Sandringham Handicap

HAYLEY Turner ended the 32-year wait for a second female-ridden Royal Ascot winner by guiding 33/1 shot Thanks Be to success in the 28-runner Sandringham Handicap for fillies.

Trained by Charlie Fellowes, Thanks Be was the last filly to make the cut and Turner rode off 8st.

Turner’s mount burst through late in the day to head Queen Elizabeth’s top weight Magnetic Charm by a neck, The favourite Hotsy Totsy was third and Aidan O’Brien’s Coral Beach took fourth.

Turner said: “I didn’t have breakfast, lunch or dinner to do the weight, but it was worth it. She was a big price but Charlie was confident the big field, strong pace and ground would suit her.”

Fellowes added: “She didn’t stay [on her previous start] at Nottingham and though she can be free I thought the big field would enable her to settle. My main feeling is one of relief as we have hit the post a lot of times in big races.”

Thanks Be, a daughter of Mukhadram, was sold at the Arqana Breeze-Up Sale by Brendan Holland’s Grove Stud for €65,000.

Johnston bags another big one

Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap

TRAINER Mark Johnston notched his second winner of the week when Baghdad held on gamely from the fast-finishing Ben Vrackie in the Duke Of Edinburgh Handicap.

It was a vintage Royal Ascot finish, with Ryan Moore all out on the winner as Frankie Dettori closed him down rapidly inside the final furlong. Just a short-head separated the pair at the line. The favourite Fujaira Prince took third, with the well-backed Corgi in fourth.

Baghdad is a typically tough Johnston handicapper who had shown similar battling qualities here a year ago when landing the King George V Handicap from the aforementioned and luckless Corgi. A son of Frankel, Baghdad fractured a cannon bone following that Ascot success and was nursed back to form by Johnston with this race in mind.

Baghdad won a small handicap at Newmarket on his most recent start and went up 4lb to a mark of 104. The trainer said: “We deliberately didn’t run him again after that as another rise in the weights would have been too much.” How right he was.

This was a fifth winner of the week for Moore who still trails Dettori by two in the leading jockey table, heading into the final day.