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 Coltrane 7/2
3 Caius Chorister 11/1
3 Sweet William 2/1F
5 ran Distances: hd, 1¼l, 7½l
Time: 3m 31.42s (slow by 5.52s)
COLTRANE wins his second Longines Sagaro Stakes, outstaying SWEET WILLIAM and seeing off the late charge of CAIUS CHORISTER 🏆 well done to @oismurphy @AndrewBalding2 and the Mariscottis. Will he go one better in this year’s Gold Cup at #RoyalAscot? pic.twitter.com/i8TB16bvQt
— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) May 1, 2024
Coltrane, the Andrew Balding-trained gelding, battled gamely to secure victory in a thrilling race, defending his crown by fending off Sweet William and Caius Chorister.
The seven-year-old sat behind early leader Quickthorn but surged to the front with two furlongs to go, contending with Sweet William. Jockey Oisin Murphy ensured Coltrane’s nose was in front as they fought for the lead.
Despite Sweet William’s challenge fading inside the final furlong, Caius Chorister powered home on the outside. In a nail-biting finish, Coltrane valiantly held on to win by a head.
Balding believes another tilt at next month’s Gold Cup is in order for his charge, who finished second in the race last year.
“I think there was a concern whether the fire was still there, but I think it certainly was,” he said.
“I think he was in front longer than Oisin probably wanted to be but he was really brave there at the end.
“He’s a fighter and a star really. We train horses so we can come across one like him and he keeps producing.
“Maybe the cheekpieces sparked him up today, but he really looked well and maybe he just wasn’t himself in Meydan. He’s just come to himself now and he’s a fighter.
“He loves Ascot and has run one bad race here and that’s it. We’ll look forward to coming back here in June.
“He does his own thing at home, which is not very much in the mornings. We’ll let him do his own thing and he will train himself for the Gold Cup. We did the same last year and he ran a stellar race, so we will try to do the same thing.”
Clive Washbourn, owner of runner-up Caius Chorister, hopes to fulfil his “dream” of his horse running in the Gold Cup next month.
“David’s a genius, what a run that was! We gave it to them. We’ve got to have a crack at the Gold Cup now,” he said.
“When we won the Prix Belle de Nuit at Saint-Cloud, I was a bit embarrassed after I said the King is going to have to get used to my celebrations. But I will say one thing now, he might have to.
“That was amazing and everyone says little fillies can’t beat geldings. I bred this horse and I’m so proud. It’s nothing to do with money, it’s the sheer pride of pulling it off. I’m blown away.
“If anyone is thinking of buying a horse, I’ll tell you one thing, it’s orgasmic. That last furlong was unbelievable and I thought we had got it.
“It’s a very different feeling when you breed them yourself and she’s a horse of a lifetime. A runner in the Gold Cup will be a dream for me.”
Longines Sagaro Stakes
£80,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 7f 209y Class 1
5 ran
Going: Good to Soft, Soft in places
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (4) Coltrane 7 9-4 Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy 7/2
2 (2) hd Caius Chorister 5 9-4 David Menuisier Jamie Spencer 11/1
3 (5) 1¼ Sweet William 5 9-4 John & Thady Gosden Robert Havlin 2/1F
4 (3) 7½ Trueshan 8 9-11 Alan King Hollie Doyle 11/4
5 (1) 11 Quickthorn 7 9-4 Hughie Morrison Tom Marquand 4/1
