Ascot Saturday
King George VI & Queen
Elizabeth Stakes (Group 1)
THE Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes looked on paper to be a reprise of the Coronation Cup at Epsom, where Ballydoyle tactics saw Continuous set a strong gallop and Jan Brueghel find more off the bridle than the stalking Calandagan.
But a change in battle plan saw it fall apart for the Coolmore combination this time and it was 11/10 favourite Calandagan (Francis-Henri Graffard/Mickael Barzalona) who came out of Ascot with his tarnished reputation gleaming again, as he beat the thoroughly likeable Kalpana (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) by a length, with Rebel’s Romance (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) edging Jan Brueghel out of the placings.
Unravelling
This was, to borrow from footballing parlance, a race of two halves, with the first seeing Aidan O’Brien’s plans unravelling on the track and the second allowing Calandagan - whose desire to win had been questioned before and after Epsom - able to sweep past the field to restore faith in his powers, albeit having won the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud four weeks ago to begin that process.
Rather than giving Jan Brueghel a tow into the contest as he had at Epsom, Continuous, who is hardly an ideal pacemaker in any case, was restrained after jumping alertly from the stalls, leaving his better-fancied stablemate as the surprise front-runner.
Surprisingly equipped with a pair of cheekpieces for his new role, Jan Brueghel’s job was to gradually draw the sting out of Calandagan and Kalpana, but he looked ill-equipped to do so and, when Ryan Moore got to work on him early in the straight, he wandered as if feeling the quick ground and offered little resistance when headed two furlongs out by Kalpana.
Powerful finish
Murphy’s move on the filly looked like it might be decisive, as the pair quickened a couple of lengths clear, but Calandagan packs a powerful finish when on form and he quickened smartly when asked this time to go to the front at the distance for a brilliant success.
Unlike at Epsom when allowing himself to get involved in a prolonged battle, Barzalona delayed his challenge so that he could maximise Calandagan’s chief weapon, and there is no reason why the winner won’t prove at least as good dropped in trip for the International at York, where he was beaten only by City Of Troy 12 months ago.
“What happened in the race came as a surprise,” said winning trainer Francis-Henri Graffard. “I was upset I didn’t put Goliath in the race today because everyone was expecting a lot of pace, but I have no regrets now seeing how the race was run.
“Aidan and his team put a lot of work into the tactics and it’s always interesting, but Calandagan is an easy ride and I’m glad he had time to come and catch the filly. Mickael said the last 200 metres are long here and he knew he was going to catch her, but when she kicked for home, she was impressive and I thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to finish second by a neck again!’”
Top-class horse
Barzalona revealed his confidence in the winner as he described his victory: “We know Calandagan’s quality and he’s one of these top-class horses. I didn’t expect Jan Brueghel to set the pace, but once I saw Continuous beside him and Rebel’s Romance boxed in, I was happy where I was because I knew either William was going to make a gap or Oisin was going to have to go round.
“I was waiting to see what happened, and when I saw Oisin making the move, I just followed.”
FITZELLA (Hugo Palmer/Oisin Murphy) ran well when fourth in the Albany Stakes and was able to grab her own big-race glory when making all the running in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes.
Very quickly into stride, she set a fair tempo and kept going well to beat Staya (George Scott/James Doyle) by a length, with Bella Lyra (Richard Hughes/Ryan Moore) a head back in third.
The winner shaped better than the result at Royal Ascot and came in for sustained support on the day, going off favourite at 9/4 having been much bigger when the market opened.
She was paying a compliment to Albany heroine Venetian Sun, while the runner-up was also franking Royal Ascot form having finished a good fifth to True Love in the Queen Mary Stakes before picking up a listed prize at Sandown.
“She was very game and willing,” said a delighted Palmer. “Just like she has been at home from the word go, and I’m delighted she’s a Group winner. She’s very exciting and I’m delighted for Derek Passant and Hefin Williams. They are big supporters of the game and it’s the first good horse they’ve had.”
Fitzella is considered a miler in the making by her trainer and has an entry in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh in September, but Palmer is considering a trip to France in three weeks’ time for his star filly.
“The Moyglare is a very stiff seven, and I’d have thought the Prix du Calvados at Deauville could be the one, but she wouldn’t want soft ground.”
Palmer doubles up
On a fine day for the Master of Manor House Stables, 22/1 outsider Cheshire Dancer gave Palmer a quick double when coming from last to first to win the Group 3 Valiant Stakes over Ascot’s round mile.
Cheshire Dancer had also run with credit at Royal Ascot when third in the Kensington Palace Stakes and went two placed better as she produced a power-packed finish under Billy Loughnane, beating American Gal (Ed Walker/Mickael Barzalona) and Chantilly Lace (Ralph Beckett/Hector Crouch) by a neck and a head in a whirlwind finish.
“I said to the owners when she was third at the Royal Meeting that we’ll come back here for the Valiant,” said Palmer. “She ran massive in the Pipalong Stakes in between and sometimes these fillies can suddenly discover a rich vein of form.
“The funny thing is that she failed the vet for America after Ascot. We had her sold and had accepted an offer for considerably less than she’s now worth. It’s funny how it goes.”
York Saturday
ROYAL Champion (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee) got the better of a battle with favourite Almaqam to land the Group 2 Sky Bet York Stakes on Saturday.
The seven-year-old was the subject of market support from big odds and went off at an SP of 8/1, and that money looked well-placed in the straight as Lee held a double handful behind Almaqam (Ed Walker), from whom Kieran Shoemark had asked for everything.
Almaqam, to his credit, kept trying despite looking ill at ease on ground which was on the fast side of good, but Lee was able to take a tell-tale peep over his shoulder before asking Royal Champion to quicken for a ready two-and-three-quarter-length success.
Ecureuil Secret (Richard Fahey/Oisin Orr) fared best of the rest in third, belying his odds of 50/1 in the process.
Lee said: “I was very delighted. I thought it was a competitive enough race for him, but he’s been running well in better races without being disgraced. He’s obviously feeling younger than what he is.
“I looked across at the two pole and I had the field off the bridle and then when I asked him, he picked up. We know he stays further, so when I pressed the button, he ran all the way to the line.”
Next target
Burke told ITV Racing: “He won a Group 3, and this was a nice next target as it’s York and local. I’ll have to have a word with the owner and see if he wants to supplement him [for the Juddmonte International] on the back of that performance.
“We did speak earlier in the year about Canada, he was second in the Woodbine race for Roger Varian and that’d be a nice race. He’s a lovely horse and hopefully we can campaign him around the world, if the owner lets me.”
JOSEPH O’Brien sent his three-year-old gelding Dignam back to Britain to Uttoxeter on Saturday and the Sea The Moon gelding, owned by Paul Byrne, followed up his recent Newton Abbot success in winning the QuinnBet Daily Free Bet Juvenile Hurdle by seven and a half lengths as the 2/9 favourite under J.J. Slevin.