Could Champions Day success open the floodgates for Charlie Johnston after a difficult first season?
The Balmoral Handicap might be the gentle finale on British Champions Day, but victory with The Gatekeeper in Saturday's race was still a notable one for Charlie Johnston.
The Middleham Park-owned four-year-old made all in the £200,000 contest to hand Johnston his most valuable success in his first year as the sole licence-holder at Kingsley Park.
It was a welcome win for Johnston, who will be the first to admit the season has not quite matched expectations. He may have maintained the position of Johnston Racing as the most prolific stable in Britain with 159 winners and counting, but big-race success has been harder to come by.
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