By Tom Frary
TDN Rising Star Coronet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) looked to have a big day in her, as she had valid excuses on her last two starts and she duly delivered with a late show in a barnstorming edition of the G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot on Thursday. One of a past legion of runners to be all at sea on Epsom's terrain when fifth in the June 2 G1 Oaks, the 9-1 shot was back on an even keel at this venue settled towards the rear early by Olivier Peslier. With The Sky Is Blazing (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) drawing them into an early chase as she set off in isolation, the Denford Stud homebred had it all unravel in front of her and delivered her surge with unerring timing to head the 2-1 favourite Mori (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the final strides for a neck success. “The strong pace was a big help for me,” Peslier said. “John [Gosden] said Coronet would finish well, he said to be careful because she takes some time to change gear, but she's finished like a French horse.”
Thursday, Royal Ascot, Britain
RIBBLESDALE S.-G2, £215,000, ASC, 6-22, 3yo, f, 11f 211yT, 2:32.06, g/f.
1–@CORONET (GB), 126, f, 3, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Approach (GB) (SW & GSP-Eng, GSP-US, $187,940), by Darshaan (GB)
2nd Dam: Last Second (Ire), by Alzao
3rd Dam: Alruccaba (Ire), by Crystal Palace (Fr)
O/B-Denford Stud Ltd (GB); T-John Gosden; J-Olivier Peslier. £121,927. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Fr, 5-3-0-1, $245,225. *1/2 to Midas Touch (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), Hwt. 3yo-Ire at 14f+, GSW & G1SP-Ire, G1SP-Eng & AUs, $799,196; and Streetcar to Stars (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), GSP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Mori (GB), 126, f, 3, Frankel (GB)">Frankel (GB)–Midday (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB). O-Khalid Abdullah; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Sir Michael Stoute. £46,225.
3–Hertford Dancer (GB), 126, f, 3, Foxwedge (Aus)–Tebee (GB), by Selkirk. O-5 Hertford Street Racing Club; B-Highclere Stud (GB); T-John Gosden. £23,134.
Margins: NK, 1, 1HF. Odds: 9.00, 2.00, 16.00.
Also Ran: Rich Legacy (Ire), Apphia (Ire), Alluringly, Coconut Creme (GB), The Sky Is Blazing (Ire), Serenada (GB), Gracious Diana (GB), Astronomy's Choice (GB), Naughty Or Nice (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Earning TDN Rising Star status on debut over an extended mile at Leicester in September, Coronet justified that tag when capturing a renewal of the 10-furlong Zetland S. at Newmarket with recently re-established listed status the following month. As the following months would show, the grey achieved something notable there with the second, third and fourth being the G3 Sandown Classic Trial winner Cunco (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), G2 Dante S. scorer Permian (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Wings of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}) who needs no introduction as the latest hero of the G1 Epsom Derby. Unsuited by testing ground when a staying-on third on her comeback in the G1 Prix Saint-Alary at Deauville May 14, she was never able to put up a meaningful challenge in the Oaks and had been spared a hard race in the process with her Epsom jockey Andrea Atzeni coaxing her home.
Hemmed on the rail from the outset with more behind than in front, Coronet was helped by the antics of the runaway The Sky Is Blazing as the main protagonists were forced to reel her in with the Juddmonte homebred Mori providing a target in front of her. Squeezed out as she started her run passing the quarter pole, she was taken around rivals and after a brief delay was steaming again to rob Mori's trainer Sir Michael Stoute of a record-breaking 76th Royal winner in the shade of the post.
John Gosden was impressed with the renewal, in which no prisoners were taken. “I've never seen a pace like that for a mile and a half race,” he said. “The boys said the track was riding better today because obviously they watered last night, five millilitres, then we got the cloud cover which held the moisture in. Coronet is a lovely filly. I thought the third filly had got it won; she's a very game filly and was ridden well. It was a great run and I'm delighted with her. I told Olivier that this filly would come strong–I thought Mori was going to win and then Olivier came and grabbed it. She's a tough filly. She loved the uphill at Epsom but not downhill. It was a proper, true Ribblesdale–I think it was still a high-class race.” Sir Michael Stoute said of the runner-up, “She has run a great race. She has just been beaten by a more experienced filly who was able to get the better of her, but we are delighted with the run. She needs about this trip for now. We brought her up to a mile and a half thinking that she would get the trip and she did.”
Coronet's dam is the Listed Lord Weinstock Memorial S. winner and G3 May Hill S. runner-up Approach, who went on to finish second in the GII Galaxy S. for the Graham Motion stable. Her most notable half-brother Midas Touch captured the G2 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial S., was runner-up in both the G1 Irish Derby and G1 St Leger and also managed a third in the G1 Underwood S. in Australia, while another Streetcar to Stars (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) was third in the G3 Ballyroan S. The second dam is the G2 Nassau S. and G2 Sun Chariot S. winner and G1 Coronation S. runner-up Last Second, responsible for the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and GI Shadwell Turf S.-winning sire Aussie Rules and also the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac fourth Intrigued (GB) (Darshaan {GB}). The latter went on to produce this stable's Listed Cocked Hat S. winner and G1 St Leger third Michelangelo (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), one of many Classic performers from this prestigious Kirsten Rausing dynasty of Alborada (GB) (Alzao), Albanova (GB) (Alzao), Allegretto (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Yesterday (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) and Quarter Moon (Ire) (Sadler's Wells). Approach also has a 2-year-old colt by New Approach (Ire) named Photographer (GB) and a yearling filly by Australia (GB) named Fly The Flag (GB).
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
