Jessica Harrington will always be most closely associated with jumping horses but the 2017 Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer will have a realistic chance to claim one of the Flat’s most historic races next month, after Torcedor’s five-length win in the Sagaro Stakes here on Wednesday took his price for Ascot’s Gold Cup to around 14-1.
Torcedor had something to prove after finishing last of 16 in the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan in March, his first start since a close second behind Order Of St George, the 2016 Ascot Gold Cup winner, in the Group One stayers’ race on Champions Day. Colm O’Donoghue enjoyed a soft lead from his five rivals until the home turn, but there was real purpose in the way Torcedor strode clear of Time To Study and Desert Skyline, the Doncaster Cup winner last year, in the straight.
Vincent O’Brien, who won the last of three Cheltenham Gold Cups with Cottage Rake in 1950 and then saddled Gladness to win the Ascot Gold Cup eight years later, is the only trainer to have won both races. To complete the same double for Harrington, Torcedor will need to improve on his form in last year’s Ascot Gold Cup, when he was nearly 10 lengths behind the winner, Big Orange, but he has still had only seven starts for the stable and his chance would also improve if there was some ease in the ground.
“I’m not sure what happened [in Dubai], Niall Amond, representing Torcedor’s trainer, said. “I’d say it could have been the travelling and everything, but he just disappointed and it’s good to see him back in that form in the space of four or five weeks from Dubai.
Lingfield 2.00 Paddy A 2.30 Angelina D’Or 3.00 What A Party 3.30 Captain Lars 4.00 Insurgence (nb) 4.30 Belated Breath 5.00 Mac O’Polo
Redcar 2.10 Tarrzan 2.40 Queen Penn 3.10 Robsdelight 3.40 Poet’s Prince 4.10 Al Khan 4.40 Canadian George 5.10 Plansina
Southwell 2.20 Go On Gal 2.50 Serenity Now 3.20 Victory Wave 3.50 Monks Stand 4.20 Best Tamayuz 4.50 Indian Tinker 5.20 Samtu
Musselburgh 5.40 Dawoodi 6.10 Amadeus 6.40 Soldier’s Minute 7.10 Artful Rogue 7.40 Carpet Time 8.10 Harbour Patrol 8.40 Elite Icon
Chelmsford City 5.50 Pocket Dynamo 6.20 Reveleon 6.50 Prabeni 7.20 Pearl Spectre 7.50 Gold Filigree (nap) 8.20 Highly Focused 8.50 Jeremiah
Tips by Greg Wood.
“It was a very impressive run. Colm said he quickened twice really and when he went for him he just powered away.”
Invincible Army also has a date at the Royal meeting after showing a useful turn of foot to win the Pavilion Stakes by a length and a half.
James’s Tate three-year-old is now a single‑figure price with several bookmakers to win the Group One Commonwealth six‑furlong trip on 22 June.
Invincible Army gave Ryan Moore his first Ascot winner of 2018 after an inauspicious start to his day when The Irish Rover, the 1-7 favourite for the first race, reared in the stalls and lost several lengths. The Irish Rover made up the lost ground but still finished last behind Getchagetchagetcha, Clive Cox’s first juvenile winner of the season.
