Johnston, who trains out of Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire and has sent out an extraordinary 131 winners already this season, has been open about how he reads this horse. After that Chelmsford win, the team pushed hard — campaigning her aggressively, as Johnston put it, and she rewarded that faith with a second place in the Fillies' Mile, one of the most prestigious end-of-season races for young horses. That result alone confirmed she belonged in elite company.
Her recent form reads 9-3-2-6-3-4 from last to first, and her third place at Newmarket last time is the figure that matters most. Johnston was unambiguous afterwards: the run was designed as an Oaks trial and she passed it. She proved she'll stay ten furlongs comfortably, and her breeding suggests twelve — the Epsom Derby distance — should suit her too. He pointed to a sticky afternoon at Doncaster to explain the sixth-place finish that sits awkwardly in that sequence, expressing frustration about the ground conditions there. On a decent surface, he said, she shows her true colours.
The plan now is Epsom. For a horse who has technically not won in her last six races, Venetian Lace finds herself heading to one of the most famous races in the world. That is either a sign of extraordinary confidence from her trainer or a measure of just how impressive those placed efforts have been. Probably both.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newmarket Galloping |
4 | 1 second, 2 thirds, 1 other | 3 May | 0% |
| chelmsford | 1 | 1 win | 1 Jun | 100% |
| Ascot Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 21 Jun | 0% |
| Doncaster Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 11 Sep | 0% |
| Epsom Downs Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 5 Jun | 0% |