Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2)
GAVIN Cromwell’s 8/1 chance Quick Suzy lived up to her name when winning the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes on day two of Royal Ascot, a first success at the meeting for both the trainer and jockey Gary Carroll.
With 21 runners, the field split into two groups, with seven fillies racing up the disadvantaged centre, until joining the main pack towards the stand side with just over a furlong to run. The betting, and much of the race itself, was dominated by Wesley Ward’s Twilight Gleaming (John Velasquez) who made much of the running having broken fast from the stalls, but she could not respond to the powerful finishing burst of Quick Suzy, who flashed home from stall 22.
Twilight Gleaming was beaten a length and a quarter in second, with Cheerupsleepyjean (Fozzy Stack/Chris Hayes) running on well for third, a neck away. The other US-trained filly Artos was perhaps unlucky as she was drawn a long way from the main action and did well in the circumstances for trainer ‘Rusty’ Arnold.
Cromwell, who landed the Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham in March with Flooring Porter, was proving that he had an equally adept touch with sprinting fillies, and became the latest in a line of Irish jumps trainers to crack Royal Ascot.
Quick Suzy is owned by the US-based Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Cromwell is hoping he can keep hold of the filly a little longer before she is sent to race stateside, as he explained after the contest: “I’m not a known as a trainer of two-year-olds or sprinters, so it was very hard to tell but I knew she was in great nick. This goes down to the staff at home and the big effort they have put in.
“The plan was she would remain with me until Royal Ascot and then go to America. Maybe we can twist the owners’ arm and go for the Breeders’ Cup with her.”
This was also an important success for Carroll, who relished the chance to ride a big winner in front of an audience: “This means a lot – the season’s going very well, but you need these big winners really to put yourself on the platform, so it’s great to get it.
“Especially today, with the crowds – it’s a long time since we’ve felt an atmosphere like that, and it was magical. If I could have extended the walkway back in, I would have – I soaked it all up and it was great. It hasn’t really sunk in yet, but it was a magic race to win, with such prestige; it’s what jockeys dream of.”
Duke of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2)
FRANKIE Dettori racked up his 75th winner at Royal Ascot in the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes on Wednesday.
To paraphrase Reggie Perrin’s old boss, he didn’t get where is he is today without learning a thing or two, and one of those things is knowing where the fastest ground is.
With only a dozen in the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge, the field raced up the slowest part of the track, but Dettori alone switched his mount, Indie Angel, left towards the quicker turf on the stands side, and that move may have been crucial as John & Thady Gosden’s daughter of Dark Angel overturned Dahlia Stakes form with a trio who finished in front of her at Newmarket. She was returned at 22/1, to the delight of the rider’s sizable fanbase.
Epsom winner Parent’s Prayer set the early fractions, and Hollie Doyle’s decision to ride to her draw probably resulted in the others staying in the middle, with favourite Lady Bowthorpe (William Jarvis/Kieran Shoemark) chasing the pace with Double Or Bubble, with Silvestre de Sousa keen to restrain the keen-going Queen Power (Sir Michael Stoute) in the early stages.
As the race reached a climax, that pair fought a battle every bit as compelling as their duel in the Dahlia, with Dahlia third Lavender’s Blue also looming up in what looked briefly like a reprise of that contest.
Lavender’s Blue found little when asked for more at the furlong pole, however, while Dettori was producing a withering run on the near side, and Indie Angel cut the market leaders down late to win by a clear-cut two and a half lengths, with Lady Bowthorpe edging Queen Power for second by a short head.
The winner was beaten more than three lengths into fourth in the Dahlia, but found Ascot much more suitable for her quirks, which including preferring to race away from other runners, which made her draw on the outside something of a godsend, as her rider confirmed.
“Everything felt right today. Indie Angel needs fast ground, she needs cover and needs plenty of room; she doesn’t like to be crowded, and we had all three things today.”
John Gosden suggested that the winner will be stepped up in class now that she has gained an important Group 2 success, with the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket suggested as a long-term target.