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| King’s Stand Stakes 2011 |
Prohibit Delivers King's Stand Glory
14/06/11
1 Prohibit 7/1
2 Star Witness 6/1
3 Sweet Sanette 16/1
19 ran Distances: ½l, ½l, nk
TIME 59.50s (fast by 0.20s)
Prohibit gave both trainer Robert Cowell and jockey Jim Crowley a first Royal Ascot triumph when pouncing late to take the Group One King's Stand Stakes over five furlongs by half a length form Australian raider Star Witness.
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The experienced and much-travelled six-year-old, sent off a 7/1 chance, was also giving the delighted pair their first taste of Group One glory in Britain.
A delighted Cowell said: "I cannot believe this has just happened - has it happened? Has it really? I am just overwhelmed. I have got glasses on, so you won't notice that I am crying.
"I was almost getting a little bit of flak from everybody saying that I run him too much but he thrives on his racing. All I do in the morning is open the door and he will just walk out to his paddock - he will be in his paddock for two weeks and within four day, he will have put on all the weight he had lost during a race.
"Racing takes nothing out of him and he is a game, game horse. I am just chuffed to bits for everybody.
"This is the best day of my racing life without a shadow of a doubt. I am really just so pleased for everybody - it is just fantastic and I can't tell you how much emotion is running through me right now.
"He's obviously a very talented horse with an amazing amount of talent. Over five furlongs he is incredibly talented but six furlongs is too far for him - a yard past five furlongs is too far for him.
"To train a Group One winner has always been a goal of mine and with 25 or 30 horses in the yard you never think you will do it. We bought him for 85,000 guineas and he has won plenty for the owners, has travelled worldwide and done it for them.
"We will have to look at the Nunthorpe Stakes now. We can't go for Group Three or Group Two races anymore and we might have a look at taking him to Canada - we will play it by ear.
"I have just doubled my prize money for the whole of last year in one day!"
Crowley, who began his career as a jump jockey before switching to the Flat, was thrilled to have broken his Royal Ascot duck.
He said: "I am chuffed to bits. This is why we do it. To win on him here is great. I've won a Group One abroad but to do it here is special.
"Prohibit broke unusually well for him today and I could just sit. They went very fast and sort of split into two groups - one main group and a couple to the left. He got a nice tow off Overdose and travelled much better than he has done the last few times that I have ridden him.
"I was just pleased to get a lovely position throughout and he felt really genuine today when he hit the front. I wasn't sure the last time in France that he gave me 100 per cent but he certainly did today.
"He likes to come though horses so I switched him to the right and he picked up nicely. I thought he would have been pretty unlucky to have been beaten from a furlong out.
"I was really looking forward to riding him and my only concern was that the ground would be on the slow side. But it's absolutely perfect out there and he has been so consistent.
"It's amazing to ride a winner here. I was born in the hospital just across the road and it's great to come and ride a winner here, especially a Group One."
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Position |
Horse Trainer |
Jockey Weight |
Starting Price Beaten Distance |
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1 |
Prohibit R M H Cowell |
Jim Crowley 9st 4lbs |
7 - 1 Winner |
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2 |
Star Witness Danny O'Brien |
Steven Arnold 9st 4lbs |
6 - 1 1/2 length |
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3 |
Sweet Sanette A T Millard |
J P Spencer 9st 1lbs |
16 - 1 1/2 length |
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4 |
Overdose J Roszival |
Andreas Suborics 9st 4lbs |
12 - 1 Neck |
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5 |
War Artist Markus Klug |
O Peslier 9st 4lbs |
12 - 1 2 1/4 lengths |
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6 |
Kingsgate Native Sir Michael Stoute |
R L Moore 9st 4lbs |
11 - 2 Short Head |
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7 |
Iver Bridge Lad J Ryan |
M O'Connell 9st 4lbs |
25 - 1 Head |
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8 |
Sole Power E Lynam |
W M Lordan 9st 4lbs |
13 - 2 1/2 length |
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9 |
Mar Adentro R Chotard |
J Victoire 9st 4lbs |
33 - 1 1 length |
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10 |
Astrophysical Jet E S McMahon |
G Gibbons 9st 1lbs |
12 - 1 Short Head |
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11 |
Monsieur Chevalier R Hannon |
R Hughes 9st 4lbs |
12 - 1 1/2 length |
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12 |
Bridgetown Todd Pletcher |
John Velazquez 9st 4lbs |
11 - 1 Short Head |
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13 |
Holiday For Kitten Wesley Ward |
Mike Smith 8st 9lbs |
25 - 1 3/4 length |
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14 |
Group Therapy T D Barron |
S W Kelly 9st 4lbs |
20 - 1 Neck |
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15 |
Arctic T Collins |
P Shanahan 9st 4lbs |
50 - 1 1/2 length |
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16 |
Stone Of Folca J R Best |
L Morris 8st 12lbs |
66 - 1 Nose |
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17 |
Rose Blossom R A Fahey |
P Hanagan 9st 1lbs |
40 - 1 1 1/4 length |
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18 |
Swiss Diva D R C Elsworth |
I Mendizabal 9st 1lbs |
20 - 1 Neck |
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19 |
Tangerine Trees B Smart |
T Eaves 9st 4lbs |
25 - 1 5 lengths |
WITNESS COULD BE BACK ON SATURDAY AFTER GOOD SECOND
Trainer Danny O’Brien was pleased with the run of Star Witness, who finished half a length behind Prohibit in the King’s Stand Stakes.
He said: “It was a bit messy start and he ended up a bit further back than we would have liked. He didn’t have anything that side to drag him into the race and had to make his own running from about two furlongs out hard against that outside rail.
“He kept coming strongly but obviously just had a little bit much to do.”
The trainer added: “Steven [Arnold] said that not everything went exactly to plan. We came here hoping to run the horse more than once and we’re not giving up on maybe winning on Saturday or the July Cup.
“He’s run really well today but we’ll see how he is first. It’s probably a run that says six furlongs would suit him even better.”
