Yorkshire trainer Mark Johnston is well-known for sending runners down from his Middleham stables to the Glorious Goodwood Qatar Festival. He targets the meeting and has trained three different horses to a cumulative five wins in the staying feature event, the Goodwood Cup.

Three of those came courtesy of mid-1990s long-distance great Double Trigger. Hard as this may seem to believe, but Johnston hasn’t lifted the Goodwood Cup since 2004 when Darasim delivered aged six. The 17-year wait may be over for the Yorkshire Dales handler, however.

It was a brilliant day for Subjectivist and Joe Fanning – winning the Gold Cup.

It was also a dream come true for the hard-working stable staff at Mark Johnston’s Middleham yard!#RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/5Qa9TLMHfD

— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 18, 2021

Subjectivist could only finish third at this meeting last year in the Gordon Stakes en route to a crack at the St Leger where he came seventh. Since then, however, the Teofilo colt has won three of the most valuable and prestigious races for Flat turf stayers in the world.

After making all the running in the Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp in Paris last October, Subjectivist plundered the Dubai Gold Cup out in Meydan this March. Critics knocked the form of the Group 2 race held on Dubai World Cup night, suggesting Johnston’s runner hadn’t been much.

On his next and most recent British start, however, Subjectivist dethroned the established champion stayer of recent years when wresting the Gold Cup crown from Stradivarius at Royal Ascot. The Goodwood Cup was widely advertised as a rematch between the pair but injury to Johnson’s runner has ended his season and potentially career as he will likely stand as a stallion and sire of National Hunt horses of the future.

Following a win in the Group 2 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes for 2019 St Leger second Sir Ron Priestley, Johnston suggested he could be supplemented for the Goodwood Cup and stand in for Subjectivist. His own staying credentials are mixed following a disappointing defeat in the Yorkshire Cup earlier in the season.

Stradivarius found nothing but trouble in-running in the Gold Cup with regular jockey Frankie Dettori giving his mount too much to do in the circumstances and the three-time winner didn’t even make the frame. Looking at the result in isolation, without considering the context of what happened on the track, is this finally a sign of the changing of the guard in the staying division? Stradivarius simply could not make up the lost ground as tired horses turning for home fell back into his lap.

Stradivarius is ready for action! #RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/Vf5rgEwXFD

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 17, 2021

The right horses ran into the frame too, taking full advantage of the tactical errors made by Detotri. Princess Zoe, a gallant and improving mare from last season, came to Royal Ascot as the winner of France’s equivalent race, the Prix du Cardan on Arc Weekend, and finished second.

Spanish Mission, seen to best effect in Subjectivist’s backyard after winning the Doncaster Cup last autumn and Yorkshire Cup this spring, held on to third place. Despite that disappointment at the royal meeting, as Glorious Goodwood day 1 betting tips and predictions point out, Stradivarius has won the Goodwood Cup a record four times.

If granted a clearer passage through the race, then that may end up testing the Royal Ascot form. Experts expect Stradivarius to give a much better account of himself whatever opposition there is against him at Goodwood.

While we’ve lost the clash between big names and race winners that lies at the heart of what makes thoroughbred horse racing so great, the show goes on. Either the old warhorse Stradivarius extends his Goodwood Cup record to five wins, or some other equine athlete which may or may not be Sir Ron Priestley causes an upset.