IN a magnificent finish which had many in the packed grandstand roaring themselves hoarse, Big Orange denied Order Of St George a second Gold Cup by a matter of inches on Thursday. It was a truly epic battle with the first two pulling six lengths clear of St Leger winner Harbour Law.

This week has seen James Doyle return to centre stage and he rode another superb race, leading early on the 5/1 winner before allowing him to drop back and follow Quest For More.

Taking over again with a circuit to go, Big Orange loved the fast ground and clearly had the field in trouble as the turned for home.

Coming under pressure himself, he was two lengths clear running to the furlong pole but Ryan Moore produced Order Of St George with a sustained late run which brought him level but never quite in front as Big Orange, despite edging left and right, held him at bay by a short-head.

HEFTY WAGERS

Royal Ascot sees some of the heftiest wagering of the year and there was a five-figure bet at 10/11 on the favourite, who started at 5/6. There will be those who feel Moore came from some way off the pace and he was certainly obliged to stay a little wider than ideal on the home turn.

However, there was no guarantee Big Orange would stay the extra half-mile and without him in the field Order Of St George would have won by a long way.

He probably ran a better race here than when winning by three lengths in 2016. Typically, Aidan O’Brien was among the first to congratulate winning trainer Michael Bell.

“He’s just an absolute superstar who gives his all and has a heart as big as himself,” Bell enthused. “He wants to race and he’s a colossal racehorse. On fast ground in the height of summer he’s a monster.”

Big Orange has raced all around the world, in the Melbourne Cup, the Dubai World Cup and the Hong Kong Vase, as well as picking up two Princess of Wales’s Stakes and two Goodwood Cups.

He will attempt the hat-trick on the Sussex Downs but the Melbourne Cup is out because, as Bell added, a rating of 121 would see him handicapped out of it.

Owners Bill and Tim Gredley have never been short of forthright opinions and the former decided on a change of jockey this year after Jamie Spencer had regularly ridden the horse in the past.

Frankie Dettori was summoned and won the Henry II Stakes at Sandown but, of course, was sidelined with a shoulder injury this week. It’s an ill wind, etc, and Doyle seized his chance.

“Frankie is a real star and was on the phone for 20 minutes,” he said with a smile. “He said don’t interfere with him, he knows what speed he wants to go at, so you just sit as a passenger.

“I’d better buy him a drink, or more than one! The horse is a real people’s champ and it was just a pleasure to ride him.”

It is to be hoped that Simple Verse, another former St Leger winner, is none the worse for an unhappy experience. She was clearly miles below her best and was virtually pulled-up in the final furlong.