STRADIVARIUS VICTORY NETS CONNECTIONS A COOL MILLION

There was a Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers’ Million bonus on offer. Many thought it was impossible to win. It was difficult to find the horse that could possess all the qualities of a good stayer- soundness, stamina, adaptability and quality. That was till Stradivarius, by See The Stars came on the scene with consecutive victories in the Gr.2 Yorkshire Cup, Gr.1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and Gr.1 Goodwood Cup, setting him up for a tilt at the inaugural £1m bonus.

There were tense moments as the Bjorn Nielsen’s homebred Stradivarius, under regular saddle partner Frankie Dettori took his time to come alongside Count Octave (Frankel) who took over the running in the straight and was heading for the home run. The stands were quiet till Staradivarius headed the leader at then exploded as he stayed on gamely to win by a length and a half. With this win in the Lonsdale Cup, Gr.2 he proved an invincible stayer collecting the cool £1m bonus for his efforts.

The winning trainer John Gosden said after race: “Full marks to the owner – he’s been trying to breed a Derby winner for years and he ends up with a Cup horse. But seriously, he’s passionate about breeding and puts a lot of time and effort into it, so he deserves it. It’s an extraordinary achievement. The horse has a lot of determination, but also a lot of class. When the WH Stayers’ Million was announced we thought it was a great incentive, but would be very hard to do, so I’m thrilled to do it in the first year.” Stradivarius has now won eight of his 13 starts, also including last year’s Goodwood Cup and a juvenile maiden, and his earnings now amount to more than £1.3m, excluding this new bonus, which will be shared out between his connections, including the stable staff at Gosden’s yard.