Zindabad impressive

Zindabad put Mark Johnston on the verge of a full house of top staying events with an impressive win in the Merewood Homes Yorkshire Cup yesterday.

His trainer has made merry in the leading distance events in the past decade, landing the Gold Cup, Doncaster Cup and Goodwood Cup with Double Trigger and Royal Rebel. Now only the Jockey Club Cup eludes the Middleham handler after his six-year-old took the feature event on the final day of the Dante meeting at York by 1½ lengths from Boreas.

"It was the perfect trip for him today and he won't go any further," said Johnston, who has not entered the horse in the Gold Cup. "We will bring him back to a mile and a half for the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot in which he came so close last year."

Coral cut the reappearing Jardines Lookout's Gold Cup price from 20 to 1 into 16 to 1 after he finished third under Michael Kinane.