Subjectivist winning the 2021 Ascot Gold Cup of the Ascot Championship Series. (Royal Ascot Photo)
By Michaela Moricova
Those who pay attention to British horse racing have probably noticed the name, Subjectivist. The six-year-old bay emerged as a staying star for Mark Johnston in 2020, quickly becoming perceived as the specialist for extra-long races. However, Subjectivist has a half-brother, Sir Ron Priestly, who looked like a future flagbearer for Johnston in 2019 and ran well also in 2021. Both horses weren’t lucky enough to fulfill their potential, though, as their feeble health ruled them out on numerous occasions.
While Sir Ron Priestly retired last year, Subjectivist ran his last race in June 2023 and is expected to enter a stud, too. But why do I write these lines, focusing on the careers of these two horses? Well, because their fates are so similar, it’s worth some attention, in my opinion; moreover, their dame Reckoning (Danehill Dancer) is fourteen-year-old and fully capable of producing other Grade winners in the future. To be honest, her 2021 colt Individualism (Too Darn Hot) has recorded a very promising debut.
Australia All Over Him
Upon looking at Sir Ron Priestly, you quickly realize whose son he is. Not only the color gives in, but also the facial expression shouts Australia, and because the chestnut won the Epsom Derby for Aidan O’Brien, it wasn’t a big surprise that Sir Ron Priestly always looked like a stayer. Mark Johnston pointed him in 2018 to just two outings, including fourth place in a maiden in a very eye-catching company. A subsequent G1 winner, Line of Duty, won the race, with G3 scoring Pablo Escobarr and G1 winner over hurdles Allmankind finishing second and third, respectively.
As a three-year-old, Sir Ron Priestly delivered in five races out of seven. Most notably, he won bet365 handicap at Haydock and the G3 March Stakes while always making virtually all of the races. The chestnut failed to bag a G1 victory; however, he came very close in the St Leger Stakes 2019. After following the leaders, he showed a good turn-of-foot, but Logician was a bit classier, so Sir Ron Priestly had to settle for second, which was his last outing for some time.
Fantastic, Yet Fragile
Due to a suspensory injury, he was forced to leave out the whole 2020 campaign, yet he returned with a bang in 2021. The five-year-old chestnut handled six starts from April to July, scoring a Listed and two G2 races as he bumped into some exciting rivals back then. In the G2 Jockey Club Stakes, he defeated a multiple G1 winner Pyledriver, while his diligent front-running style earned him a victory also in the G2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes during Royal Ascot. Subsequently, he belonged among hot chances in the Goodwood Cup over two miles, where he finished a gallant third.
Unfortunately, he re-injured in that race and retired soon after the effort. His half-brother followed in similar footsteps.
Sir Ron Priestly was a great racehorse but Reckoning had her first G1-winning offspring in Subjectivist, born in 2017. The son of Teofilo didn’t require that much patience, so the trainer sent him off to seven races for two-year-olds. Although Subjectivist didn’t transform into a star immediately, he showed lots of potential when winning a novice race by seven lengths and finishing second among a Listed company. In 2020, he couldn’t be aimed at Epsom due to some health issues but shone brightly in the rest of the season.
Third Time’s the Charm
Out of eight races, Subjectivist won three of them and especially enjoyed a trip over a mile and six furlongs. Upon winning a Listed, he destroyed the competition in the G3 March Stakes by abysmal fifteen lengths, letting many people remember his half-brother by often employing the same tactic throughout the races. He made all also in the G1 Prix Royal-Oak in Longchamp, where he achieved his premiere G1 success.
Subjectivist then returned to the tracks in March to score a G2 in Meydan, utterly demolishing the field of the Dubai Gold Cup. He remained unbeaten in 2021 after Meydan as he hit the ground only once again, quickly acquiring his second G1 victory. Subjectivist scored the G1 Gold Cup over two miles and four furlongs in June. He tracked the leaders under his usual rider Joe Fanning, upon which he delivered a beautiful turn-of-foot, leaving behind other G1 victors, Princess Zoe and Stradivarius.
A tendon injury ruled him out for the season of 2022, suggesting again that he’s as unlucky as his half-sibling. Subjectivist returned to racing after twenty months, and even though he failed to make an impression in Riyadh, his following performance in Meydan was substantially better. Although he didn’t come close to his 2021 effort, finishing third behind Broome was quite a good sign for the connections. His team then waited until Royal Ascot to unleash their star in the Gold Cup, while Subjectivist didn’t disappoint and ran a fine race in third.
Still, Charlie Johnston wasn’t allowed to be happy about that for long. He took over his father’s horses in February 2023 but didn’t enjoy Subjectivist around for a long time as he went lame in work and was shortly after retired.
It’s Not Over Yet
Although Sir Ron Priestly and Subjectivist don’t probably hold the most desirable record for attractive sires, the older of them found his new home in France. Haras du Saz was very interested in a son of Australia and thought of Sir Ron Priestly as a promising jumping stallion. Moreover, Charlie Johnston has already announced that some people showed interest in Subjectivist, so we’ll probably see him at a stud for the 2024 covering season, too.
Due to the exploits of these two horses, their two-year-old half-brother draws lots of attention. Individualism is also with Charlie Johnston, who sent the bay colt to his debut in July. The son of Too Darn Hot, a G1 winner best suited by the distance of seven furlongs, handled his premiere superbly, being bettered just by one rival and finishing a close second. Individualism may not be a stayer, but as he’s a son of Reckoning, we’re excited about his path.
Perhaps, it will be a rather “individual” path.
