WHAT a shame there weren’t 60,000 racegoers on course to feast their eyes on Stradivarius’ crowning glory.
John Gosden’s great stayer joined Yeats and Sagaro as just the third horse to win three Gold Cups, and he did it without coming out of second gear.
There were concerns about the ground before the race, with relentless rainfall threatening to dampen the spirits of Frankie Dettori.
But as the race developed and his rivals began to drop away one-by-one, it was a question of ‘how far’ as they entered the final stages of the 2m4f marathon.
And as soon as Dettori asked the question just over a furlong from home, the response was jaw-dropping and he stretched 10 lengths clear with a frightening amount of ease.
Dettori was afforded the luxury of celebrating throughout the final 100 yards, and he admitted it was an emotional moment.
He said: “It’s an amazing achievement, only Sagaro and Yeats have done it so far and they are two of the great stayers.
“The rain this morning was against him, and I was surprised 4f out that everyone was in trouble and it was just a matter of getting balanced, and he just took off. He went like a hot knife through butter.
“There is always a scary moment at the furlong marker, will he pick up or not, and he has ended up winning by 10. I’m so proud of him, he is a wonderful horse and who knows, maybe we will try for four next year.
“With no crowd, I’m quite emotional, but it’s a great moment.”
In an absolute class of his own – take a bow Stradivarius
pic.twitter.com/AIgxs7uEM2
— Sun Racing (@SunRacing) June 18, 2020
Yeats is the only horse to win four Gold Cups, with Aidan O’Brien’s star stayer rattling up an memorable sequence of wins between 2006 and 2009.
And Gosden said it would be up to owner and breeder Bjorn Nielsen if Stradivarius returns in 12 months time for a crack at equalling the record.
He grinned: “I thought Frankie was sitting out of his ground, so I couldn’t enjoy much until they got to the three marker and I could see him looking under his elbows and everywhere else. He’s a remarkable horse. He handled the ground.
“It was a superb performance. I think the benefit of the Coronation Cup in a very fast time meant he was fully fit, but I was concerned that he was having to run again so quickly because of the bounce factor.
“I’m very proud he’s won three and particularly proud for the man who’s done it, Bjorn Nielsen, the owner-breeder – he’s passionate about breeding and keeps trying to breed a Derby winner, but he’s got a very good Cup horse. For him it is profoundly fulfilling and it’s just a pity he can’t be here today.
“It’s down to Bjorn whether we come back for a fourth. We might just look towards the Goodwood Cup next, he’s won three of them already, then we might take a pull as there is talk of running in an Arc.
“He ran brilliantly in the Coronation Cup, so an Arc on Autumn ground isn’t out of the question.
“He’s beaten some good horses in his time, people criticise the opposition sometimes but he’s put them all away with that turn of foot and he’s done it in this ground.
“We’re very proud of him, he’s a personality, let me tell you, he’s quite noisy and he was having a shout out there – he likes having fun.”
SEE ALL FREE BETS HERE
Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.sportingexcitement.com/horse-racing/royal-ascot-on-tv-todays-racecard-live-stream-tv-coverage-and-start-times
