Royal Ascot 2011-Ladies Day, Fame and Glory takes Gold Cup for Aidan O’Brien
Ladies Day, the third day of the Royal Ascot that hosts the Gold Cup too, is the highlight of the Royal Ascot. Great racing, great fashion, great food and immense class that is what Ladies Day is all about.
The limelight is on women with impeccable dresses and hats. And this year the women got a little too creative, from wearing flip flops to balloons on their head the women wore everything outrageous one could think of.
Queen Elizabeth II arrived at Ascot in a vibrant pink flowered hat, while Dutchess of Cambridge’s mother, Carole Middleton, joined the procession in a pale lace hat.
Among other celebrities and royalty that graced the occasion were, Princess Beatrice, Coleen Rooney in dull pink, and, actress Elizabeth Hurley in beige.
The day started off with heavy showers, but even the weather could not dampen the spectators’ moods. The races for the day included the coveted Gold Cup, Norfolk Stakes, King George V Stakes, Tercentenary Stakes, Britannia Handicap, and, Ribblesdale Stakes.
The first race of the day, Norfolk Stakes, was won by Bapak Chinta giving jockey Phillip Makin his first Royal Ascot victory. Boomerang Bob and Crown Dependency finished in second and third places respectively.
Then the Ribblesdale Stakes took off, which 3-1 favourite, Banimpire, won by half a head. Pace-setter Field Of Miracles finished second while Dorcas Lane followed in third place.
The most important race of the day, the Gold Cup started with Tastahil leading but soon enough Aim to Prosper took over. As the horses entered the second circuit Tastahil took the lead again. A minute later Fame and Glory took the lead and it was evident
that he would win. He eventually won by three lengths, while Opinion Poll finished second and Brigatin third.
The fourth race of the day, Britannia Handicap, was won by 8-1 Sagramor, while Cai Shen placed second. The Tichborne finished third by a close margin, followed by Belgian Bill in fourth place.
This was followed by Tercentenary Stakes, won by 20-1 Pisco Sour. Alkimos finished in second place and Slumber in third beating 7-2 favourite, Marksmanship.
The final race of the day was the King George V Stakes, won by favourite, Brown Panther, by almost eight lengths causing owner, Michael Owen, to tear up with joy. Census finished second while Well Sharp and Communicator finished third and fourth respectively.
About the joy of winning, Owen said:
“I don't think anyone, unless you've actually done it, can believe the sort of feeling that you get out of it”.
And with that, the third and most awaited day of the Royal Ascot 2011 rolled to an end. A day full of creative and outrageous fashion, impeccable racing, royalty, and, even a brawl between spectators, made Ladies Day truly memorable.
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