Coronet puts forward Leger case in last-gasp Ribblesdale Stakes success
Coronet swooped late to snatch the Group Two honours
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Your support makes all the difference.Coronet strengthened John Gosden's hand of leading three-year-old fillies with a performance laden with class and stamina to lift the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Enable may be the Newmarket trainer's star in that department after her Oaks success at Epsom, where Coronet was only fifth.
However, the latter showed it was the downhill section of that notoriously difficult course and not any shortage of talent that was her undoing, as she swooped late to snatch the Group Two honours.
In a gripping renewal, pacemaking The Sky Is Blazing stretched the field and was still 10 lengths clear turning for home, but she began to toil with over two furlongs to run, allowing Hertford Dancer to assume the lead, which she held until under a furlong to run.
Impeccably-bred favourite Mori - who is by Frankel out of Midday - was the first to edge in front, but then Olivier Peslier launched a perfectly-timed challenge to prevail by a neck, with stablemate Hertford Dancer third.
Gosden said: "We've got some very nice fillies. Enable will go for the Irish Oaks then the Yorkshire Oaks."
When asked if he would consider Coronet for the St Leger, Gosden said of his 9-1 winner: "She will get further than a mile and a half. The owner is quite game, but I'll have to discuss it with him.
"I'll put her in the Park Hill and the other one (St Leger), but I will talk to the owner first.
"It was a proper, true Ribblesdale."
Benbatl (9-2), who occupied fifth spot in the Investec Derby, displayed his undoubted ability by giving Oisin Murphy his first ever Royal Ascot victory for the in-form Godolphin team in the Hampton Court Stakes.
The Dubawi colt stuck to his task admirably to hold Orderofthegarter by half a length and get trainer Saeed bin Suroor off the mark for the week and possibly earn himself a crack at the Champion Stakes back at Ascot in October.
"When he won first time (at Doncaster) we thought this was a horse for big races. He finished fifth in the Derby and we thought the mile and a quarter would be better for him. He's a nice horse for the future," said bin Suroor.
"We'll maybe take him to Goodwood for a Group Two, give him a break and later maybe the Champion Stakes.
Bin Suroor also mentioned the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York in August as a possible target.
One-time Derby hope Atty Persse (7-1) looked a cut above when running way with the King George V Handicap and becoming Frankel's first Royal Ascot winner as a sire.
Under a smart ride from 3lb claimer Kieran Shoemark, the Roger Charlton-trained winner passed the post three lengths clear from First Nation as Godolphin claimed a one-two.
Charlton said: "We've had Frankel's first stakes winner (Fair Eva) and now we've had Frankel's first Royal Ascot winner, which is really good.
"They're all different, but they're very good-moving horses. This horse is very easy to train and we saw today he stays a mile and a half very well. It was a good effort. Where he goes next, I don't know."
The trainer heaped praise on the young rider, saying: "His agent says he's the next Ryan Moore. I hope he's right."
Aidan O'Brien caused a minor upset when Sioux Nation (14-1) edged out Santry in the Norfolk Stakes.
The first two were separated by the width of the track and it was the Irish raider who took the spoils by half a length under Ryan Moore.
Sioux Nation was carrying on the great form of his sire Scat Daddy, who was responsible for Tuesday's King's Stand Stakes winner Lady Aurelia.
O'Brien said: "He's a big powerful, fast horse so dropping him back to five furlongs suited him well."
Order Of St George just failed to give O'Brien a repeat triumph in the Gold Cup with Big Orange (5-1) squeezing out every last ounce of stamina to pip last year's winner by a short head.
Big Orange's owner Bill Gredley and trainer Michael Bell were denied a glorious double when Ronald R failed by only half a length to catch Bless Me in the Britannia Stakes.
The 25-1 shot, trained by David Simcock, was an 11th hour addition to the race as a reserve but could be described as a handicap snip as he made the most of his opportunity under Jamie Spencer.
Simcock said: "He was a reserve so he was lucky to get in. He ran at Goodwood to get in and we knew he'd get a hike whatever happened. You'd expect to get in off 90 so it's all worked well in the end."
PA
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