Johnston warns punters to forgive Aspen Lad

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Darryl Johnston has warned punters to put a line through Aspen Lad’s mystery Cairns Lightning flop as he takes on the might of the John Manzelmann stable at Yeppoon on Tuesday.

Aspen Lad - a Natalea Summers mount - lines up against six Manzelmann runners in the Open Handicap over 1000 metres.

Johnston admits he has found no reason for Aspen Lad’s poor performance in the Cairns Lightning when he showed his usual brilliant gate speed to lead before compounding in the straight to beat only one runner home behind Prime Ruler, more than seven lengths away.

“I’ve no idea what happened in the Lightning,” Johnston said.

“It’s weird and it was the worst run he’s had for quite a while.

“He usually leads easily but for some reason he raced with his head high and wasn’t comfortable on the track.

“It was supposed to be a slow track but it raced more like a heavy.”

Johnston said some minor issues were discovered on his return home but nothing serious which would have contributed to his below par performance.

“As far as I’m concerned it’s a complete mystery so I’m just ignoring the run," the trainer said. 

The wheelchair-bound Johnston now has 11 horses in work since he began training a year after his horrific fall as a jockey in 2007 which left him as a paraplegic.

Johnston bred Aspen Lad from Sonador Rose who started 16 times for a solitary maiden win at Callaghan Park in Rockhampton in 2015.

“We raced his mother who only won one race but she’s thrown a couple of other good ones,” he said.

“Apart from Aspen Lad we’ve got two brothers from her, a two-year-old which is running in a few weeks and a three-year-old.”

With Manzelmann saddling up all six opponents, Johnston rates Cochrane as the main threat to Aspen Lad chalking up his eighth win in 24 starts.

Cochrane has won six of his 46 starts and is coming off a last start second to stable mate Golden Athena in a 1200 metre Open Handicap at Mackay on September 5.