Racing: Barry Hills' Ghanaati absolutely routed the opposition to add the Coronation Stakes to her 1000 Guineas win. Having been 33-1 for her Newmarket success, she was sent off the 2-1 favourite to oblige despite a stellar cast in the feature on day four of Royal Ascot.
She was slightly keen early, but Richard Hills kicked on in the straight and she came home well clear of the running-on Reggane, with Rainbow View, who did not have clearest of passages, third.
The winners of the Irish, English and French 1000 Guineas were all in attendance, as well as a clutch of other well-regarded fillies.
However, such was Ghanaati’s dominance she broke the track record — without being pushed by any of her rivals as there was two lengths back to the second.
Reggane — having only her third ever race — looks sure to come on for the run while Rainbow View may have finished slightly closer but for meeting with interference.
French Guineas winner Elusive Wave was fourth but Again, winner of the Irish Guineas, was never in contention.
Ed Dunlop saddled his first juvenile winner at Royal Ascot as Habaayib ran out a ready victor in the six-furlong Albany Stakes. Dunlop has had a quiet spell since the brilliant Ouija Board retired to the paddocks, but after winning the Britannia Stakes with Fareer 24 hours earlier he was back in the winner’s enclosure.
The market revolved around Aidan O’Brien’s highly-regarded Lillie Langtry and Wesley Ward’s Aegean, who was supposedly the best of his crack team of two-year-olds over from America for the week.
However, the latter was struggling two furlongs out as Henry Cecil’s Chachamaidee put the pace to the race.
Lillie Langtry began to stay on but Richard Hills smoothly brought the Royal Applause filly out to challenge and she went away from the Irish raider to win by a length and a quarter at 16-1.
“We thought they would go very fast and we toyed with the idea of running her in the Queen Mary, but Richard was very adamant to come here and he has been proved right,” said Dunlop.
Sir Michael Stoute and Ryan Moore have had a pretty frustrating week with Heaven Sent, Patkai, Golden Stream and Tartan Bearer all finishing second.
But Glass Harmonium provided them with a first winner in the Hampton Court Stakes on Thursday and they followed up with Perfect Stride (8-1) in the Wolferton Handicap.
Moore became involved in a protracted battle with Frankie Dettori on Moonquake all the way up the straight but prevailed by a neck on the four-year-old.
That was Stoute’s 62nd winner at the meeting, second only to Cecil who moved on to 71 with the victory of Father Time in the King Edward VII Stakes.
“He’s always shown us he has plenty of ability, and he is a very handsome, fine athlete,” said Stoute. “We were contemplating going a mile and a quarter earlier than this but we had one or two negative races and decided to sit tight.
“He’s seen it out well and he might just go on from here.”
Mark Johnston saddled his first winner of the meeting when Holborn (7-1) stayed on best of all to win the Queen’s Vase, a fifth win in the two-mile event for the Middleham handler in nine years.
Joe Fanning went for a gap up the rails and he shot clear inside the final furlong to beat O’Brien’s Yankee Doodle by four lengths.
“He’d been a good horse all winter and Joe rode him in the Glasgow Stakes at Hamilton where we thought he was our first string,” said Johnston. “We won the race with Parthenon but Joe missed the kick and didn’t want to hassle his stable companion for the lead.
“That meant we didn’t see him in his best light. Clearly the further he goes, the better he is.”
Final results
Royal Ascot 2.30
1 Habaayib (R Hills) 16-1
2 Lillie Langtry (J A Heffernan) 11-8 Fav
3 Chachamaidee (T P Queally) 12-1
22 ran
Royal Ascot 3.05
1 Father Time (E Ahern) 9-1
2 Your Old Pal (R L Moore) 14-1
3 Black Bear Island (C O'Donoghue) 9-2
12 ran
Royal Ascot 3.45
1 Ghanaati (R Hills) 2-1 Fav
2 Reggane (G Mosse) 9-1
3 Rainbow View (J Fortune) 13-2
10 ran
Royal Ascot 4.20
1 Perfect Stride (R L Moore) 8-1
2 Moonquake (L Dettori) 11-2
3 Salute Him (R Hughes) 10-1
15 ran
Royal Ascot 4.55
1 Holberg (J Fanning) 7-1
2 Yankee Doodle (R L Moore) 11-2
3 Mastery (L Dettori) 7-1
14 ran
Royal Ascot 5.30
1 Giganticus (M Hills) 12-1
2 Al Muheer (S Sanders) 33-1
3 Redford (R Hughes) 12-1
4 Mutheeb (L Dettori) 13-2 Fav
29 ran