Apprentice Jabez Johnstone was on 79 career wins prior to last weekend, needing one more to be eligible to begin a planned three-month loan with Ciaron Maher this week. That success came aboard the Maher-prepared Duchess Zou, who took the final event at Sandown last Saturday, a benchmark 84 over 1400 metres.
The daughter of Zoustar faced the breeze before surging to the front early in the straight and she comfortably held her rivals to score by 2¼ lengths.
Johnstone followed up with a brace of wins at Hobart on Sunday, led off by the John Luttrell-trained Sir Jag, who notched a long-awaited second career win in the maiden/Class 1 plate over 1600 metres.
The Stratosphere gelding hadn’t managed a win in 40 attempts since scoring at his second appearance, when in the care of Barry Campbell, but had placed on 11 occasions.
Johnstone completed his Hobart double aboard John Blacker’s smart filly Daytona Diva, who resumed from a three-month break with a brilliant win in the three-year-old handicap over 1200 metres.
A winner of February’s listed Strutt Stakes (2020m) two starts earlier, the daughter of Anders settled at the tail of the field from her outside gate last Sunday before looping the field and drawing clear to score in dominant fashion.
Her win also provided Blacker with a double as he’d won earlier with honest mare Zewinna, who scored an overdue win in the benchmark 68 handicap over 1600 metres under Kirra-Lee Lane.
Force to be reckoned with
John Keys launches a three-pronged attack on Caulfield this Saturday and Johnstone will be aboard two of those runners.
The first of them is highly promising filly Swift Force, who tackles a benchmark 78 handicap over 1200 metres.
The daughter of Magnus was untroubled leading throughout over 1100m at the same track three weeks ago and should take plenty of catching again from the inside marble.
Her only conqueror thus far, Perspiration, lines up in the benchmark 84 handicap over the same route and will also have the services of Johnstone.
The formerly Maher-prepared Too Darn Hot gelding was in great form before his break, stringing minor Tasmanian feature sprint wins together, and has been trialling well ahead of his return.
Craig Newitt has the mount aboard the Keys-trained Cartoon Graveyard in a benchmark 100 handicap over 1600 metres and he’s also come up with the inside alley.
The Turffontein gelding was beaten less than a length at the same track three weeks ago over 1400 metres after settling handy. He is suited by the rise to the mile and should again get a gun run in transit.