Bay City Roller upset the big guns in an attritional Coolmore Coronation Cup at Epsom.
A quality field of six runners went to post for the Group One contest, with Calandagan, the world’s highest-rated turf horse from 2025, last year’s narrow winner Jan Brueghel and the latter’s dual Derby-winning stablemate Lambourn the top three in the betting.
With Ballydoyle pacemaker Illinois reluctant in front, Lambourn was sent on by Wayne Lordan rounding Tattenham Corner, with George Scott’s Bay City Roller (17/2) his nearest pursuer in the hands of Oisin Murphy.
While Lambourn stuck to the far rail, Murphy positioned his mount down the centre of the track in the straight and it proved a masterstroke as he quickened up on ground he relished to pull 10 lengths clear of the chasing pack.
Jan Brueghel was never travelling at any stage but got rolling late to beat Lambourn to the runner-up spot, with Calandagan also struggling in the rain-softened conditions, leading to him finishing a distant fourth.
More to follow…
Pearson stars with brilliant ride on Sparks Fly
A buccaneering ride from Laura Pearson paid dividends as Sparks Fly ran out a spectacular winner of the Princess Elizabeth Stakes.
Already a 12-time winner for trainer David Loughnane and owner Dave Lowe, the six-year-old was a 7/2 shot for her latest Group Two assignment after finishing a close-up fourth behind dual Derby hero Lambourn in the Huxley Stakes at Chester last month.
Sparks Fly soon adopted her customary pacesetting role and rounded the home turn in front, at which stage Pearson made the brave call to stick to the far side of the track while the rest of the field all came across to the near rail.
It soon became evident she had made the right call, as while the chasing pack toiled Sparks Fly galloped on relentlessly in the rain-softened ground and passed the post with eight-and-a-half lengths in hand over over Love Dynasty.
Sparks Fly led them home in the Princess Margaret Stakes.
On her decision to stay on the far rail, Pearson said: “I think I looked round twice to double check! I just had to be brave and she’s such a trooper she doesn’t need horses around her to gallop like that.”
She went on: “I’ve never been so confident than I was about a horse going into a race as I was today, there was never a doubt in my mind.
“After yesterday I was probably expecting them to stay around the middle, but from my point of view my filly always hangs left so there was no point going up only for her to roll back down.
“She’s a filly that loves being in front but she doesn’t have to be, she just loves her own company and she enjoyed it today.
“I made sure I had a couple of checks and from about one and a half [furlongs] out I knew I had them covered.
“You never know quite how far away they when it’s like that, but it worked out well.”
Ten Bob Tony leaves it late to deny Witness Stand
Ten Bob Tony lunged late to deny long-time leader Witness Stand victory in the opening Betfred Tattenham Corner Stakes.
Eight runners went to post for a Group Thee contest run in driving rain and having undergone wind surgery since his last run and fitted with a tongue-tie for the first time it was Group Two winner Witness Stand looked back to his best out in front, with Billy Loughnane quick to bag the near-side rail early in the straight.
But while he galloped strongly to the line, Kieran Shoemark produced the Ed Walker-trained Ten Bob Tony (11/2) with a withering run and he got up in the shadow of the post to prevail by a head. Poet Master finished third, with the top two in the market – Never So Brave and Alcantor – unable to get into it from the rear.
Walker said: “He needs these conditions, that was mega, it was very easy watching and Kieran gave him a peach.
Ten Bob Tony (right) struck gold at Epsom
“He relaxed lovely and a few of the fancied horses never really got into it so it panned out really well.
“He won this race last year (when run at Haydock as the John of Gaunt) and we hoped he’d go on and have a good year but it never really happened, mainly because it was quick ground all summer. He did run great in the Foret.
“I think we’ve just got to pick our battles, annoyingly a seven-furlong Group One or Two doesn’t grow on trees. The Foret is his race.
“It’s hard to know exactly what to do with him. Would you have a go at the Prix Maurice de Gheest if it came up soft? There’s the City of York over seven, but I’d probably rather go up to a mile than back down to six as we’ve tried that.
“If he runs over something other than seven I’d say it will be a mile and worse horses than him have won Group Ones.”
