John L Sullivan (IRE)

Overview

John L Sullivan is by Ten Sovereigns, a top-class 6f performer who went unbeaten as a two-year-old, winning the Group 3 Round Tower Stakes and the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes. At three, he was a beaten favourite in the 2000 Guineas before returning to sprint distances to win the Group 1 Darley July Cup, cementing his reputation as one of Europe’s best sprinters in 2018.

John L Sullivan was purchased privately, having previously been acquired as a €52,000 foal and later a €70,000 yearling for the esteemed Coolmore operation. He was purchased as a value prospect, and last season – which was always viewed as a building block for the future – he won just shy of £10,000 in prize money and increased in value, making him look a shrewd buy as things stand.

He made an encouraging handicap debut at Wetherby, finishing 2nd behind Good Morning Alex, who has since climbed to 80 OR and added three more wins. John then progressed well throughout 2024, recording two victories, including a determined success at Musselburgh in a competitive 7f handicap.

With versatility over 7f and 1m, John L Sullivan remains an exciting prospect for the upcoming flat campaigns, with further improvement expected in 2025.

Form

His wins have come over 7f and 1m, showing versatility, and with further development, he is expected to progress again in 2025!

Latest Race (Musselburgh, 6th November 2024) – 1st by a neck

John L Sullivan showed great determination to record his second career win, digging deep to prevail by a neck in a competitive 7f Handicap. This was a strong race, with 11 of the 12 runners having previously shared 31 wins between them. Despite being one of the least experienced in the field, he confirmed his ability to battle when it mattered.

The race has worked out well, with Rebecca’s Girl (7th, 7¾L behind John L Sullivan) has franked the form significantly since, running 8 times, winning 3 times, finishing 2nd once, and placing 3rd twice. Now rated 78 OR, she was receiving 11lbs from John L Sullivan at Musselburgh.

Roman Harry (5th), who finished 1L behind John L Sullivan, going on to finish 2nd behind the now 7-time winner Hitched (78 OR) just two starts later.

Darbucks (4th) was the 9/2 SP favourite and a 4-time winner, further enhancing the strength of the form.

First Win (Wetherby, 11th June 2024) – 1st by 1¼L

John L Sullivan got off the mark in impressive style, winning by 1¼L with plenty in hand. Having shaped well on his handicap debut behind Good Morning Alex, at 25/1 SP, he built on that promise with a strong travelling performance, before comfortably putting the race to bed.

The 3rd, Oceanic Wonder (1¾L behind John L Sullivan) has since won at Redcar, the 4th, Jez Bomb (3½L behind John L Sullivan) was having his third handicap run here and has since won 4 times, and the 5th, Ribble River (4L behind John L Sullivan) has run three times since, winning twice and finishing 3rd and is now 10lbs higher in the handicap. We were giving him 1lb in this race. The 10th and 11th have also both won since this race, further boosting the form.

Handicap Debut (Wetherby, 28th April 2024) – 2nd by 4¼L

John L Sullivan made an encouraging handicap debut at Wetherby, finishing 2nd by 4¼ lengths behind Good Morning Alex, who prior to this race had won 3 of his 6 starts since being gelded.

Importantly, John was receiving just 1lb from Good Morning Alex, who has since climbed to a rating of 80 OR and recorded a further 3 wins including his Wetherby win to take his total to 7, further strengthening the form.

Despite being slowly away and briefly outpaced, John made notable late headway, staying on strongly inside the final furlong to finish 1¼ lengths ahead of the third-placed Infinite Honour (who has also won since by 4L). This run showed his potential in handicaps and set him up perfectly for the season ahead.

Racing Post Reviews:

1st - Wetherby (11/06/2024): “Showed much-improved form when finishing well from off the pace to take second at 25-1 over C&D on his handicap debut and he went one better with relative ease, travelling strongly before just doing enough once in front. He looks capable of better in handicaps.”

1st - Musselburgh (06/11/2024): “Reached a promising fourth in a better-class Ayr handicap the previous month and came over the top of this field to neatly double his winning tally.”

Future Plans

Despite winning twice in 2024, John L Sullivan will undergo a wind operation to further help him going forward before returning to training for a campaign which will start in Spring. There is plenty of improvement to come, as John was still learning his trade last season and showed signs of greenness in some of his races.

The plan is yet to be decided where we will start John, there is the potential to drop him back in trip to 6f as he has strengthened over the winter. His natural speed and strong finishing ability make him an interesting prospect over multiple distances, and he can be highly competitive in handicaps this year.