Racing:Fame And Glory continued Ballydoyle's great tradition in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. Following in the hoofprints of his former stablemate Yeats, who famously won four Gold Cups, the five-year-old stayed every yard of the two-and-a-half-mile trip.
Jamie Spencer kicked on two furlongs out on Aidan O’Brien’s 2009 Irish Derby winner, and the 11-8 favourite had plenty left to hold off Godolphin’s Opinion Poll by three lengths, with Brigantin third.
Tastahil set out to make all of the running before the veteran Geordieland, who so often found Yeats his nemesis in this race, pulled himself to the front. But unfortunately for his connections, Geordieland had soon shot his bolt and was pulled up.
Duncan was the first of the big guns to play his hand, with Askar Tau travelling sweetly for George Baker. But Spencer had not moved until the field turned into the straight.
He used his class to pull well clear of the field before Mickael Barzalona brought Opinion Poll (16-1) from the rear of the field to pass all bar the impressive winner.
“It was a very easy, push-button ride,” exclaimed Spencer. “It was a great training performance.”
O’Brien said: “I’m delighted for everybody and for Jamie, who gave him a great ride. Thanks to everybody for letting a horse with his class run in the Gold Cup. Very few mile-and-a-quarter Group One winners you see running run in a Gold Cup.
“When horses have so much class they can often stay — class makes them stay. It’s the ultimate test of class when you go that extreme distance. I’m just very privileged to have him.
“The plan was after today to give him a break and train him for the Arc again, so we’ll take one step at a time and do like we always did with Yeats and give him a run at the back-end. We’ll give him a break now and hopefully give him a run before the Arc.
“The Gold Cup next year? Wouldn’t it be marvellous.”
Jim Bolger yet again showed his horses are amongst the toughest in training after Banimpire followed up a win at Cork on Sunday in the Ribblesdale Stakes. The teak-tough filly was having her seventh start of a busy campaign, and winning for the fifth time this season.
Her only defeats this year came on her seasonal reappearance behind Windsor Forest winner Lolly For Dolly and when she found a mile too sharp in the Irish 1,000 Guineas.
Bolger was worried after heavy rain altered the going to good to soft, soft in places, but Kevin Manning was always confident the 3-1 favourite would catch long-time leader Field Of Miracles.
She did just that, but the game runner-up came back at him and the winning distance was just a short head. There was a further seven lengths back to Dorcas Lane. Manning’s celebrations were, however, slightly tempered by a two-day ban (July 1st and 3rd) for using his whip with excessive frequency and in the incorrect place.
Phillip Makin cemented his blossoming partnership with trainer Kevin Ryan when Bapak Chinta maintained his unbeaten record in the Norfolk Stakes. Sent off at 6-1, there was plenty of stable confidence behind him, but morning rain had begun to eat away at their belief.
However, after tracking the pace down the middle of the course, Makin went clear on entering the final furlong to beat Boomerang Bob by a length, with Crown Dependency third.
Seb Sanders was given a one-day ban (July 1st) on the runner-up for using his whip with excessive frequency.
It is unusual for any horse to win two big handicaps in the same season, but Hughie Morrison’s Sagramor followed up his triumph in Haydock’s Silver Bowl with a gutsy success in the Britannia Stakes. Sent off at 8-1, the Nicky Mackay-ridden colt was defying an 8lb higher mark but burst clear of the field with a furlong to run.
Not surprisingly, there were plenty in pursuit, but Cai Shen got closest, half a length away, with The Tichborne and Belgian Bill taking minor honours.
Mackay was, however, given a four-day ban (June 30th, August 1st, 3rd and 4th) for using his whip with excessive frequency. Jack Mitchell, rider of the third, was given a seven-day ban for the same offence.
Morrison then followed up in the next when Pisco Sour (20-1) landed the Tercentenary Stakes to give him a 188-1 double. Third in the Dante at York behind Carlton House, he then disappointed in the Derby when only ninth.
Alkimos was second, with Slumber third, although the latter’s jockey Michael Hills got a two-day ban (July 30th and August 1st) for careless riding.
Michael Owen was in tears in the winner’s enclosure after his Brown Panther turned the King George V Stakes into a procession.
Sent off the 4-1 joint-favourite, the home-bred scooted clear under Richard Kingscote to give the jockey and trainer, Tom Dascombe, their second winner of the week following Rhythm Of Light in the Sandringham 24 hours earlier.
There were plenty of hard-luck stories on the home bend, no more so than the runner-up Census but the sixth-length winning margin could, in truth, have been a lot more.
“It’s a bit different owning a horse to win at Ascot to breeding one,” said Owen. “This is a different horse to what we’ve had so far. It doesn’t get any better — this is where you want to end up.”