Racing:Immortal Verse confirmed the superiority of French three-year-old fillies as she led home a memorable one-two for the Collet family in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. Robert Collet's Immortal Verse finished two and a quarter lengths clear of Nova Hawk, saddled by the trainer's son Rodolphe.
Collet snr had been absent from this winner’s enclosure since the 1986 King’s Stand, when his fine sprinter Last Tycoon had carried the same white and green silks of Richard Strauss to victory.
Gerald Mosse’s three previous successes at the meeting had included this Group One in 1993.
And in a week when there have been plenty of examples of excessively positive riding, the vastly experienced international pilot took a more passive approach and treated the event as if he were in one of the typically slowly-run French races.
He was anchored at the back of the field around the home turn but with the 8-1 shot enjoying the rain-sodden turf more than many others, she took off around the wide outside and collected in style.
Mick Channon had endured three blank years at Royal Ascot, but Samitar ended the drought in the Albany Stakes. Channon had been stuck on 16 victories at the big meeting since 2007 — a year in which Nijoom Dubai, Samitar’s half-sister, won the Albany.
The handler was out of luck during the first three days of the festival, with Gatepost having looked especially unlucky in the Coventry Stakes on Tuesday. But Samitar (16-1), who was settled at the rear by Jamie Spencer, quickened up impressively to break her maiden tag and deny Kevin Ryan a second winner of the week with Inetrobil.
Illaunglass, trained by Jeremy Noseda, was third.
William Buick was full of confidence after Nathaniel’s earlier victory in the King Edward VII Stakes and he brought Beachfire (12-1) from last to first to win the Wolferton Handicap. John Gosden’s bottom weight is a notoriously difficult customer, and Buick was keen to get him switched off at the back.
Once that had been achieved it was all about plotting a route through, and he fairly sprouted wings to win going away from Lost In The Moment by two and a quarter lengths. The runner-up is owned by Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin’s operation, while the winner is owned by his wife, Princess Haya of Jordan.
Mark Johnston has farmed out the Queen’s Vase in recent years and this season had three in the first four as the field turned into the straight. Henry Cecil’s Solar Sky did his best to spoil the party, but Namibian (7-2 favourite) dug deep under Silvestre de Sousa to give the Brazilian a first winner at the meeting by a neck.
The two came together close home, but the stewards left the result unaltered. De Sousa was nonetheless given three days for careless riding.
Brian Meehan and Martin Dwyer had suffered a miserable week until Manassas (12-1) claimed the Buckingham Palace Stakes. After red-hot favourite Shumoos was turned over in the Queen Mary on Wednesday and Theyskens’ Theory ran a lifeless race in the Coronation Stakes earlier in the day, Meehan was pleased to finally get on the board.