Danedream defeats Nathaniel in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes
Trainer John Gosden was hoping, Nathaniel, would be able to defend his title, but it wasn’t his day as he was denied by the German bred Danedream, in an encounter which was too close to call.
However, the official order of finish revealed that Danedream kept Nathaniel at bay by a small margin of a nose in the Group 1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes Sponsored By Betfair at Ascot on 21st July, 2012.
Covering a distance of 1 mile and 4 furlongs, the Peter Schiergen trained runner was the only filly in a field of ten runners. With rider Andrasch Starke on her back, she proved that she could easily run with the boys.
The third place was secured by the Aidan O’Brien trained, St. Nicholas Abbey, followed by Reliable Man, and race favourite Sea Moon in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
The pace of the race was set by Robin Hood, who gained the lead in the early stages of the race, while Dunaden and Brown Panther followed them in pursuit.
Nathaniel, with jockey William Buick on his back, settled in fourth and Danedream was placed in the mid-pack.
After the half-mile marker, the positions of the runners changed as, Dunaden overtook Robin Hood and Brown Panther to move in second. Nathaniel made some ground on the outside, overtook the runners and moved into the lead.
The Gestut Burg Eberstein and Teruya Yoshida owned, Danedream, made steady progress in the final yards and claimed the victory by a narrow margin and completed the race in 2 minutes and 31.62 seconds.
The winning rider expressed his delight with the way the race turned out as he said:
“She’s a small filly, but she’s got a big heart. She fought hard and it’s definitely the biggest moment in my life.”
Trainer Peter Schiergen was just as pleased, as he discussed the filly’s future plans:
“It’s a good feeling. It’s very important for Germany and it’s very good for German racing.”
Nathaniel, who claimed this race last year failed to secure the victory, but trainer John Gosden was pleased with his performance nonetheless.
Gosden remarked:
“I’m delighted with him. I didn’t know which horse had won crossing the line and I was on the line. I can’t believe in two weeks he can run two races like that back to back. It’s quite impressive.”
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