Francis-Henri Graffard was left frustrated but determined to take the positives after Zarigana was outfought in a Coronation Stakes thriller at Royal Ascot.
A granddaughter of the Aga Khan super mare Zarkava, Zarigana arrived at the Royal meeting looking to enhance her lofty reputation after winning the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, albeit via the stewards’ room, at ParisLongchamp last month.
However, the 6-4 favourite met a determined rival in Joseph Murphy’s Cercene and despite edging ahead close home, gave back that advantage with a little interest in the dying strides as the raiding French team had to settle for second on this occasion.
“I need to buy a pair of blinkers, probably,” quipped Graffard to questions about Zarigana’s attitude late in the day.
“It was very interesting what the jockey (Mickael Barzalona) said, he said she travelled really nicely, easily on the bridle, but as soon as she hit the front she completely changed in her attitude and threw her head up.
“It’s very frustrating, but we try our best with her. She’s a very talented filly and she didn’t disgrace herself. You always think you can win easily and she has the ability to win easily, but we didn’t get the job done today.”
After suffering only the second defeat of her career, connections were refusing to be too downhearted, with the regally-bred filly one of two for the Graffard-Aga Khan Stud team to hit the crossbar in Friday’s Group One events.
Graffard added: “I am lucky she is owned by a fantastic breeding operation and she has earned her place there. We don’t need to put a pair of blinkers on her – she has earned her place at stud. She has a lot of ability and she will produce fantastic stock that will come here and beat everybody.
“It’s very hard to be competitive here, firstly, and to win here is even harder. You come with very talented horses, but today I think we can’t complain. We have two fillies placed in Group Ones (Zarigana and Rayevka in the Commonwealth Cup) and they earned their places at stud, and so for the operation it is very positive.”
Back in third was Aidan O’Brien’s January, who after twice chasing home 1000 Guineas heroine Desert Flower as a two-year-old was back to her best following a below-par return in the Irish 1,000 Guineas last month.
“She ran OK, it was a little bit messy early, the race, but Ryan said she ran well, so we’re happy and we think she will come forward a little bit.
“Maybe one of the fillies’ races at Newmarket will be next for her, something like that.”
Amiloc holds off Zahraan in ‘Ascot Derby’
Amiloc obliged favourite-backers to remain unbeaten and give Ralph Beckett his first victory at this year’s Royal Ascot courtesy of the King Edward VII Stakes.
An impressive winner of Goodwood’s Cocked Hat Stakes, the fact the son of Postponed is a gelding meant he had to bypass the Derby at Epsom for the race often referred to as the ‘Ascot Derby’.
Ryan Moore tried to slip the field on eventual third Galveston, but Rossa Ryan aboard the 11-8 market leader never let that duo too far out of his sights and after sending Amiloc to the front with a furlong to run, had enough in reserve to hold off Johnny Murtagh’s Zahraan by three-quarters of a length.
Beckett said: “He did it the hard way a little bit, we thought Galveston would probably go forward and it did work out like that.
Amiloc protected his 100% record
“I didn’t really want to run him, to tell you the truth. I didn’t think he’d like the ground, but I was wrong about that.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had one win five straight, well I can’t think of one! I wasn’t confident because of the ground. We haven’t had a great week.
“Rossa was great, he rode him with plenty of confidence and it set up well for us, I will say that, but sometimes it just does.”
Amilco halved in price for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes and asked about future plans, Beckett said: “I think ground will dictate, I wouldn’t be afraid to take anybody on with him on slower ground, so he is in everything.
“He’s going to take a bit of getting over today by the look of him; if it came up soft next month (for the King George), or with a bit of juice, I’m sure we’d be here.”
Of Zahraan, who runs in the colours of the late Aga Khan, Murtagh said: “He lost nothing in defeat. Ben (Coen) just said they quickened up from four out and just had him off the bridle a little bit earlier than ideal. I’m not saying he wants soft ground, but a little bit more juice in it would help him travel a bit longer.
“Finishing second here is definitely more frustrating as a trainer than as a jockey! It’s more nerve-wracking beforehand, and it’s gutting – you know how hard it is to win here. You see all all the people come with their best horses, and we thought we had one and we still do, but he just wasn’t good enough today.
“You’d love to think he might be an Arc horse one day, and the connections would love that race. He’s a bit to go to get there, but he might.”
He added: “I was really privileged to ride in these colours and you forget what a privilege it is until you go last week and see the Derby, which is the greatest race in the world and was run in honour of His Highness the Aga Khan, and for me to deliver now we have to find the winners on the big days.”
This news was originally published on this post .
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