beat. We firmly believed that in 2021 he was the best stayer in the world and it’s just going to be whether he can get back to that.”

Johnston outlines Dubai and Ascot options for Subjectivist

The Dubai Gold Cup and the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot are the options under consideration for Subjectivist, with trainer Charlie Johnston far from despondent following his comeback run in Saudi Arabia.

The six-year-old was making his first competitive appearance in 618 days in Saturday’s Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap, having been sidelined by injury since his brilliant victory in the 2021 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.

Hopes were high that he could make a fairytale return to the winner’s enclosure in Riyadh – but after managing to get to the front from his wide draw, his early exertions took their toll and he faded to finish 12th of 13 runners.

While disappointed with the result, Johnston has not given up on the prospect of Subjectivist once again establishing himself as a major Gold Cup contender.

“Of course I was hoping he would run better than he did,” said the Middleham handler.

“But given the way race panned out, he was obviously very, very fresh after a long time off and that was more accentuated by the fact that Joe (Fanning) had to light him up a bit to get him over from that draw. Once he’d lit the fuse, there was no going back.

“He was very, very keen for the first circuit. It was always going to be a big ask after that long a lay-off, but once he’d been as keen as he was, it was no huge surprise to see him get quite tired in the closing stages.

“Obviously we hoped and dreamed he could come back and win – we wouldn’t have gone there if we didn’t think that.

“But at the same time for the horse to show that he’s still got plenty of enthusiasm for the game and I don’t think he looked out of place in that field, giving a stone to some of the best stayers in the world, at least the dream is still alive that he could still be competitive at the highest level in staying races this year.

“We were a little bit disappointed on the night, but we’re far from down and out, that’s for sure.”

Future plans for Subjectivist are slightly complicated by the fact his return flight from Riyadh has been delayed.

A tilt at the Dubai Gold Cup (March 25), which he also won two years ago, is not being ruled out but appears dependent on how quickly he recovers from his recent trip across the globe.

Charlie Johnston still has high hopes for Subjectivist
Charlie Johnston still has high hopes for Subjectivist (Mike Egerton/PA)

Johnston added: “They were originally due to fly back tomorrow (Wednesday) but that has now been delayed until Friday, so he won’t be home until then.

“At the moment he seems fine. We’ll get a better handle on things once he’s back home, but the initial signs are good, so that’s promising at least.

“This delay makes things worse in that there’s only four weeks between Saudi and Dubai and now, given the time it’s taking to get him home and the time he’d need to leave before the race at Meydan, he’d only be back here for two weeks, so that is obviously going to have to be factored in.

“If he doesn’t go to Dubai, something like the Sagaro would seem the obvious next port of call for him, but we’ll wait and see the horse when he gets home and speak to Dr Jim (Walker, owner) and make a plan from there.”

Mostahdaf apart, Saudi Cup day proves hard work for British runners

The British flag was gloomily lowered in a sunlit corner of the globe yet again on Saturday when long-absent 2021 Ascot Gold Cup winner Subjectivist began his comeback in a noble yet unequivocal defeat.

He came only 12th of 13 in the $2.5million Red Sea Turf Handicap, beaten 10 lengths by Japan’s Silver Sonic.

The British contingent began to have a sinking feeling as soon as Joe Fanning rounded the bend at the end of the back straight. There was no burst of brilliant acceleration as in many of his other races, no hint of the imperiousness shown in his finest hour at the royal meeting two years ago.

Subjectivist could not even get close to Get Shirty, who came third, while the real battle was fought between Silver Sonic and Enemy who had finished 14th in the Ebor before winning a Dubai handicap, but not a horse on any previous reckoning in Subjectivist’s division.

Silver Sonic strode away to win by two and a half lengths. Subjectivist did not add to his bank-balance, although his owner, Scottish-born, Hong Kong-based economist Dr Jim Walker will survive.

After winning the Group One Prix Royal-Oak, Dubai Gold Cup and Ascot Gold Cup, Subjectivist’s winnings have just squeezed over the £750,000 mark. A win would have given him an additional £1.25m.

After the race came one of those jockey-trainer conversations between Fanning and Charlie Johnston which consist mostly of gesticulations, shrugs and quiet pauses. The significant sign language consisted of Fanning drawing his hands in to indicate the horse did not respond enough to his restraint.

Johnston has learned plenty from his father, for he was philosophical and consoling; it may be imagination, but one felt that the saddest figure in the tableau was Subjectivist, who could not utter an explanation.

A total of 618 days have passed since he cantered all over his rivals in the 2021 Ascot Gold Cup. Johnston, quite understandably, felt the lay-off with a near-fore tendon injury – which, but for mastery, patience and possibly wizardry, almost ended his career – made the difference.

“He was just too keen and I said to Joe this morning when we walked the track, that the couple of days he’d been on the track that he was just a bit too full of himself,” he said.

“The main thing now is he comes back in one piece and he’s shown that the enthusiasm for it is still there. We’ll lower our sights and we’ll go a bit closer to home, then find out where we are.

“I’m not too disappointed. I knew four out he was in trouble, because at that stage in Dubai and Ascot, that’s when he starts putting others to the sword and that wasn’t there.”

The trainer had a touch of triskaidekaphobia when the draw was made. Unlucky 13 it certainly was, leaving Fanning no choice but to go forward from the gate in the mile and seven-furlong contest.

Sunjectivist was lit up early and Fanning, himself recently coming off a lengthy injury, will doubtless feel a little sore in the shoulders after battling in vain for restraint.

Although a few months to go, Subjectivist’s defeat may be especially bad news for Royal Ascot’s marketeers, with Kyprios now almost certain to repeat his Gold Cup success and maintain his position as one of the finest stayers in history. For time is on the youngster’s side. Though only a year older at six, time lost has been an enemy of the Johnston team.

His trainer was philosophical, however, and added: “We knew what we are asking him to do was a big, big ask, but at the same time, where do you take the horse that won the Ascot Gold Cup last time out?”

This may have not been a day to extol European racing – the Brits were the ones who were defeated in every race bar one they entered, the gallant Mostahdaf, under an imperious ride from Jim Crowley, took the Group Three Neom Turf Cup in which George Boughey’s Missed The Cut was disappointing.

It was the same, too, for the Americans, with Bill Mott’s Elite Power finally giving the fans what they wanted – an armchair ride from Frankie Dettori, who scored by the proverbial country mile on the Juddmonte-owned “aeroplane” in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint.

Aside from that, the American horses were a little disappointing, the deeper dirt surface – which Dettori extolled as perhaps the best in the world – not playing to their strengths.

Yet it was still one heck of a day’s racing. Over 20,000 good-tempered local racegoers turned up at the King Abdulaziz Racecourse.

In the £20m Saudi Cup, the most valuable in the sport, Dettori stormed home late to take second on Country Grammer behind the Japanese-trained Panthalassa – the Bob Baffert-trained challenger finishing in the same spot as he did 12 months ago when ridden by Flavien Prat.

It was Japan’s third success of the evening – thanks to a brilliant ride from Yutaka Yoshida in a race where the Japanese-trained horses filled the first five places except the runner-up spot. There were also two victories for locally-trained horses, whose owners pocketed a combined $1.5m.

The people trying to turn the Saudi Cup event into something akin to a transglobal Super Bowl still have some way to go, but they are making this an established fixture on the international racing calendar – even though this was not a day for the Brits to truly celebrate.

Silver Sonic soars to Saudi triumph, but no joy for Subjectivist

There was to be no fairytale comeback for 2021 Ascot Gold Cup winner Subjectivist who finished well down the field behind Silver Sonic in the Red Sea Turf Handicap in Riyadh.

Now trained by Charlie Johnston, Subjectivist was undoubtedly the leading stayer in Europe when adding Ascot’s showpiece race to his win in Dubai a few months prior.

However, he picked up a tendon injury and was off the track for over 600 days before this return on the Saudi Cup undercard.

Joe Fanning – himself only recently back from a long-term injury – attempted to dictate but he could never get away from the field and soon after turning into the straight he was beaten.

Silver Sonic, trained in Japan by Yasutoshi Ikee and ridden by Australian Damian Lane, burst clear and while Ian Williams’ Enemy briefly threatened, he was no match for the grey close home.

Ebor winner Trawlerman, trained by John and Thady Gosden, also failed to land a blow.

“He’s a good horse and good stayer and the race unfolded well for him,” said Lane.

“I was obviously very happy to follow Subjectivist. Trawlerman on my outside was just giving me a little bit of grief – he was getting in on me a little bit and I just knew I needed some luck at some stage. When the run presented itself, he was too strong.

“I think the Tenno Sho in Japan is next on the cards. I’m back to Australia for a few weeks then off to the Dubai Carnival, hopefully.”

Asked if he would be coming to Britain at any stage, he quipped: “For the right offer, for sure!”

Richard Kingscote, who rode Enemy, said: “With the track riding as it is, I wanted to get a bit handier than in Dubai. To be fair he did everything really well. He got a good, smooth run round the bend to get out and challenge, but the winner picked up extremely well.”

Johnston said: “He had to light him up from that draw a bit and he would have been keen, regardless. That was made worse by what he had to do early.

“We will see if he comes out of it in one piece, but he will probably go to the Sagaro or the Henry II, just lower our sights closer to home. I would say he won’t go to Dubai now.

“We knew what we are asking him to do was a big, big ask, but at the same time, where do you take the horse that won the Ascot Gold Cup last time out?”

Subjectivist primed for high-profile Saudi return

A horse who has been off the track for over 600 days and a veteran jockey with only a handful of rides in the past six months are chasing a prize of over £1million as Subjectivist lines up in the Red Sea Turf Handicap in Riyadh.

Subjectivist had just cemented his position as the leading stayer of his generation when winning the Gold Cup at Ascot in 2021, following up an utterly dominant display in Dubai.

He subsequently sustained a tendon injury which has kept him off the track since and at one point there was talk of retirement. There was never any thought of retirement for 52-year-old Fanning, though, who has only just come back from a shoulder injury picked up in June.

Since Subjectivist was last seen, Charlie Johnston was added to the licence by his father, Mark, who then retired, leaving his son in sole control.

“It is a feeling of the unknown,” said the younger Johnston.

“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t feel we would be competitive. Can I have the same confidence I had two years ago? No. This horse is coming back from a serious tendon injury, a tendon injury that in a lot of cases is career-ending. It is not like a bone injury that you know would have repaired to 100 per cent.

“There will be a reasonable number of the field who would not want to be particularly aggressive. Stall 13 wouldn’t have been my first choice of where to jump from, but it is what we’ve got and we just have to make the best of the situation.

“The horse seems in good fettle with himself and it’s all systems go. I think he is showing the signs of a horse who has spent 20 months away from the track and he was always quite a difficult horse to lead up, particularly on a raceday going back a couple of years, so it doesn’t concern me to see him full of himself. In fact, I’d much rather see him like that than the other way.”

Other UK interest in the race includes John and Thady Gosden’s Ebor winner Trawlerman, the mount of Frankie Dettori.

Trawlerman (white hat) was given a peach by Frankie Dettori to win the Ebor
Trawlerman (white hat) was given a peach by Frankie Dettori to win the Ebor (Mike Egerton/PA)

Thady Gosden said: “He’s an Ebor winner who was able to make the step up to Group class when he was third in the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day at Ascot, so you would like to think he will continue to develop into a good stayer.

“But this is a very good race, not least with the return of Subjectivist, and he faces very tough competition in a very competitive handicap.”

Karl Burke’s Al Qareem, David O’Meara’s Get Shirty, Andrew Balding’s Nate The Great and the Ian Williams-trained Enemy also run.

All eyes will be on George Boughey’s Missed The Cut in the Neom Turf Cup given he beat Algiers in his prep race.

Simon and Ed Crisford’s charge has made giant strides in Dubai subsequently, giving Boughey plenty of confidence.

He said: “We’re happy with him. He beat the Dubai World Cup favourite (Algiers) on the all-weather at Lingfield back in November and he comes here in super shape, so we are looking forward to it.

“The Algiers form is obviously good form. Algiers has taken his form to a different level on the dirt in Meydan and this is a whole different kettle of fish for Missed The Cut. It is a tight 10 and a bit furlongs around the turf here. He has got plenty of pace and I’m hoping he should go well.”

Saeed bin Suroor’s pair of Dubai Future and White Moonlight, the Gosden-trained Mostahdaf and William Knight’s stalwart Sir Busker are other familiar names lining up.

In the 1351 Turf Sprint, Richard Hannon runs both Happy Romance and Lusail, while Charlie Hills is represented by Garrus and Pogo. Japanese runner Songline looks the one to beat having won the race 12 months ago.

Subjectivist ready for high-profile Saudi Cup card return

Charlie Johnston is used to injuries. A red baseball cap helped shield his bruised and cut left eyebrow as he watched Subjectivist stretch his legs ahead of sunrise at the King Abdulaziz Racecourse on Wednesday.

His own injury was sustained by the rigours of playing for rugby for Wensleydale. He suffered similar scarring last year. “One day, I’ll learn,” quipped the 32-year-old.

There is no hiding for Subjectivist, however. The injury sustained by this glorious stayer was far more extreme.

He will make his comeback in Saturday’s Group Three Longines Red Sea Turf Handicap, having been off the track since cantering all over his rivals in the 2021 Ascot Gold Cup.

The son of Teofilo will take on 12 rivals, including the John and Thady Gosden-trained Ebor winner Trawlerman, Ian Williams’ Meydan handicap hero Enemy, Karl Burke’s Prix Chaudenay scorer Al Qareem and Nate The Great from the Andrew Balding yard in the one-mile-seven-furlong contest.

Johnston’s relief that the yard’s latest superstar looked plenty fit enough for his return was palpable.

“It has been a very long road, 20 months since this horse saw the racecourse,” said Johnston.

“It has been a long journey for the team and one where we’ve trodden on egg-shells for the most of it.

“So, to see him back in this kind of environment is fantastic.”

He added: “Horses like him don’t come around very often. It was getting to that point where you don’t really care about the opposition.”

Subjectivist had excelled in the Middle East when winning the Dubai Gold Cup en route to his Ascot victory, yet misfortune befell him after beating the likes of Princess Zoe, Spanish Mission and Stradivarius at Ascot.

“About two weeks after the Ascot Gold Cup, he had an injury to his superficial flexor tendon – an injury which can be career-ending, basically – and to get horses back is no given,” added Johnston.

“We had the best stayer in the world and it was just a case of getting him on his ‘A game’.

“We left Ascot with Goodwood, Ascot, France, Dubai, Saudi (in mind) – you were just picking the races you wanted to win.

“To have that and to lose it was a huge blow to the yard. We are just hoping we can have him back to somewhere near his former glory.”

Nine months on a water-walker, a summer in the field and brought along slowly since he returned to work in September, including a pleasing piece of work at Newcastle two weeks ago, have primed Subjectivist for his first start in 618 days.

After flexing his muscles on the turf, Johnston hopes he can answer the $2.5million question under Joe Fanning, who himself has had to overcome a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Subjectivist was an impressive Ascot winner in 2021
Subjectivist was an impressive Ascot winner in 2021 (David Davies/PA)

“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think we were ready,” Johnston added. “But at the same time any prep is difficult, but in particular in a situation when when you come back from such a serious injury.

“We took him to Newcastle and that was a pretty serious workout. That was the key point, to feel he was in shape to be ready to come here.

“What he did here today was to see him stretch his legs, see that he is fit and well and that he has taken the journey OK.

“The hard work has been done at home and now it is a case of keeping him wrapped up until Saturday.

“It is very much one day at a time with this horse. Every morning he canters up the gallop, he goes into his box and we check that his leg is still OK.

“I’ve barely allowed myself to think about Saturday, never mind think beyond Saturday.”

Charlie Johnston in Riyadh on Wednesday
Charlie Johnston in Riyadh on Wednesday (Simon Milham/PA)

The yard have a rich history with stayers such as Double Trigger and Royal Rebel, yet Subjectivist could quickly help the young handler emerge from the long shadow of his father, Mark, having recently taken over the licence.

“The only horses that he has mentioned in the same breath as Subjectivist are Attraction and Shamardal, because they are the three horses where we don’t care about the opposition,” said the trainer.

“These horses were just better than anything else and it was just a case of getting them there on their A-game.

“This horse has suffered a serious injury and it is a serious ask to get him back to that level. We have done everything we can and we will find out on Saturday.

Joe Fanning will be aboard Subjectivist again on Saturday
Joe Fanning will be aboard Subjectivist again on Saturday (Steven Paston/PA)

“He has worked a mile and a half round Newcastle. We haven’t worked him over the distance he’s going to run over, we haven’t put him into the red zone and we wouldn’t do that for any horse, but in particular a horse like this coming back from injury.

“Yet any of those three last runs in France, Dubai or Ascot is way ahead of what anything else in the field has achieved and it is just a case of how close to that level can we get a horse back after a tendon injury. It is a big ask, but we have done everything we can.

“We have had a runner in this race in all four renewals, so we are well used to it now. The ground tends to be quick.

“Again, that is a variable that doesn’t matter to us with this horse. He won in a swamp in France and on very quick ground out in Dubai. It is a beautiful track. It is fairly tight on the turf track but again, that should suit a horse like him – he’s not a slow horse by any stretch.

“Everything should suit him, really.”

Charlie Johnston looking forward to Subjectivist’s Saudi return

Charlie Johnston’s Subjectivist is on course to make a long-awaited return to action in the Red Sea Turf Handicap at the Saudi Cup fixture.

The bay son of Teofilo looked the new dominant force in the staying division when landing the Gold Cup at Ascot in 2021, but his career was then interrupted by an injury that has kept him off the track since.

His comeback will take place at Riyadh at the end of the month, with the six-year-old set to contest a race worth $2.5 million.

There will be over 600 days between Subjectivist’s last start and his performance in Saudi Arabia and Johnston is hopeful that he proves himself to have retained all of his ability after the long layoff.

“It’s been an 18-month rehab journey, so to have come this far is great and we’re all very much looking forward to having him on the track again,” he said.

Joe Fanning and Subjectivist after Ascot victory
Joe Fanning and Subjectivist after Ascot victory (Steven Paston/PA)

“It’s a bit of an unknown in the sense we aren’t entirely sure what we have back, and it will be asking a lot to have the same horse that we had 20 months ago. I sincerely hope we do, but we won’t find that out until he runs in Saudi.”

In preparation for the race Subjectivist has undertaken a racecourse gallop at Newcastle, satisfying Johnston and regular rider Joe Fanning, himself on the comeback trail, with his work.

“I was pleased with what I saw at Newcastle. The difficulty with any horse is that you don’t put really put them into the red zone at home, but particularly with a horse of this nature who runs over these distances,” the trainer said.

“We’ve never gone to the distances which he excels over, and we don’t have many 120-rated stayers to work him either, so of course there’s that unknown, but both myself and Joe were pleased with how he went.

“Joe knows the horse better than anyone and he said he got better and better the further he went which obviously bodes well for next weekend.”

Subjectivist at Goodwood
Subjectivist at Goodwood (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

Victory in Riyadh would be a huge feat for all involved in the horse, but a satisfactory run would still provide connections with enough hope to carry into the domestic season ahead.

“I’m trying to keep my expectations relatively in check and the main thing is that the horse comes back safe and sound,” Johnston said.

“If he can show that he can at least be competitive at this level, then we know that we’ve still got something to work with moving forwards.

“However, with the greatest respect to what else is in the race, this horse, at his best, is in a completely different stratosphere to the rest of them. The form he showed in any of his last three starts would win this race very comfortably.”

Johnston has recently become the sole licence-holder after a period of joint enterprise with his father Mark who trained the likes of Shamardal, Attraction and Double Trigger.

Mark Johnston (left) and his son Charlie
Mark Johnston (left) and his son Charlie (Alan Crowhrust/PA)

Now the younger Johnston has the chance to guide the career of a great horse of his own, a status Subjectivist will surely earn if he is able to regain his place at the head of the staying table.

“There have been some pretty remarkable training feats from this team over the years. I was a lot less involved with the likes of Attraction, but to bring a horse of this level, with that injury, back after this time away would be a pretty monumental task,” Johnston said.

“Horses of this calibre are very hard to find and we reached a stage two years ago where I was that confident in his ability that I didn’t think there was a stayer in the world that could beat him. It was purely a case of picking which races we wanted to win.

“Those horses come along every 15 or 20 years, so to have nearly lost him was a huge blow, but if we can get him back to anywhere near his imperious best, it would be a huge thrill for us all.”

Subjectivist progressing towards possible return at Saudi Cup meeting

Not seen since claiming Royal Ascot glory two years ago, Subjectivist could return to action on the Saudi Cup undercard in Riyadh next month.

The six-year-old was a brilliant winner of the Gold Cup in 2021, having previously landed the Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp and the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan.

However, it later emerged he had suffered what was potentially a career-threatening leg injury in winning at the Royal meeting and while there were initially hopes he would be back in 2022, he was ultimately unable to defend his Gold Cup crown.

Subjectivist is now back in full work, though, and while trainer Charlie Johnston is taking a day by day approach, he is pleased with what he has seen so far.

Johnston, who this week took over the training licence fully from his record-breaking father Mark, said: “Entries closed yesterday morning for the Saudi Cup meeting and Subjectivist has been entered in the Red Sea Turf Handicap – the one-mile-seven-furlong race.

“He’s been back in work since early October and has been cantering all the way through December and into January now.

“There’s still a long way to go – we haven’t started to turn the screw just yet with any faster work.

“Every day the fingers are crossed watching him, but so far so good.”