Longines Sagaro Stakes |
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| Group 3, Ascot 14:15 £80,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 7f 209y, Class 1  |
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1 Yashin 11/1
2 Coltrane 4/6F
3 Divine Comedy 3/1
4 ran Distances: 1l, 1¼l, 3¼l
Time: 3m 34.67s (slow by 8.77s)
Safe hands from @CallumSheppy! 🙌
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 30, 2025
Yashin springs a surprise in the Longines Sagaro Stakes, storming past Coltrane to score first time out for @MikeBellRacing at @Ascot... pic.twitter.com/YKB2c2rv4Y
It might be early days in the staying division this season, but Michael Bell appears to have unearthed a genuine Gold Cup contender in Yashin, who produced a smart turn of foot to lower the colours of the reliable old warrior Coltrane.
The script heading into the two-mile Group Three looked a familiar one. Coltrane, unbeaten in the last two renewals and sent off the 4-6 favourite, was poised in the perfect spot – tracking the modest early fractions set by Divine Comedy. As they straightened up and the tempo finally lifted, Oisin Murphy angled Coltrane out with intent, striking the front as they passed the two-furlong pole.
But from the pack emerged a new name with serious staying credentials. Yashin, picked up for just 80,000 guineas last October from Jessica Harrington's yard, loomed large under a confident Callum Shepherd. With a relentless surge, he collared the favourite inside the final furlong and stretched clear to win by a length, hinting at bigger things to come.
“He’s been thriving since we’ve had him,” said Bell post-race, speaking with a mix of satisfaction and restraint. “We were very hopeful of a big run—he galloped nicely at Chelmsford and came here in great form. He’s done nothing but please us.”
The betting markets were quick to react. Paddy Power chopped Yashin into 8-1 (from 33s) for the Chester Cup on May 9, but Bell – whose name is etched into Ascot folklore thanks to Big Orange’s heroic 2017 Gold Cup win – is already thinking beyond the Roodee.
“I’ll speak to the owners,” he said, weighing the options carefully. “Chester is tempting, but he’s going to go up a fair bit more than the 3lb penalty. My instinct is to keep him back for Royal Ascot.
“We didn’t enter him for the Gold Cup initially, but the Sagaro winner gets a free nomination, and we’d already said – if he doesn’t win, we’re not going. He’s won, so that opens the door. We’ve tasted success there before… and we’d love to taste it again.”
Longines Sagaro Stakes
£80,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 7f 209y Class 1
4 ran
Going: Good to Firm
POS. (DRAW) FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (1) Yashin 6 9-4 Michael Bell Callum Shepherd 11/1
2 (3) 1 Coltrane 8 9-4 Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy 4/6F
3 (4) 1¼ Divine Comedy 7 9-1 Harry Eustace Ryan Moore 3/1
4 (2) 3¼ Feigning Madness 4 9-2 Ralph Beckett Hector Crouch 6/1
