CRACKSMAN LEAVES IT LATE IN THE INVESTEC CORONATION CUP

[twocol_one][dropcap]T[/dropcap]he red-hot favourite Cracksman, ridden by Frankie Dettori, left it late but eventually got on top in an eventful running of the Group One Investec Coronation Cup at Epsom Downs. The eventual runner-up Salouen (33/1) was given a peach of a ride by jockey Silvestre De Sousa and almost made every yard of the running but was denied by a head, with the 2/7 favourite getting up in the shadows of the post.

Cracksman’s trainer John Gosden was in a reflective mood after the Group One event and pinpointed Royal Ascot as the four-year-old’s next target. “I was pleased with the way he finished,” said the trainer. “He’s got
a lot of guts and he’s got a lot of class. I could see from a long way out that Frankie’s elbows were just moving a little and, coming down Tattenham Corner, he wasn’t comfortable. “However, when he finally met the level ground, he just flew.

[box size=”large”]”I only really enjoyed the last 50 yards of that race – but Frankie didn’t panic. It was a lot more exciting than people thought it would be though with a 1/3 shot as favourite!” [/box] Owner Anthony Oppenheimer was a relieved man after the race. It was a third Group One for the four-year-old son of Frankel.[/twocol_one] [twocol_one_last]

Dettori has now won five Investec Coronation Cups – Swain in 1997, Singspiel in 1997, Daylami in 1999, Mutafaweq in 2001 and now Cracksman. The jockey said: “It was a decent pace. Cracksman was a bit sleepy today, but he does not enjoy galloping downhill and when I wanted to close the gap, I couldn’t. He felt lethargic, like he did in the Derby last year. “Silvestre [de Sousa, Salouen’s jockey] got five lengths on me and, God, he made it hard work for me but once we flattened out, the turbo kicked in. Then he started to motor and I thought I might still run out of time, but we got there. I didn’t want to win like that, but, a bit like Man United, we find a way to win, and we did. “You did not see the best of Cracksman today. He was never happy on the track – he is so big -and we know he is a better horse than he showed today. His class pulled him through because any other horse would have downed tools and finished second.

Trainer Sylvester Kirk was left wondering what might have been after 33/1 chance Salouen, the outsider of the six runners was edged out in the thrilling closing stages. Ridden by Silvestre De Sousa, Salouen set a steady gallop in the mile and a half contest and quickened up smartly in the home straight to go clear. However, the John Gosden-trained Cracksman, ridden by Frankie Dettori, finally got going in the closing stages to score by a head in a gripping finish at Epsom Downs. Salouen was 13th in last year’s Investec Derby, with Cracksman third, and Kirk was delighted with the four-year-old son of Canford Cliffs.