Risen Sun shines on her debut for Johnston

Mark Johnston was in fine form on Scotland’s last evening action of the year when recording a double at the track where he is a non-executive director.

Risen Sun and Joe Fanning stormed to what was an easy victory at Hamilton. Picture: John Grossick

The Kingsley House trainer struck with impressive newcomer Risen Sun and Jalingo who took the feature race with ease on his turf debut. Both horses were ridden by Joe Fanning.

Risen Sun, a filly by Sharmadal, stormed away by four-and-a-half lengths from Hard N Sharp and Johnston said: “She hasn’t run before now as she had a setback. She had an abscess on her fetlock and it burst so it has taken time. I actually put Joe off a little on her chances she wasn’t so quickly out of the stalls at home but she was very ­professional tonight to beat a field of colts.

“There are no big race plans and you don’t know how strong the form is as they were all making their debuts. I don’t actually have too many more unraced two-year-olds to run.”

Jalingo, who hadn’t raced since March, was equally ­emphatic as he won by lengths in the £10,000 9f handicap.

Johnston added: “He is bred to be better on turf and I don’t really know where we go from here. Judging by the style he won though I’d better start and get him entered up.”

In Ireland, Tested produced a superb display to convincingly claim the Coolmore Stud Fairy Bridge Stakes at Tipperary.

The Khalid Abdullah-owned filly ran amok as the 2-1 joint-favourite in what looked a relatively competitive Group 3 over seven-and-a-half furlongs. Some Spirit (10-1) cut out the early running, with Tested never too far away in the hands of Pat Smullen and fellow joint-favourite Purr Along towards the rear of the field. The trailblazer creditably stuck to her guns to take second place, but she could not match the finishing burst of the Dermot Weld-trained winner.

Meanwhile, Elm Park is set to take his chance at Salisbury today unless conditions ­deteriorate – in which case he would switch to Sandown for tomorrow’s European Wealth Solario Stakes. Trainer Andrew Balding intends running the Phoenix Reach colt in the EBF Stallions Stonehenge Stakes, a listed ­contest over a mile, at the ­Wiltshire track.