Aidan O’Brien’s faith in the Gold Cup credentials of Kyprios were vindicated in style at Royal Ascot on Thursday.
Despite just half a dozen races under his belt, and not even previously raced at two miles, never mind two-and-a-half, Kyprios started a popular 13-8 favourite for the historic stayers’ championship.
In what turned into a stop-start affair, Ryan Moore got the ninth individual Irish-trained Gold Cup winner since the second World War into position to strike in the straight and Kyprios ultimately proved a half-length too good for Mojo Star.
Just three parts of a length back in third was Stradivarius, who once again failed to match the historic four-in-a-row of O’Brien’s ultimate Gold Cup champion, Yeats.
And for a second year in a row Frankie Dettori had a nightmare on the hugely popular English star.
Slammed for being too far back and persevering with a rail run behind Subjectivist in 2021, this time the Italian rider opted to swing widest of all in the straight after being stuck on the fence for much of the race.
How Willie Mullins’s outsider Burning Victory secured a dream run up the inside to get fourth will have prompted plenty ‘if only’ thoughts for Stradivarius fans, although Dettori didn’t believe it cost him victory.
“He had plenty of time to get there and the younger horses had fresher legs,” argued racing’s most famous figure, who could be forgiven for suspecting his famous Ascot luck has changed given he was later beaten on the Queen’s odds-on Reach For The Moon in the Hampton Court behind Claymore.
It certainly changed for the better in Kyprios’s case, the Moyglare colt having been lucky to ultimately emerge unscathed from getting out under the stalls when due to line up for last year’s Queen’s Vase.
“We thought he would be [a Gold Cup horse] last year. We took him here last year, but he came out underneath the stalls. His back was badly bruised and he didn’t get to race any more,” O’Brien said after his eighth Gold Cup victory in all.
“He missed the St Leger, so it was always the plan that we would train him with this race in mind and give him two preps for it. Everything went great and we think he is a horse who will come on more.
“We always thought he was courageous, although you never know what will happen when you go past two miles.
“He did it today and hopefully he can do it in the years to come. He could go to Goodwood next or something like the Irish St Leger. I think everybody would want to aim him back here next year,” he added.
Moore, who later won the Britannia on Thesis, got a two-day suspension for causing interference on Kyprios to the Irish mare Princess Zoe in the straight.
Next month’s Irish Oaks is the target for Jessica Harrington’s Ribblesdale Stakes winner Magical Lagoon, who supplied jockey Shane Foley with a first Royal Ascot success.
Magical Lagoon bravely rallied to edge out the 15-8 favourite Sea Silk Road by half a length.
“I have been coming here for a long time now, knocked on the door with a couple of seconds, and it is the place you want to be riding,” Foley said. “However, when you’re not winning it’s not the place you want to be!”
Out of luck with Mojo Star in the big race, owner Kia Joorabchian was even more frustrated after the Norfolk Stakes was won by its biggest ever priced winner, The Ridler at 50-1.
Recently replaced by Oisín Orr as Richard Fahey’s No 1 jockey, Paul Hanagan teamed up with his old boss on the shock winner, who veered dramatically left in the closing stages ultimately beating Joorabchian’s pair Walbank and Crispy Cat.
The latter in particular looked to be “wiped out” by the winner with jockey Silvestre de Sousa convinced it cost him victory.
Crispy Cat’s trainer Michael O’Callaghan agreed and said: “He should have won. It is plain and simple. He never had a clear run through the race, even from the middle way through the race, and then he got wiped out by the winner when he was coming through.”
The Ridler kept the race in a stewards’ inquiry although Hanagan got a 10-day suspension. De Sousa’s mood wasn’t helped by getting four days for his use of the whip on Crispy Cat.
Godolphin continued their good run as Secret State just emerged on top in the King George V Stakes under William Buick.
