Ervedya won a thrilling race for the Coronation Stakes, hoisting the French flag over Royal Ascot after the major race on day four. The filly, who won the French Guineas when last seen, held off the Irish raiders Found and Lucida in a driving finish to give her jockey, Christophe Soumillon, a second success at the Royal meeting, a decade after the first, when the meeting took place at York.
Found was sent off the favourite at 13-8 despite failing to win both her races this year, a fact that had much to do with the presence in the saddle of Ryan Moore, who has made winning look easy here this week. Found hit the front in the straight but was passed by Ervedya three strides before the line, with Lucida finishing fast but far too late down the outside after rather daring hold-up tactics were used by her rider, Kevin Manning.
“I was lucky I got a gap in the middle,” Soumillon said. “I knew Aidan O’Brien’s filly would be at the top of her game today and she beat us last year in Longchamp.
“When I saw her in that position, I thought it was better to stay behind her and maybe that’s why I won, as if I had come on the outside I’m not sure she would have quickened like she did and stay on to the line.”
Earlier, Muhaarar was a comfortable winner of the inaugural Commonwealth Cup, a top-class sprint for three-year-olds. The fancied pair Tiggy Wiggy and Hootenanny were most disappointing, both finishing out of the top 10, but the second-favourite, Limato, justified market support to be second.
Muhaarar, winner of the Greenham earlier in the season and given no chance by a wide draw in the French 2,000, handed his trainer, Charlie Hills, a second success at this Royal Ascot. The winning jockey was Dane O’Neill, who said: “It was all very easy, it was a bit surreal. He didn’t half pick up.
“You can see now, he looks a decent sprinter in the making. I had a look to my left and there weren’t any real dangers, so I decided to make my own move. To be on a nice horse like this in the first running of the race is great.”
Muhaarar is now second-favourite for the July Cup, behind the Australian Brazen Beau, the likely favourite for Saturday’s Diamond Jubilee Stakes here.
