No plans to rest Buratino

Mark Johnston has no plans to wrap his impressive Coventry Stakes winner Buratino in cotton wool for the rest of the season.

Buratino put his greater racecourse experience to devastating use on the opening day of Royal Ascot when making it four wins from six starts with a two-length success over Air Force Blue.

The juvenile’s stylish victory followed on from his six-length demolition job in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom on Derby Day earlier in the month.

With the recent Godolphin purchase now having a Group 2 win under his belt, Buratino will likely be seen in Group 1 company when he next takes to the track, with Johnston not worrying about over-racing the colt.

“You can’t help but be more careful with them, but at the same time the key to good training is not to wrap them in cotton wool,” Johnston told Racing UK. “If you wrap them up, we can all produce nice, sound showhorses, but we want to produce racehorses and so they’ve got to go out and work every day like all the rest.

“But at the same time I’m a huge believer in a natural progression. I don’t like to step down in class, so there’s not many races up in class from this.”

Johnston rates Buratino among the best juveniles he has trained, but feels the son of Exceed And Excel is not yet at the same level as his 2004 Dewhurst Stakes winner Shamardal.

He added: “He sits right up there, absolutely, but I’m not going to say he’s a Shamardal yet. He’s got a bit to go to be there.”

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