Royal Ascot: Earth Shot takes Ribblesdale in final strides

One of Wathnan Racing’s pre-Royal Ascot purchases, Earth Shot, proved an instant hit as she got up in the final strides of the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes on Thursday at Royal Ascot.

Lady Roisia unshipped Hector Crouch coming out of the stalls, after which she led the field and wandered around at the top of the home straight, forcing Earth Shot to challenge widest of all.

Johanna Walsh had kicked off the home turn and looked set for victory until the final half-furlong, when James Doyle galvanised Earth Shot to get up on the line. The verdict was a head, with a length back to French challenger Gilded Prize in third.

Trained by William Haggas, Earth Shot changed ownership after finishing a head second in the Listed Height Of Fashion Stakes at Goodwood.

“I was wary of the favorite, obviously, and the French filly before the race,” Haggas said. “I am delighted with Earth Shot. I thought she did very well. We won a Ribblesdale (with Mont Etoile), which was bred by Tony Hirschfeld and Lester (Piggott), my father-in-law. He told Michael Hills not to leave the fence. If you ever get a chance to watch it, it’s probably black and white, but he never left the fence and got up on the line at 25-1 — it was a Montjeu filly.

“I thought Earth Shot possibly should have won at Goodwood. She has always been a beautiful filly and I’ve always said she wants soft ground. Fair play to William Buick. She ran second to another one of ours last year in a maiden, and William Buick said ‘she’s pretty good’, and they all say he knows what he’s talking about. We always had hopes she would be good and, I guess, for a middle-distance filly, winning the Ribblesdale is second best to winning the Oaks. It is a hell of a prize to win.

“James and I go back a long way. He used to ride for us before he went to Godolphin, and he’s an excellent rider and a very nice man.”

Doyle said: “Earth Shot helped me out a lot. When there’s a loose horse involved, you’re obviously hostage to fortune a bit. I found a lovely, relaxed rhythm; she is that way. She looks at things and takes it all in in a good way, so she saves plenty.

“When we got to the turn, she started to zoom into it really good. I was up behind Ryan, and the loose horse must have swerved out, because Ryan swerved and I had to swerve because I was close to his heels. I lost a good bit of momentum there and had to regather her momentum a couple of times up the straight. But once she got organised, she really stuck her neck out.

“This is a meeting we always target and we know how important it is to have winners here, but we also know how humbling it can be. We’ve had lots of good chances over the past couple of days and fell a long way short, not just short, so it really does put manners on you, and you really do have to take it in when you get a winner on the board here. You have to really enjoy it.”

Joseph O’Brien said of Johanna Walsh: “It was a messy enough race with the loose horse; the loose horse probably interfered with us a bit, and the winner was probably affected as much as we were. We are very proud of her run, delighted for Wells (Watson), who owns her, and Andrew who bought her. She is a daughter of Sea The Stars and has a lovely pedigree. Her best days are ahead of her.”

Reflecting on his successful week so far, he added: “You always come here hopeful and confident with your own horses, then you find that everything goes wrong and you go home with your tail between your legs! The horses have been in great shape and they’ve all been running great. We have a great team of people at home, jockeys and owners who support us as well. It’s a real privilege to come here and be able to come into the winner’s enclosure.”

Oisin Murphy said of Gilded Prize: “Super run. She got a lovely trip inside and it opened up nicely for her. It was a bit messy late on with the loose horse and Dylan’s horse wandering about, but she had every chance.”

O'Brien reaches 100 Royal Ascot wins as Scandinavia lands Gold Cup

Scandinavia, the 11-8 favorite, overhauled defending Gold Cup winner Trawlerman in a spellbinding edition of the Group 1 Gold Cup, handing trainer Aidan O'Brien his 100th Royal Ascot win.

Scandinavia and Trawlerman turned the contest into a straight shootout, delivering a pulsating battle over 2 1/2 miles for racegoers and the millions watching worldwide.

On his first start of the year, Trawlerman tried to draw out his younger rival's stamina off the home turn, and not until the final 50 yards did Scandinavia confirm his superiority under Ryan Moore.

The pair pulled nine lengths clear of Sweet William in third, with Irish St. Leger winner Al Riffa taking fourth in a top-class renewal. A son of Justify, Scandinavia has won six in a row since finishing fifth in last year's Queen's Vase, a sequence that also features the Goodwood Cup and St. Leger.

O'Brien credited Moore's patience for getting the winner home. "Ryan was incredible on Scandinavia – he nursed him and nursed him," O'Brien said. "He was perfect until Oisin (Murphy) came up and took his slot a little bit. Ryan had to maneuver round him, and at the same time he minded him and didn't waste any gas. He got him into a position where he wanted him for one last surge."

The milestone left the trainer reaching for words. "That's just incredible really (100 Royal Ascot winners). It is something that we wouldn't dream of thinking about," O'Brien said. "Even this week, it's literally one race at a time, and you don't even think what it could be, because it's so competitive, so hard to win races here." He praised the beaten favorite, too, calling Trawlerman a great, brave horse and describing Scandinavia as relentless. "He cruises," O'Brien said.

He also pointed to the atmosphere on a day the King and Queen attended. "The crowd was very big and the cheer went up when they turned in, but when he went to the front the sound went up," O'Brien said. "The noise got louder and louder, and that's what it's all about. It was just an incredible feeling."

Moore felt the margin understated the performance. "Scandinavia should have won easier," he said. "I was happy where I was, and then Oisin (Murphy) came up around me. I didn't want us all going three in a line, and he took me out of the race, so I've had to work to get to Trawlerman. I thought I had it and then had to go again. Trawlerman is a brave horse, he kept coming. Scandinavia's record since he got beat here last year … he keeps finding a way to win."

The jockey expects no letup from the stable. "Aidan identifies these horses and brings them here absolutely jumping out of their skins, and I am lucky to ride them," Moore said. "He won't care (about 100 Royal Ascot winners). He will probably be thinking about the next 100. That is what separates him."

Coolmore's M.V. Magnier framed the day's significance. "For Aidan to get 100 winners here and win the Gold Cup – you have the King and Queen here – it is a very big deal," Magnier said. "For Justify to have first and second in the Chesham and then to have the Gold Cup winner, it's incredible. Aidan has always told me that Scandinavia is a very good horse, and Ryan gave him a great ride."

Co-trainer John Gosden, who saddled both Trawlerman and Sweet William, savored the finish even in defeat. "To me, it was the most exciting race to watch – a phenomenal finish between two magnificent stayers," Gosden said. "To do that as an 8-year-old off no prep race, limited preparation time-wise, it was an unbelievable run. He just got caught in the last 10 yards – just there, the lack of a prep run cost him. Going a mile and a quarter on the July Course is not the same as having a two-mile prep run around Sandown, I can tell you."

Gosden compared Trawlerman to his sire. "Trawlerman is like his father, Golden Horn. He has that kind of guts and courage," he said. "In the last 20 yards, he had given all and then he had the lead, and then it went back again. You can have nothing but enormous pride. It is great work by all the team, both the vets and all at Clarehaven, to produce him like this."

That the horse made the line at all was its own achievement. Trawlerman has battled eyesight problems triggered by sunlight, which interrupted his preparation. "Having been sick, having looked like he would never, ever race again, it's quite extraordinary," Gosden said. "He was in agony at Easter, unable to train, and I only managed to train him in the last short period of time. He was in some pain with it, but these goggles have helped, and the vets have done a brilliant job." For a stayer who looked finished, a place behind a record-setter capped a notable return.

Nola Soul wins Chesham after favorite is withdrawn

Nola Soul may not be the finished article yet, but Fozzy Stack’s runner looks full of promise after maintaining his perfect record in the listed Chesham Stakes.

There was drama at the start of the seven-furlong contest after favorite Aix La Chapelle reared in the stalls and was subsequently withdrawn.

Noticeably keen in the early stages, Nola Soul was one of the first to come off the bridle but responded to Seamie Heffernan’s urgings to run out a decisive half-length winner. On Just Terms was second on debut, with Aperoll a head further back in third.

A scopey son of Justify, Nola Soul defeated Wednesday’s Windsor Castle Stakes victor King Of Cloughan in a maiden at Leopardstown last month.

Stack, enjoying his first Royal Ascot success, said, “Nola Soul is a lovely horse. We have a high opinion of him. Seamie has always loved him. He is a big strong galloper who can go fast for a long time. If he came out of the debut run all right, it was always the plan to come here. This is the place everyone wants to be.

“We were very hopeful of a good run. You just hope they show up on the day, whether you win, finish third, fourth… whatever. He is a January foal. I would say he would have no problem getting a mile and a quarter in time. I would hope he might turn up in a good race at the end of the year.”

Heffernan said: “The beauty is there’s more to come. I have plenty of experience with the Justifys, so I know exactly what they like and what they don’t like. A lot of them have an engine and, once it’s geared the right way, they’re good.

“He always showed plenty. He is by the right stallion, big stride, big heart. When they give you the class feel from day one and they keep backing it up every week when you sit on them, it is usually a good sign.

“Big thumbs up to the owner. I think he picked him out himself, and he sent him to Fozzy with a lot of confidence. We just kept agreeing that he is above where he should be. It is brilliant.

“I owe Craig a big thank you. I would like to be busier here this week, but I am not. It is lovely to have another winner here. It means more than you know, and I am running out of time.”

Dylan Browne McMonagle said of the runner-up: “Great run. He was not the quickest away, but I just had to get him relaxed and find his feet the first half. They went a nice even gallop, which gave me a chance to get into it. He came home well and hit the line good. He is one to look forward to.”

Pat Dobbs said of Aperoll: “She over-raced a little bit for the first three furlongs. I am sure if she had settled, she probably would have won. She is not like that at home, so I do not know why she is like it at the racecourse – she just lights up a little bit.”

Her trainer Richard Hannon added: “You come to this place to see if you’ve got a good filly, and the answer to that is a yes. If you come here and finish third and you’re disappointed, then you’re not in the real world! She is a filly for next year. … She will be competitive at the top level, I would say.”