Coronation Stakes (Group 1)
THERE are few more popular figures in Irish racing than veteran handler Joe Murphy, and while odds of 33/1 suggest not many of the crowd were with her, Cercene (Gary Carroll) came back to a warm reception after rallying gamely to get the better of favourite Zarigana (Francis-Henri Graffard/Mickael Barzalona) by half a length, with January (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) a length back in third.
Cercene had finished ahead of several of her rivals when a creditable third to Lake Victoria in the Irish 1000 Guineas and she improved on the promise of that effort with a performance full of pluck and courage. She stumbled slightly at the start but was quickly rushed into a good position behind the fancied Falakeyah, saving ground on the rail as she did so.
Zarigana looked likely to win when coming with a strong run inside the last furlong, but although the ‘Pouliches’ winner got past briefly, Cercene found more for pleasure to turn away her challenge, leaving Murphy to celebrate the biggest win of a long career.
Murphy said: “We are very proud of her. When you look back at the Guineas, and in the last furlong, she passed three horses. I remember her very first run in Gowran, she was last then she flew turning in and was third – another 20 yards and she would have won. She’s by Australia, so we knew a good race would suit her, and she has stamina as well.
“I’ve been training for 50 years - 50 years waiting for a Group 1 winner. But we’ve been second and third in Group 1s. So we’ve been knocking on the door, but didn’t open it – but today, we opened it.”
Gary Carroll said of riding his first Group 1 winner: “Unbelievable; I’ve hit the crossbar plenty of times - these good horses are very hard to come by. I’m delighted it’s for Joe, as I’ve been riding for Joe since I was a 7lb claimer, and he’s done an awful lot for me.
“The last day at the Curragh, I thought we didn’t get rolling early enough. Today, it was a stronger pace. I got a lovely smooth run the whole way. When we turned in, I was happy enough to keep going forward. When I hit the front, she waited a little bit and I got headed. But she has a huge heart, she battled back and stuck her head out for me.”
Commonwealth Cup (Group 1)
HARRY Eustace hadn’t trained a Pattern winner in Europe at the start of the week but gained his second Group 1 success of the meeting when Time For Sandals (Richard Kingscote) took the Commonwealth Cup at 25/1. The daughter of Sands Of Mali was another winner on the day to come out of the lowest stall, and she was given a tow into the contest by the American filly Shisospicy, who led at a fast pace on the far side, while Arizona Blaze (David Egan) made the running on the stands-side group.
The latter kept going well to finish second, winning his group, but Time For Sandals finished strongly to prevail by a neck. Rayevka (Francis-Henri Graffard/Mickael Barzalona) finished half a length further back in third.
Eustace, who won the Queen Anne on Tuesday with Docklands, said: “The last race just gave us enough confidence, as the most concerning part was the draw. After Karl’s filly [Venetian Sun] came out of stall one, everyone just stayed there and we had plenty of pace. It is the first time Time For Sandals has had a fast horse to follow. We were - I don’t want to say very confident - but we just felt we hadn’t seen the best from her for one reason or another. My voice is in dire straits!
“At home, we felt we had excuses for her. She has never run a bad one and was always right there, but she just had not quite put it all together. We were always confident in a race like this, where there would be fast horses taking her along – that is really what she needed. Don’t get me wrong, we didn’t dream we would get here, but she’s always been pretty good.
“It has been an extraordinary week, and that is all down to the team at home. I stand here and talk to you on camera, but they are the ones up in the mornings, feeding them, riding them, checking them – it’s all the little things all the way through and I can’t thank them enough. The owners are relatively new, and this is the second ever horse they have had. They are pretty lucky people.”
Albany Stakes (Group 3)
VENETIAN Sun (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee) made a big impression on her Carlisle debut and overcame the apparent curse of stall 1 as she won the Group 3 Albany Stakes in the style of a top-class filly. Carrying the colours of Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy, the daughter of Starman finished with a rattle on the far side to win by a length and a half and a length from outsiders Awaken (George Boughey/Billy Loughnane) and Balantina (Donnacha O’Brien/Tom Marquand) who also came from low stalls in a turnaround from the previous day when the stands rail was heavily favoured.
Whether the low draw was a help or a hindrance wasn’t clear (later results suggest it was a definite benefit), but Venetian Sun gives the impression she is more than just a sprinting juvenile and Tony Bloom spoke of looking forward to the 1000 Guineas next spring, and she is clearly held in the very highest regard.
Burke said: “I think Venetian Sun is a very special filly. The work she has done at home over the last six weeks – I haven’t had a two-year-old filly work like that. She has been kicking all the group horses out of the way. I worked her with a good old work horse about a month ago, or just after her debut, and then I worked her with another good work horse I knew was reliable, and she did the same to them. I am talking 110-rated horses. I think she is special.”
Bloom said: “We were concerned about the draw, but we knew how good a horse Venetian Sun is. Karl Burke didn’t stop telling us, and she has run unbelievably to win in this field at Royal Ascot.
“Karl has huge belief in her. The last six weeks, her work at home has been outstanding, so we came with confidence. She has improved so much from her first run at Carlisle. It was a stiff track at Carlisle, and she was in front for quite a long way. Looking at her run today, I am confident she can go further. We are looking ahead to next season and the 1,000 Guineas.”
Duke of Edinburgh Stakes
ETHICAL Diamond (Willie Mullins/Ryan Moore) was an expensive failure in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes 12 months ago, going off at 7/4 in a big field but racing a bit keenly in finishing a close fourth, but he’s flourished since fitted with a hood, and made amends to beat Mutaawid (John & Thady Gosden/Jim Crowley) by two lengths, with Naqeeb and Siege Of Troy filling the minor places.
Sent off at 3/1 this time around, Ethical Diamond was still inclined to take a bit of a tug under Ryan Moore as he raced in midfield, but he dug deep when Moore pulled him out for a run in the straight and saw things out thoroughly to win with a bit to spare.
Willie Mullins, who had been part of the Royal procession before racing, said: “I thought Ethical Diamond might have been a bit far back, and the horse was keen, but Ryan said he got a bump.
“He was going well enough turning for home to be able to go where he wanted to go, unlike last year when he ran too free and things didn’t work out. He still finished fourth last year, so I thought if we could get things right for him this year, that he would have a real live chance, and it worked out that way.
“We will give him a little break and look at York – that is normally where we go from here. The Ebor would look possible. We would love to go to Melbourne.
“If we can get him qualified, that would be wonderful. We might see if we can get him Group-placed. I think he would suit the race.
“After the disaster this was last year, I gave Ryan a year to put it right! There is a big win over hurdles in Ethical Diamond too but, at the moment, we will concentrate on the flat. To me, I wouldn’t think he loves this type of ground, but all the flat people tell me horses by Awtaad often like it.”