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Ghanaati justified the favouritism but the Coronation Stakes was anything but a two-filly contest. It turned out to be an one-horse race. Chintz, the Irish invader, set a swift pace. Christophe Lemaire had to race in second with Elusive Wave. Ghanaati was fourth and then third. Chintz, halfway home, had a four-length lead. Elusive Wave made first run. Even as she was closing the gap with Chintz, Richard Hills had given Ghanaati the ‘go ahead’ signal. Unable to maintain a straight course, Elusive Wave bumped into Ghanaati. There was a momentary check but it hardly mattered. The Barry Hills-trained filly charged ahead and the bird had flown. Ghanaati won by two lengths. Reggane took second and Rainbow View, in a trend-reversing race, salvaged third. Elusive Wave, plainly outclassed, stayed on for fourth.
Ghanaati clocked 1 38.32 seconds for the 1600-metre trip. The Coronation Stakes was run on Ascot’s round course. Giant’s Causeway is Ghanaati’s sire. Sarayir by Mr Prospector is the dam. The Coronation Stakes was worth 154,698 pounds to the winner. Ghanaati is owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum whose Habaayib had won the first race, the Albany Stakes. Habaayib’s trainer is E A L Dunlop. Ghanaati gave jockey Richard Hills his 23rd Royal Ascot winner. Richard’s Royal Ascot tally stands at three. Ghanaati has now won three in a row. She broke her maiden at Kempton. Her second win came in Newmarket’s 1000 Guineas.
Richard Hills heaped praise on the filly. “There are two women in my life, my wife and this filly. In Arabic, Ghanaati means my love and she’s certainly that today. She is the best filly I have ridden.”
Charlie Hills, deputizing for his father, said, “she’s so professional. She is a beautiful stamp of a filly and is just getting better and better. She’s class. I doubt very much that my father has ever had a filly as good as her, even after 40 years.”
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The next race was the King Edward VII Stakes. Eddie Ahern and Father Time came away a four-length winner to give Sir Henry Cecil his 71st Royal Ascot winner. Father Time got a quote of 6-1 from Ladbrokes for the St Leger in September.
Sir Cecil reacted. “He (Father Time) is a full brother to Passage Of Time. I had not thought about the St Leger but now we can. It is always good to win at Ascot. I have had a few lean years but they have run well this week.”
The Wolferton Stakes gave Sir Michael Stoute and Ryan Moore their second Royal Ascot winner. Perfect Stride tracked the pace-setting Moonquake, Frankie Dettori up, and edged ahead after a long duel down the lane. Perfect Stride was 8-1. Stone of Scone was the favourite and was a disappointment. It was reported that he came up lame.
The Queen’s Vase went to the Mark Johnston-trained Holberg, a 7-1 chance, ridden by Joe Fanning. Dhushan, the 4-1 public choice, led and stopped abruptly once challenged.
The Buckingham Palace Stakes was taken by Giganticus, Michael Hills up. Giganticus won going away and was 12-1.
Ascot was watered late Friday, Dry weather is forecast for Saturday. Fast times were the order of the day on Friday. Tracks records were established in three races, the Coronation Stakes, the Wolferton Handicap and the Queen’s Vase.
I am not going to Ascot today. I will go to a betting shop. I will take a tall cup of coffee and find a good seat. The Chesham Stakes is the first event in the final day’s card at Royal Ascot. Seventeen go and Beethoven is the 3-1 favourite.
The Group II Hardwicke Stakes over 2400 metres is next. Michael Stoute’s Doctor Fremantle is a warm favourite. Ryan Moore will ride. Nine run.
The 1200-metre Golden Jubilee Stakes, a Group I race and the British leg of the Global Sprint Challenge, is the third race. Fifteen go postward. J J The Jet Plan, trained by Mike de Kock and ridden by Kevin Shea, is fancied. The South African runner prepped for Royal Ascot at Windsor when he won readily giving weight to his rivals. The Hong Kong speedball, Sacred Kingdom is in the Golden Jubilee field. Brett Pebble rides. Ialysos has won five races in a row and is highly thought of. The Luca Cumani-trained Ilaysos will be handled by William Buick and is given a chance by many pundits.
The Wokingham Stakes follows at 4 25 PM. Twenty eight run in this 1200-metre race.
Nineteen answer the starter’s call in the 2400-metre Duke of Edinburgh Stakes. One of the better fancied runners is Hatton Flight from Andrew Balding’s yard. William Buick is in the irons. Crackentorp, ridden by Seb Sanders, is one of the serious contenders.
The curtain comes down on Royal Ascot with the Queen Alexandra Stakes. It is over two miles, five furlongs and 150 yards. Twelve run. Amerigo and Caracciola head the list.
Then there is the Scoop6 today. The first two legs will be run at Newmarket, The third is at Ayr. The fourth is a Royal Ascot race. Newmarket holds the fifth leg, The final leg is at Ascot. It is a six-leg jackpot and the six races are run at three tracks.
Jockey Francis Norton rode three winners in Redcar’s Friday afternoon card. He connected with Bello Eponine, a 5-2 chance. Lucayan Dancer, at 5-1, was the second winner. Bedloe’s Island, a 12-1 longshot, completed the tally for jockey Norton. I vividly remember the Calcutta Derby this year. Francis Norton rode Abs Fans to a drawing-away win. It was in Calcutta that I got to know jockey Norton well.
Darryll Holland is red hot. He was at Goodwood for a twilight card on Friday. Halling Gal won the second race for Holland at 9-2. Holland scored in the sixth race with the 5-1 My Shadow.
Look at the menu in England and Ireland today. Ascot and Ayr have afternoon cards in the United Kingdom. Down Royal has an afternoon program in Ireland.
There are twilight cards at Haydock, Lingfield, Newmarket and Redcar. Plus every two minutes, there is a computer-generated dog race, flat horse race, jumps race and automobile race from (a William Hill specialty) Thunder Alley, an imaginary auto racetrack. It is nonstop action.
Now, here is news from North America. Rachel Alexandra, winner of the Kentucky Oaks and the Preakness Stakes, will take her chances in the Group I Mother Goose Stakes. The race will be run at Belmont Park on June 27. After beating the boys in the Preakness, Rachel Alexandra is back with the girls.
Woodbine hosts the million-dollar Queen’s Plate tomorrow. Milwaukee Appeal, a flly who won the Woodbine Oaks, is the 3-1 morning line choice. Tasty Temptation who was second in the Oaks is also in the Queen’s Plate field. The other eleven runners are boys. Stewart Elliott rides Milwaukee Appeal. Jockey Elliott rode Smarty Jones in America in 2004. Eye Of The Leopard, winner of the Queen’s Plate trial, is the second favourite at 7-2.
I am coming to the last ten days of my five-week European trip. I am enjoying every moment of it. London, in many ways, is like being in India. There are (Indian) eating places everywhere. You hear Hindi and Tamil being spoken. I hear Malayalam too. At racecourses all over, other media guys look at my badge and look at me. My impression is that these guys are telling me without saying it, “who the hell are you and what are you doing here?” and I stare back at them until the other guy looks away. That is, I believe, is the best way to react. I am saying, “who the hell are you to ask me who am I?”
Royal Ascot, as it has been for many years, has been special. May be next year, I will have a place to stay near the course. It will make for much greater convenience.
