Royal Ascot review and free video replays: Round-up of the action on Friday

Inspiral crowned in Coronation

Frankie Dettori got his first winner of the week in sensational style as Inspiral bounded clear in the style of a top-notch filly in the Group One Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot on Friday.

John & Thady Gosden's three-year-old missed the 1000 Guineas as her trainers weren't happy with her in the spring, but she proved she trained on after a highly successful juvenile season with a brilliant success on her first start at three.

Rounding the turn for home it didn't look likely with Dettori biding his time in the rear of midfield, but she soon started to pick off her rivals in the final quarter mile and she motored to the front at the furlong pole.

She put four and three quarter lengths between herself and the second, Spendarella, at the line, with Discoveries third and Tenebrism fourth.

Gosden, celebrating his 60th Royal Ascot winner, said: “What a difference a month has made. Mrs Thompson and Richard (Thompson, of Cheveley Park Stud) have been very patient.

“She was favourite for the 1000 Guineas and we were going to go there, but she wasn’t quite right and then we were going to go to the Irish or French Guineas.

“She was like a bud who was very tight that just wouldn’t blossom for the summer. She’s shown what she can do when she’s right.

“This filly enjoyed the soft mile today but I think she will find the mile and a quarter within her comfort zone.

“I like to know how they are the next morning, but she could go for the Nassau (at Goodwood) it is a possibility.”

It was a case of what a difference 24 hours makes for trainer and jockey, who suffered misfortune with both Stradivarius and Saga on Thursday.

Gosden went on: “You can’t keep looking back. You discuss it, deal with it and move on. Horses need your full attention and can’t deal with you having your lip down. You just get on with it.

“You can have too much going on in your head, but regarding Strad he goes to Goodwood and was always going to go.”

Dettori said: “She fell out of the stalls and was really far back and I thought ‘here we go again’.

“But I gave her a chance to get the splits and she powered through them like a really class filly. She put some good fillies to bed in exemplary style.

“It’s been a tough week for us at Clarehaven, but she’s put a smile on our faces.

“My head was thumping last night. I woke up this morning and took a little while to warm up and then buried my head into the races today. I thought I have a couple of chances and not all is lost yet, so you have to make peace. It’s hard to do, but you have to think out of the box, pull yourself together and concentrate.”

Gosden went on to add: “Watching her last piece of work I thought we were back, but I never expected her to win like that.

“I listened to Frankie’s reaction as he came back and he thought a mile or a mile and a quarter.

“There’s the Nassau or the Jacques Le Marois and she would be meeting older horses but getting weight.

“Frankie didn’t overcomplicate it like happened yesterday. It’s over and it’s past, but he didn’t overcomplicate it.”

Graham Motion said of Spendarella: “She ran great – I couldn’t be more proud of her. William (Buick) had her in the perfect spot; she was very brave to hang on for second, I thought, to be honest.

“The winner’s very good. Spenderella’s very tough. I think she’s a Grade One filly and she proved that today. She’ll go back to the States now. I think she’s really a miler – she showed that today – and we’ll need to look at that schedule.

"I don’t come over here really just for the hell of it – I have to feel good about it to come. We’ve run second a couple of times now, so I feel like I know what it takes, and this filly was very good today – the winner – but I think we’ve proved we’re Grade One class."

Jessica Harrington said of Discoveries: “I’m absolutely thrilled with her. She came back and reversed the form from the 1000 Guineas, ran a great race. The winner is obviously a very special filly, and Discoveries was very good – I’m delighted with her."

Timeform Analysis - David Cleary

Inspiral produced one of the performances of the week, finding a decisive turn of foot to win the Coronation Stakes in sparkling fashion. She had been ante-post favourite for the One Thousand Guineas before being forced to miss the race, her form franked time and again in the trials and then in the classic itself. Her performance, and that of Homeless Songs in the Irish Guineas stand head and shoulders above the rest of the fillies classic milers.

This afternoon showed just what a shame it was that Integral hadn't been in shape to do herself justice at Newmarket. She holds an entry in the Falmouth Stakes, but not in the Sussex, which suggests a campaign against her own sex. Timeless Songs is in the race as well, so that has potential to settle one argument.

In second was the previously unbeaten US-filly Spenderella. She was well positioned all the way and stuck to her task after the winner swept by in what looked a soundly-run race.

Behind her, the field Integral beat at Ascot was a representative one. Five of the first eight from the Guineas were in the line-up, though it was the seventh and eighth, Discoveries and Tenebrism, who made the frame, with the classic winner Cachet only fifth. Cachet had taken in the French Guineas as well, which might have taken the edge off of her. Tenebrism, sent off favourite at Newmarket, showed she stayed a mile and might well have snatched second in another stride or two.

Power play Perfect for Fahey

Perfect Power (7/2 favourite) bounced back from a lacklustre defeat in the 2000 Guineas to storm to a decisive success in the Group One Commonwealth Cup for Richard Fahey.

It was a second successive win at the meeting for the horse following on from his Norfolk Stakes victory 12 months ago but this was much more comfortable than his head victory in 2021 as he scampered clear by one and a quarter lengths.

Drawn in one on the far side, he tracked the pace set by Go Bears Go and pounced inside the final quarter mile, drifting to his left under a Christophe Soumillon drive as he went clear.

Flaming Rib finished well down the centre of the track and ensured second place, ahead of Flotus, Cadamosto and Miramar.

Ehraz travelled with intent on the far side for Jim Crowley but didn't pick up and finished sixth.

Fahey said: “We hoped this lad would stay but he’s definitely happier back sprinting. He’s a great doer and an absolute pleasure to train. You can switch him on and off.

“Christophe doesn’t need any instructions. He loves him and so do I. I think we will stay sprinting with him and probably head for the Prix Maurice de Gheest over six and a half furlongs at Deauville.

“I was further back than I wanted, but Christophe Soumillon is the man.

“It’s fantastic. When you have a great belief in a horse and he doesn’t let you down – it’s fantastic.

“When you’re a small trainer from the north of England, you need Group One horses. He has won three Group Ones now, it will be four soon. He is a special horse.”

Soumillon said: “It’s great. I think the track was a bit fast for him and, with that draw, I didn’t have any chance but to sit back. When I looked around at the two-furlong marker, I saw I had seven lengths to make up. I thought that was a bit far, but in the race before I saw Ryan Moore took the same line and the track was looking good there.

“I’m sure he can be much better on softer ground, so it is good news.

“That is the greatness of a top trainer. We tried to give him more stamina for the 2000 Guineas, and you have to try. Now we know he is a top sprinter. He is a great horse. He has such a big heart and when I came by, I wasn’t sure if he would quicken again and then the last 150 yards he showed another turn of foot.

“It’s great. Perfect Power was the best two-year-old I have ridden in terms of speed and, now at three, he is still giving a great performance. I hope this is just his first Group One of the season and I’m sure if he went to Deauville for the Prix Maurice De Gheest, that would be his race and then maybe at the end of the season we go seven, but the trainer knows more than me.”

Changing toughs it out as Alliance falters

Derby fifth Changingoftheguard won the King Edward VII Stakes, providing trainer Aidan O'Brien with a third career success in the Group Two contest and an 80th Royal Ascot winner all told.

The front-running son of Galileo stuck tight to the inside rail under Ryan Moore as 10/1 chance Grand Alliance veered significantly to his left when looking to mount his challenge out into the centre of the track.

Try as he might Danny Tudhope couldn't get Charlie Fellowes' horse to run straight in the final and although he pushed Changingoftheguard all the way to the line, the Ballydoyle runner pipped him by a short-head in a photo-finish which played out over almost the entire width of the course.

Betfair reacted by making Changingoftheguard 7/1 from 12/1 for the Cazoo St Leger at Doncaster later in the season.

“He’s a very tough, hardy horse and Ryan gave him a brilliant ride,” said O’Brien

“He has an incredible constitution and will never surrender.

“I will be happy going the Leger trip with him.

“It’s been a big week,, but I take nothing for granted and every winner is a big bonus.”

Moore said: “Changingoftheguard was not at his best today.

“Even round the track, he was having a look and wasn’t focused. He kept going and the runner-up has run across the track, but I needed a bit of help really.

“He is a very honest horse, but he just gallops. He could have done with a bit of company and a bit of help. He wasn’t getting a lot of it and we were sitting ducks, but he does have that bit of class.”

Meditate keeps her cool

Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien got Friday off to the perfect start at Royal Ascot as Meditate won (5/2) won the opening Albany Stakes, toughing it out from a prominent position to hold 2/1 market leader Mawj a length and three-quarters at Bay.

Moore was handily placed throughout from stall four and was able to dictate the gallop before going through the gears inside the final couple of furlongs.

Once-raced Newmarket winner Mawj ran a fine race in defeat under Ray Dawson, with Ivory Madonna (66/1) staying on from further back to take third, but the Group Three contest went the way of Ballydoyle and No Nay Never filly Meditate.

Betfair reacted by making Meditate 12/1 from 16/1 for the 2023 1000 Guineas, while Sky Bet go 10/1 from 20s.

O’Brien said: “She’d put in a lovely run first time and again second time, and everything went really lovely for her today. She looks to have all the attributes, she’s a big physical specimen, mature and with a lovely mind.

“She looks like a miler and will head for the Fillies’ Mile with one run in between.

“We didn’t want to run Statuette against her and she will head for a fillies’ race at the Curragh next week."

Moore, who was riding his 70th Royal Ascot winner, said: “Meditate is professional. Aidan could not have had her any better today. She did everything beautifully. She was out ahead of everything else and we didn’t expect to be in front as she was waiting for something every time she was there.

“She kept finding a bit more. She has a lovely relaxed way of going. She is a lovely filly who has a bit of class. You need class when you are making the running here over six furlongs.

“Meditate can carry on improving. She did that professionally and comfortably. She has a nice attitude.”

Candleford too hot for Royal Ascot rivals

Tom Marquand opened his account for Royal Ascot 2022 as the long-absent Candleford ran away with the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes.

Trained by William Haggas, the four-year-old had not been seen in competitive action since winning at Kempton in November, but was nevertheless prominent in the market at 11/2.

For a moment early in the straight it looked as though Kim Bailey’s Ajero had slipped the field, but Candleford joined him approaching the final furlong before rocketing clear.

The Queen’s 4/1 joint-favourite Just Fine never threatened to land a telling blow and was well beaten.

Haggas said: “He loves going right handed and won a nice race in the autumn. I thought going a mile and a half on fast ground would prove right up his street.

“I actually thought all through the winter I would win the Duke Of Edinburgh, but not with him. I didn’t think he would get in, but I was wrong.

“One person I’m thinking of right now is Alison Samuel, who rides him every day. She will be in tears for a week.”

The winner is owned by former England cricketer Craig Kieswetter’s Barnane Stud.

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