Sir Michael Stoute upright after Carlton House’s second in Prince Of Wales's Stakes
Sir Michael Stoute has admitted that Carlton House had every chance of winning, but failed to challenge So You Think in the 150th Anniversary of Prince of Wales's Stakes (British Champions Series), taken place at Royal Ascot on Wednesday, June 20, 2012.
The Group 1 event saw Carlton House finishing second behind A. P. O’Brein’s 4-5 favourite. Under Ryan Moore, the 4-year-old took keen hold early on, but held up in the midfield. After switching left just before the final two furlongs, Carlton House changed
his gears and launched a serious challenge for the leader.
However, he failed to strike while the iron was hot and as a result, So You Think beat him comprehensively in the final furlong. Under Joseph O’Brein, the six-year-old horse extended his advantage significantly in the final 100 yards, eliminating Carlton
House’s chances of stealing the show.
Sir Michael Stoute’s charge was well beaten by the champion, but did well to ensure the runner-up spot by half a length. Farhh tried hard to snatch the second place, but Ryan Moore rode is runner quite well in the final stages. The handler was all praise
for Moore, saying that the rider travelled nicely, but So You Think was too good.
Stoute said: "He couldn't get enough cover as he was a bit off the fence but he was second best, it's as simple as that. Ryan (Moore) gave him a great ride, he had every chance but he just found one too good."
On the other hand, Saeed bin Suroor was happy with his trainee’s third place in the race. Although the 6-1 chance was not quite impressive in the early stages of the race, an excellent job inside the final furlong helped him end up among top-3. Reliable
Man was looking good to spoil his party, but the 4-year-old managed to secure the rank by a neck’s distance.
"We are delighted with him, he had been physically weak which is why he hasn't had many runs, but he's much stronger this year and when he won easily at Thirsk we thought he would be up to running in Group One races," the trainer stated after the event.
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