Poet’s Voice crowned in Queen Elizabeth II Stakes
Poet’s Voice settled the arguments when he won the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
There had been a view that the Group One race had been devalued when Canford Cliffs had been declared a non-runner by his trainer Richard Hannon on Thursday, but there was still a quality field straining behind the starting stalls when they crashed open.
Makfi, had come back to Ascot to avenge the sole defeat of his five-race career when he had run down the field in the St James’s Palace Stakes at the royal meeting. The reason for that poor run had been put down to a throat infection and his trainer, Mikel Delzangles, said that he was in top form but there was a nagging doubt about whether he would be quite the same on a turning track as he had been when he won the 2000 Guineas over the straight eight furlongs of Newmarket’s Rowley Mile course in May.
The obvious doubt about Poet’s Voice was simply whether he good enough. A good two-year-old, who won the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last season, had been too fast too soon for his own good early in the season but had been taught to settle and had shown what he could do when he won the Group Two Celebration Mile at Goodwood last month.
Godolphin are not exactly short of a few quid in terms of a fighting fund, so the £20,000 they had shelled out to supplement Saeed bin Surror’s colt on Monday was barely more than petty cash, but they do not put horses in Group One races for the fun of having a run. Now was the time to find out if it had been money well spent.
The doubt over Rip Van Winkle, who was trying to become the third horse win this race in successive years after Brigadier Gerard and Rose Bowl , was whether the autumn weather had turned the ground against him after rain earlier in the week had turned the ground to good to soft.
Rip Van Winkle’s trainer, Aidan O’Brien, had two others horses in the field of eight with Jamie Spencer riding Air Chief Marshall and Ryan Moore on Beethoven and it was Air Chief Marshall who took on the role of pacemaker.
Spencer rushed his horse into the lead, with Johnny Murtagh following closely on Rip Van Winkle, with the others playing catch-up, with Poet’s Voice a good 12 lengths off the lead as the five-furlong post was passed in a blur of early speed. By the home turn the pace was already starting to tell and Makfi was making no impression from the top of the home straight. Rip Van Winkle took up the running with a quarter-mile to run, with Red Jazz trying to give chase, but it was Poet’s Voice who was thundering down the track.
Frankie Dettori calls Ascot his second home, and he was homing in on the winning post like a long-lost friend. The last 15 strides were fought out with the intensity of a prize-fight and it was Poet’s Voice who landed the knockout blow to Rip Van Winkle by a nose, with Red Jazz in third. For whatever reason Makfi, who had appeared to be rather fractious before he was loaded into the stalls, ran another lifeless race on this track and finished fifth.
The judge called for a photograph but Dettori delivered his own verdict punching the air the moment he crossed the winning line, which was a burst of emotion as much as anything else. Godolphin had not won a British Group One race since Mastery’s victory in last year’s St Leger. Now they had won two in just over an hour following White Moonstone’s win in the Meon Valley Stud Fillies’ Mile.
The first had brought a Dettori flying dismount but the second should have been called a danger to low-flying aircraft. Twenty years after the Italian had won the race for the first time, on Markofdistinction, he won it for a fifth. There may not have been a “magnificent seven” this time but he was happy enough with the horse who had carried the No.7 on his saddle cloth. “Lucky No.7,” he said.
“Saeed told me the horse was in tremendous form. I really can’t believe that I won the two big races today. It’s been a long time and I’m full of emotions. I don’t know what to say – Ascot’s been fantastic to me – and what a great reception.”
With that he jumped into the arms of Bin Suroor who, given the chance to regain his composure, said: “Poet’s Voice has been a different horse since learning to settle and he ran a huge race. Frankie gave him a superb ride and I am very happy that we have won two Group One contests here today.
“We will see how Poet’s Voice comes out of today but we will have a look at the Breeders’ Cup Mile at Churchill Downs.”
That would bring a clash with Goldikova as she attempts a third victory in the Mile and whoever wins that will be the world champion.
No arguments.
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