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St Nicholas Abbey Lands Coronation Cup
03/06/11
1 St Nicholas Abbey EvensF
2 Midday 5/4
3 Clowance 40/1
5 ran Distances: 1l, 2l, 3¼l
TIME 2m 37.18s (slow by 1.88s)
St Nicholas Abbey has been nursed back to full health by trainer Aidan O’Brien and produced a brilliant display to take the Investec Coronation Cup.
The four-year-old was a Group One winner as a juvenile but never raced again after during his Classic campaign after his sixth-placed effort in the Qipco 2000 Guineas last year.
After his comeback effort ended in defeat in April, he stepped up to land the Ormonde Stakes at Chester before striking again in Group One company under Ryan Moore.
Having been outpaced down the home stretch, Moore had to angle the even-money favourite to the centre of the track to challenge the tough mare Midday.
But once he did the response was explosive and St Nicholas Abbey stretched away to win by a length from the mare.
O’Brien said: "He is a great horse and I messed him up last year.
"I have been careful not to mess him up this year as he is a natural horse and does not want to be overworked.
"Everyone who has been involved in getting him back has done a great job. It is marvellous. All we need to do now is keep me away from him!
"I am grateful to all of the lads who have given us the chance to get over last year - they have shown a lot of patience.
"It was a slowly-run race but Ryan knew where he wanted to be and the horse has a big heart.
"We need to sit down and discuss plans but the King George is a definite possibility."
Moore added: "I was very happy with him and Midday is a very good mare.
"She quickened a bit better than me and pinched a length but once my fellow gathered himself togther and hit the rising ground he stayed on well.
"He took a while to hit top gear and he was very honest today."
Position
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Horse
Trainer
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Jockey
Weight
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Starting Price
Beaten Distance
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1
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St Nicholas Abbey
A P O'Brien
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R L Moore
9st 0lbs
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1 - 1
Winner
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2
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Midday
H R A Cecil
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T P Queally
8st 11lbs
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5 - 4
1 length
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3
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Clowance
R Charlton
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R Hughes
8st 11lbs
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40 - 1
2 lengths
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4
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Dandino
J G Given
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P Mulrennan
9st 0lbs
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10 - 1
3 1/4 lengths
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5
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Indian Days
J G Given
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P Hanagan
9st 0lbs
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28 - 1
5 lengths
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MIDDAY LOSES OUT
In a fantastic renewal of the Investec Coronation Cup, Midday lost out by a length when finishing second to St Nicholas Abbey in the Group One contest.
"She ran a great race and she’ll come on again. She’s a horse that gets better as the summer goes on," said Midday’s trainer Henry Cecil.
Soft-ground lover Clowance, who is in foal to Oasis Dream, is likely to have run her last race but delighted connections when gaining another Group One placing by finishing third.
"That was fantastic," said the mare’s trainer, Roger Charlton. "She’s now been Group One-placed four times and also been placed (in the first four) in three Classics.
"Considering she has not run for 208 days and is a soft-ground performer, she has run a wonderful race. It’s tragedy that she has not had a chance to win a Group One but the ground has just been against her for two years.
"I think that’s probably it for her, it’s a good note to end on."
Dandino and Indian Days came fourth and fifth and their trainer James Given said: "It was the plan to go off in front with Dandino but it turned out that it didn’t suit him. Unfortunately Indian Days didn’t get a run, which I know sounds strange in a five-runner race, but he’d have liked to have got a run down the outside. I’ll talk to their owners about plans for them both." |
Epsom
Derby
