Royal Ascot 2011 - Canford Cliffs outwits Goldikova in Queen Anne Stakes, Jockey Richard Hughes
The much anticipated and eagerly awaited show down between two champion horses, Goldikova, and, Canford Cliffs, was expected to go down at the Royal Ascot’s Grade One Queen Anne Stakes. Everybody was expecting an enthralling competition between the two best horses and they were not disappointed.
The opening day of the Royal Ascot festival will be remembered for its fashion and thrilling, neck-to-neck horse racing.
Goldikova, who was placed at 5-4 as the favourite to win the Queen Anne Stakes and Canford Cliffs coming fresh out of four consecutive wins and the last one was Group One JLT Lockinge Stakes was the 11 to 8 favourite.
Goldikova, the European Horse of the Year and thrice Breeders’ Cup Mile winner was expected to breeze past all the horses to claim another Grade One win and she was looking good to do so as well.
They broke out of the gates and without wasting time Goldikova’s pacemaker, Flash Dance, held the leading position but was shortly threatened by the run of Cape Blanco, who shot out to the business end of the race very early.
Richard Hughes, Canford Cliffs’s mount was happy to keep him in cruise mode at that point, assessing the situation and targeting spaces but keeping Goldikova in her sights at all times.
Goldikova ridden by Olivier Peslier joined her pacemaker and began to make a serious run to kill the race, meanwhile, Canford Cliff was still content to run between the pack.
With 200 meters to go and pacesetters eventually starting to fade, Goldikova was in contention to make it to the wire with Cape Blanco making a fine run on the outside. After watching Goldikova kick, Canford Cliffs fired on all cylinders and caught up with Goldikova.
The race shaped out the way it was expected, into a two horse race.
Both horses matched each other stride-to-stride but Canford Cliffs run from behind had already captured enough momentum and the big engine of the muscular colt proved to be the difference when he edged a slight lead over the spurting Goldikova.
It was neck-to-neck but Canford Cliff sealed the opener of the Royal Ascot by a slim margin of one length and bagged the purse of $409,928. It was his fifth consecutive race win.
Goldikova tried his best to beat the son of Tagula but he proved to be a handful for the four year old champion mare.
Goldikova finishing second by a length to Canford Cliffs, and, City Scape, who made a nice run at the end of the race, finished third.
It was a cat and mouse game said jockey, Richard Hughes, we couldn’t kick if they didn’t kick. It was a waiting game played well by both jockeys.
Trainer, Richard Hannon, has said before that you don’t get a horse such as Canford Cliffs and they come along rarely. He was right because this is a special colt and it’s safe to say that he is going to bring a lot of success to the proud trainer.
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