Cup king Stradivarius rules supreme

Stradivarius ensured his 10th victory in the Magners Rose Doncaster Cup with a dominant display.
John Gosden’s five-year-old has dominated the staying division over the past couple of seasons – using back-to-back wins in Goodwood Cup, Gold Cup, the Yorkshire Cup and Lonsdale Cup seeing him scoop the Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers’ Million in 2019 and 2018.
In the immediate aftermath of his most recent triumph at York, connections indicated his second port of call could be next month Long Distance Cup in Ascot – that he won last year – but a late change of heart watched Gosden fetch his charge into Town Moor.
With old foe Dee Ex Bee a late withdrawal, Stradivarius was the favourite in the control of partner Frankie Dettori and his legion of fans had concerns for the whole period of the competition.
Oisin Murphy heading out to the next circuit in an attempt to inject some speed in the race sent on Andrew Balding’s Cleonte after originally being abandoned front , and he was going great guns rounding the turn for home.
However, after popped the question the leader was reeled from by Stradivarius and kicked clear to get a comfortable victory.
Cleonte boxed on to fulfill the runner-up place, together with the Willie Mullins-trained Max Dynamite – runner-up to stablemate Thomas Hobson in this past season’s renewal – back in third.
Gosden said:”Frankie was appropriate to move forward, then Oisin determined he wished to earn a race of it.
“He is a lovely horse. I had no intention of arriving here, but he had been so fresh, rearing up and crying all the time, so that I thought we’d come back and win the Doncaster Cup – it hadn’t been the strategy, however Mr (Bjorn) Nielsen was very good about that.
“He’s a gorgeous horse to train, however he was getting so lively in the home – that is a five-day entry so I had to place him . If you wait for Champions Day plus it’s heavy, he won’t be operating.”
He proceeded:”I believe Mr Nielsen’s big strategy, if the horse is well and happy, would be to visit Ascot next year. He’d love to win three Gold Cups. We are going to try to do that if we could and we’ll see what comes from this Leger as possible challengers.
“He’s had a much simpler season this year compared to last. The race in the Gold Cup (last year) was mighty tough and he was a weary horse by the Lonsdale. He’s a horse that is new nonetheless, this year.
“I believe the next year’s it is Ascot Gold Cup and probably Goodwood Cup, and then we may worry about other options.
“I believe he’d like to get a Sagaro, Yorkshire Cup – go that route again when the horse is in terrific arrangement, then regroup, that will be a little fun.”
Dettori – in flying dismount kind – stated “That’s the easiest he is won – he’s so great to ride,” he relaxeshe quickens. Brilliant. We expected it to be similar to that, although it turned out to be a race that is messy.
“I tried to make the running, but because we got to the bend he had been looking at everything. Oisin was running excited and I received a tow off him. We went slow, we sprinted the last three and a half (furlongs).
“He has one more equipment than the remainder, so that I used Oisin as a benchmark stage – I gave him three or four lengths start because I knew after I handed him he thinks he has done enough.
“I utilized Oisin as tow to the furlong marker and ‘come on let us put the race to bed’, and he won very easily.”
Before signing off, Gosden had a sentence on his other stable celebrity, the mighty Enable, who’s being ready for an effort on a record-breaking third success in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
He explained:”She’s in excellent form. I could not be more pleased with her. She’s in really good nick and we’ll build her up to the Arc now.”

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