Royal Ascot Report and preview: Beforehand John Gosden talked up yesterday's Coronation Stakes as a championship event that would provide a true champion so maybe it was no surprise that Nannina ran the race of her life to win impressively.
In fairness to Gosden he wasn't alone in talking up the fourth-day feature but whereas most people concentrated on the five Guineas winners in the race it was last year's Fillies Mile winner who emerged best under a jubilant Jimmy Fortune. "It's always great to win at Royal Ascot but especially in a race like that," the Wexfordman grinned.
"She's a beautiful filly who did a really good bit of work last week that got me excited."
Certainly the Gosden team's excitement was based on that bit of work rather than a poor run in the 1,000 Guineas but the form with Speciosa et al was spectacularly turned round with Nannina beating Flashy Wings by two lengths with Nasheej in third.
Race For The Stars ran fourth but Dermot Weld's week, already bad after the fatal injury to the Melbourne Cup winner Media Puzzle in Thursday's Gold Cup, didn't improve with the Irish Guineas heroine Nightime finishing last.
"An inch and a half of rain fell the night before the Guineas and I told Jimmy don't abuse her if she doesn't like the ground. I told him there was always the Coronation to come," said Gosden who was finally winning the Group One feature for the first time. "I've been second three times. I was beginning to think the race was avoiding me!"
Ascot's most popular jockey, Frankie Dettori, finally secured a first success of the week when the well backed favourite Sander Camillo thrived on the fast ground to land the Group Three Albany Stakes. The $500,000 purchase was beaten on her debut on soft ground but despite drifting markedly right in the final furlong she was much too good for Silk Blossom. "Her homework is unbelievable and we were shocked she was beaten the first time. But that was the ground," said the Italian star.
However, Dettori's day quickly soured as he received a six-day whip ban after finishing runner-up on Red Rocks behind favourite Papal Bull in the King Edward VII Stakes.
Unlucky in the Derby, the Michael Stoute-trained colt didn't look the most straightforward ride but still managed to always look in control inside the final furlong. "He's a lazy little devil when he gets there. The Montjeus get better with time and he has a big future," said Kieren Fallon.
The Co Wicklow-born rider Joe Fanning rode his first Royal Ascot winner as I'm So Lucky received a decisive drive to land the Wolferton Handicap from the slightly unlucky in running Wild Savannah.
I'm So Lucky's stable companion Soapy Danger wasted no time in adding to the Mark Johnston tally with a hard-fought defeat of the favourite Galient in the Queen's Vase. The winner took an age to hit his full stride and when he did so in the straight he drifted to his right across Galient. However, there was a length and a quarter between them at the line and a stewards' inquiry left the result unchanged.
