3 minute read
Charlie Johnston has revealed that both Green Storm and Align The Stars are set for Group 1 action at Saint-Cloud on Sunday.
Green Storm will bid to give the Charlie Johnston team a third victory in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud on Sunday after Gear Up (2020) and Dubai Mile (2022) both landed the only ten-furlong top-level juvenile prize in Europe in recent years.
The son of Circus Maximus, who shed his maiden tag with a nine-and-a-half-length victory at Yarmouth, proved he was more than capable of mixing it in group company when chasing home Ralph Beckett's exciting prospect Starzintheireyes in the Group 3 Zetland Stakes at Newmarket last time.
Having been left in front a long way from home, plenty of people would have considered Green Storm slightly unlucky at Newmarket, an opinion Johnston certainly shared.
"He clearly learnt plenty from Yarmouth and we were delighted with the run at Newmarket, but I can't help but say I was a bit frustrated as well," said Johnston on Sky Sports Racing. "If the leader had been able to carry him for another furlong into the race, I think he probably would have won as he got left in front a long way out and despite having five runs, he's still quite a green and babyish horse."
A further step up in grade now awaits Green Storm and whilst this will certainly be his toughest test to date, Johnston is adamant his horse has the right credentials to make an impact across the Channel.
He said: "It's a race that's served us very well in recent years and Green Storm has always shown us a lot at home and been held in high regard,"
"There's no question that the ability is there, and we think he's the right sort of horse for this test.
"He took his form to a new level with his second in the Zetland Stakes a couple of weeks ago and that gave us the confidence that he's equipped for this sort of challenge.
"He's a horse that showed us a lot from quite early, that's what led to us running him a couple of times early in the season as we thought he was a possible Chesham horse at that stage.
"Given his size and his pedigree, we were probably asking him a bit too much too early at that point, so we backed off and he had a nice break through the middle part of the summer and came back for an autumn campaign."
Joining Green Storm in France for the Charlie Johnston team will be progressive young stayer Align The Stars, who landed valuable handicaps at Haydock and Goodwood prior to disappointing in the Group 2 Lonsdale Cup at York.
Johnston said: "He's had a great season, very progressive through the handicap ranks. The wheels came off a little bit in the Lonsdale. He's a big Sea The Stars colt and quite a boisterous individual and the occasion seemed to get to him a bit at York.
"He was quite difficult to saddle and was on his toes down at the start. York is a track where the preliminaries are quite a test for some horses, and it just seemed to get the better of him on the day."
The son of Sea The Stars will now step up to Group 1 level where he could be set to take on Alan King's stable star Trueshan.
"We've had this race in mind, and it will be interesting to see who stands their ground. It sounds like Trueshan will be there, but we feel Align The Stars is a cup horse in the making for next year and this is a route we took with Subjectivist a few years ago," said Johnston.
"For all he's not at that level yet, we're hopeful he could develop into our cup horse for next year."
