Polly’s Mark narrowly takes Queen Elizabeth Stakes
Trainer Clive Cox got a double on day one of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, with Polly’s Mark narrowly taking the win at the Harvest Stakes after Winter’s Night had won the opening race of the day, the
Fred Cowley MBE Fillies’ Nursery race. Polly’s Mark started the race at 5-2 and ran straight and true to the stands, while Ferdoos, the runner-up, hung toward the stands in the final straight, the difference between victory and narrow defeat for the runner-up
and pre-race favourite.
"I was not sure and Robbo (Philip Robinson), who knows everything, could not tell either,” said jockey Richard Hughes. "She was just pulling up in front and it was not until she could see the other filly
that she picked up again. She's a great little filly and it would have been hard to take if we had been beaten."
JHM Gosden-trained Dyna Waltz led the race for a furlong before Snoqualmie Girl and Lady Artemisia took control of the race. Lady Artemisia weakened halfway through the race and was well behind by the
final furlong, finishing the race in eighth out of 10.
Polly’s Mark hit top gear when the race quickened around the final turn, with Ferdoos, at 2-1, trying the challenge the burst. Even with jockey Philip Robinson’s impeccable timing, Ferdoos just wasn’t
as strong and straight as Polly Mark’s, who won by a nose.
The finish was so close that neither jockey could tell who had one and the decision was sent to the judge. Snoqualmie Girl was in third, 1¾ lengths back, and Dyna Waltz just beside her for fourth.
Cox’s Winter’s Night won the opening race of the three-day Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in a similar fashion, with the 3-1 favourite Darajaat leading for most of the race but ultimately finishing 2½ lengths
behind Winter’s Night. The Luke Morris-ridden horse took the victory of the Fred Cowley MBE Fillies’ Nursery at 10-1 odds, sixth in odds in the 13-horse race.
Darajaat was caught in the final hundred yards when the horse didn’t have the energy for a final burst, while Winter’s Night stuck to the leader until bursting forward to the finish line. Third-place finisher
Sylvestris, at 7-1, had an awkward start and couldn’t catch the leading group until midfield, but still managed to pass Golden Tempest, at 10-1 in the finale, relegating that horse to fourth.
Either way it was a fantastic showing for Cox, with one horse with short odds winning and another with middling odds winning the glory.
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