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Suits You (fourth from right), ridden by Cristian Demuro, wins the seven-furlong Chesham Stakes. — Reuters
Dubai — There were a fair few shocks on the fifth and final day of racing action at Royal Ascot on Saturday as some long shots gunned down the favourites.
French raider Suits You set the tone for the afternoon first up by bettering the hotly-fancied Ballydoyle by a short head in the seven-furlong Chesham Stakes.
Mahsoob then lived up to the billing and expectations on the international markets with a half-a-length victory in the Wolferton Handicap over a mile and two furlongs, but it wasn’t long before another surprise was sprung.
The third race on the card, the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes, was expected to be contested by the likes of Eagle Top, Postponed and last year’s runner-up and winner, Hillstar and Telescope.
In fairness to the first two, they did come in second and third respectively, but they still finished a considerable three-and-three-quarter-length margin behind the unheralded, outright winner in Snow Sky. Hillstar and Telescope trailed in seven-and-three-quarters lengths behind the Sir Michael Stoute-trained victor in fifth and sixth respectively.
That initial trend of apparent upsets continued in the day’s feature race, the Group One Diamond Jubilee Stakes, where Lanfranco ‘Frankie’ Dettori got American runner Undrafted first past the post by half-a-length ahead of the Australian joint favourite Brazen Beau. The other leading fancy, Mustajeeb, crossed home fifth.
Watchable proved anything but in the Wokingham Stakes, with Interception interjecting to claim the spoils ahead of the runner-up Robert Le Diable and third-placed Lancelot Du Lac. Rank outsider Related was fourth. The last race of the day, the Queen Alexandra Stakes, saw a wily operator in Oriental Fox surge away to a seven-length success and a new course record to leave the nine would-be contenders — including firm favourite Wicklow Brave (back in fourth) — trailing in his wake.
Godolphin endured a difficult time of things with their highest-placed finisher amid a six-strong hand overall being Marzocco in a very distant fifth in the aforementioned Queen Alexandra Stakes. The Al Quoz-based stable enjoyed better fortunes over at Newmarket, where Hornsby and No Delusion crossed the line in first in the Francis Wain Jewellers EBF Stallions Maiden Stakes and the Pearly Princess EBF Stallions Fillies’ Handicap respectively for trainer Charlie Appleby.
Godolphin had two winners over the course of the previous four days at Royal Ascot. Space Age headed for the winner’s enclosure with William Buick aboard following his success for Appleby in the King George V Stakes on Thursday. Buick was also responsible for their initial triumph on Tuesday, when the Mark Johnston-trained Buratino took the plaudits in the Coventry Stakes.
The Norwegian-born jockey achieved two top-three finishes with Latharnach (Second in the St James’ Palace Stakes) and Log Out Island (Second in the Norfolk Stakes) too, making him the yard’s most productive rider at this week’s prestigious meeting. James Doyle and Kevin Manning can perhaps consider themselves unlucky not to have notched one victory in the distinctive royal blue silks having had five top-three places between them since Tuesday afternoon.
Doyle finished third with Future Empire (in the Queen’s Vase) and Steady Pace (in the Windsor Castle Stakes) and second saddling Always Smile (in the Sandringham Handicap), whereas Manning was the runner-up when piloting Pleascach (in the Ribblesdale Stakes) and third with Lucida (in the Coronation Stakes).
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