CORONET FINALLY CROWNED WHEN WINNING THE GRAND PRIX DE SAINT CLOUD, GR.1

Denford Stud’s homebred Dubawi mare Coronet, winner of two Gr.2 races, placed in seven Gr.1 contests, was finally crowned when squeezing home in the Gr.1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. This looked a competitive race, as her six opponents included the Gr.2 Grand Prix de Chantilly first and second, Aspetar (Al Kazeem) and Ziyad (Rock Of Gibraltar), along with April’s Gr.3 John Porter Stakes winner Marmelo (Duke Of Marmalade), May’s Gr.2 Prix Corrida winner Morgan Le Faye (Shamardal) and her own John Gosden-trained stablemate Lah Ti Dar (Dubawi), a Gr.2 winner at York in May.

Ziyad broke well and took the lead from his wide draw, with Lah Ti Dar just behind and Coronet against the rail back in the main pack. The pace was reasonable and the leader kept on well, gamely repelling a strong challenge from Lah Ti Dar, but it was the grey Coronet who stayed against the far rail and found the best turn of foot in the closing stages to get her head in front in the final strides. Her winning margin was a short neck, with Ziyad fending off Lah Ti Dar for second by a short head.

The winning jockey Frankie Dettori said: “This was always the objective for this filly. I had a good draw, I had a great race and a great run on the inside; that’s what won me the race.” She has entries in the Gr.1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at the end of this month, as well as the Gr.1 Yorkshire Oaks and the Gr.1 Irish St Leger.

The well-bred five-year-old, the 40th Gr.1 winner for her sire Dubawi, is a half-sister to the Gr.2 winner and dual Classic-runnerup Midas Touch (Galileo) and the Gr.3-placed Streetcar To Stars (Sea The Stars), out of the Gr.2-placed Listed winner Approach (Darshaan). Her dam is the Alzao mare Last Second, winner of the Nassau Stakes and Sun Chariot Stakes when they held Gr.2 status and also the dam of the Classic winner and sire Aussie Rules (Danehill) and two other Stakes horses.