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| Windsor Forest Stakes 2012 |
Joviality Takes the Windsor Forest Stakes
20/06/12
1 Joviality 11/1
2 Chachamaidee 4/1
3 Lay Time 9/1
13 ran Distances: nk, 1l, 1¼l
TIME 1m 38.37s (fast by 0.63s)
Princess Haya of Jordan welcomed in a Royal Ascot winner when Joviality took the Windsor Forest Stakes in her colours.
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The result was a tonic for trainer John Gosden and jockey William Buick who suffered when The Nile sustained a fatal injury in the St James's Palace Stakes on the first day of the meeting.
After Joviality had beaten Chachamaidee and Lay Time by a neck and a length, Gosden said: “She didn’t handle Epsom [when second on her previous start] and we’ve had to wait for her to come right in June, but she shows a lot of tenacity. I really respect the runner-up who is very fast, but I thought if we could be in the right place to make her come to us we might just outstay her. It was a thrilling performance.
“She’s capable of going a mile or a mile and a quarter so there are some exciting options ahead like the Falmouth Stakes [at Newmarket], the Nassau Stakes [at Glorious Goodwood] and the Prix de l’Opera [at Longchamp], but that is the elite end and there are some very smart fillies in France.
“We had a difficult day yesterday, but ours is a strange game and a game of vicissitudes.”
Princess Haya looked delighted in the paddock and made a fuss of Joviality before saying: “John has done a great job of training her and she is such a lovely filly in the stable. Very friendly and sweet with everyone.”
Gosden said: “Princess Haya is a top-class horsewoman and I suggested she should lead the filly in. She’s a consummate rider who competed in the Olympics and her husband, Sheikh Mohammed, has just won a 160-kilometre race in Italy over mountains, when none of us could ride for 16 kilometres. They both enjoy riding so it’s only natural they should be interested in their horses.”
William Buick bagged his first winner of Royal Ascot 2012 with a determined ride on the John Gosden-trained Joviaility. The daughter of Cape Cross travelled comfortably before battling on gamely to repel the challenge of Sir Henry Cecil’s Chachamaidee inside the final furlong to hold on by a neck.
Buick said: “Joviality is very tough and genuine and I think she outstayed them. She didn’t handle the track at Epsom last time, but the race did her a lot of good and she came here in good stead.
“She is a nice filly and hopefully she can improve again. She has won the Windsor Forest now so she is not far off Group One level and I would think races like the Falmouth Stakes and Nassau Stakes will come under consideration.
“I have always thought she is better on a straight course, so I presume the Falmouth will be her main target.”
Windsor Forest Stakes (Fillies' Group 2) (Str)
£100,000 added, 4yo plus, 1m, Class 1
13 ran
Going: Good
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Position |
Horse Trainer |
Jockey Weight |
Starting Price Beaten Distance |
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1 |
Joviality J H M Gosden |
William Buick 8st 12lbs |
11 - 1 Winner |
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2 |
Chachamaidee Sir H R A Cecil |
T P Queally 8st 12lbs |
4 - 1 Neck |
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3 |
Lay Time A M Balding |
J Fortune 8st 12lbs |
9 - 1 1 length |
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4 |
Barefoot Lady R A Fahey |
P Hanagan 8st 12lbs |
14 - 1 1 1/4 length |
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5 |
Beatrice Aurore J Dunlop |
R L Moore 8st 12lbs |
18 - 1 Head |
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6 |
Law Of The Range M Botti |
S De Sousa 8st 12lbs |
50 - 1 3 lengths |
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7 |
Emulous D K Weld |
P J Smullen 9st 3lbs |
11 - 4 Head |
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8 |
Dysphonia S bin Suroor |
L Dettori 8st 12lbs |
25 - 1 1 3/4 length |
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9 |
Nahrain R Varian |
N Callan 9st 3lbs |
13 - 2 Nose |
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10 |
Clinical Sir Mark Prescott |
L Morris 8st 12lbs |
11 - 1 3/4 length |
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11 |
I Love Me A M Balding |
David Probert 8st 12lbs |
22 - 1 1/2 length |
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12 |
Rhythm Of Light Tom Dascombe |
R Kingscote 8st 12lbs |
66 - 1 3/4 length |
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13 |
Captivator J R Fanshawe |
K Fallon 8st 12lbs |
16 - 1 17 lengths |
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SO CLOSE FOR CHACHAMAIDEE
The Henry Cecil-trained Chachamaidee finished runner-up in the Windsor Forest Stakes and he added: “Like last time, when she won at Lingfield, she dwelt in the stalls. She made up a lot of ground, came to win her race and just faltered in the last 20 yards. It’s a stiff course and maybe she would be better at somewhere like Newmarket, with the dip. It would have been nice to have won but she was not disgraced in second.”
