ASCOT STAKES

(HANDICAP)

WILLIE Mullins has often had fancied runners in the marathon Ascot Stakes but on Tuesday he came close to blanket coverage, winning with 10/1 chance Lagostovegas and finishing third, fourth and fifth with Stratum, Chelkar and Whiskey Sour – an extraordinary achievement.

The only one to disturb the monopoly was Karen McLintock’s Dubawi Fifty, who ran a mighty race from in front and was still clinging on inside the final furlong until Lagostovegas and Andrea Atzeni, having switched left around horses, came to deny him by a length. Stratum did well from out wide but 5/1 joint-favourite Chelkar pulled too hard under Ryan Moore.

“The winner had shown the best speed of these in her work so I doubted whether she’d get the trip, but the steady pace helped,” Mullins said. “I wasn’t sure about running but her owner John Donohoe said his wife and daughters were in town buying outfits so I said: ‘John, I’ll see you there on Tuesday!’

“After Punchestown we look at which horses could go to France, which could go on the flat and which could be turned out to grass. With the flat ones the breeding makes it obvious and then we hope they’ll handle the ground.”

This was Mullins’ sixth Royal Ascot winner and his fourth in this race.

MONARCH AND DETTORI

On a perfect afternoon for the John Gosden stable, Frankie Dettori gave 8/1 shot Monarchs Glen a superb ride in the closing Wolferton Stakes. Keeping to the inside for much of the way, he had to edge left to take up the running but was soon in the clear and was even able to ease down close home.

The 33/1 shots Euginio and Muntahaa filled the places after Henry Candy’s Chain Of Daisies had made much of the running.

This was Monarchs Glen’s first outing in Britain since disappointing in the Grade 1 Dubai Turf at Meydan in March. Dettori admitted he did not expect to win but had enjoyed a perfect run through. His three winners came from his only three rides and the one sour note concerned a seven-day ban and £4,300 fine for excessive use of the whip on Without Parole in the St James’s Palace.

Monarchs Glen was giving Prince Khalid Abdullah a double after Calyx in the Coventry. He was also represented by strongly-supported favourite Mirage Dancer in the last race but James McDonald failed to make his move when the opportunity was there and the 7/2 chance merely kept on steadily in fifth after being shuffled back. It meant Sir Michael Stoute would have to wait a little longer to break Sir Henry Cecil’s all-time Ascot record.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY

THE highlight came at the beginning, when Charlie Bishop on Accidental Agent seized his best opportunity to date after ‘working his passage’ around the Baths and Brightons for several years. A journeyman? Not any more!