Coolmore Coronation Cup |
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| Group 1, Newmarket 14:40 £1,000,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 4f, Class 1  |
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1 Bay City Roller 17/2
2 Jan Brueghel 9/4
3 Lambourn 13/2
6 ran Distances: 10l, 5½l, 26l
Time: 2m 40.08s (slow by 4.48s)
Bay City Roller wins comfortably in the Coolmore Coronation Cup🤩
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 6, 2026
Making George Scott a Group 1 winning trainer in Britain💪👏#ITVRacing | @oismurphy | @GScottracing pic.twitter.com/rpGv2Ug68a
Bay City Roller caused a major upset in an attritional renewal, producing a dominant display in testing conditions.
A high-class field of six runners assembled for the Group One contest, headed by Calandagan, the world’s highest-rated turf horse of 2025, defending champion Jan Brueghel and his dual Derby-winning stablemate Lambourn.
With Ballydoyle pacemaker Illinois struggling to maintain the tempo, Wayne Lordan sent Lambourn to the front rounding Tattenham Corner, with George Scott’s Bay City Roller tracking him closely under Oisin Murphy.
While Lambourn remained tight to the far rail, Murphy elected to steer Bay City Roller towards the centre of the track and the move proved decisive.
Relishing the rain-softened ground, Bay City Roller quickened clear in impressive fashion and powered to a remarkable 10-length victory.
Jan Brueghel, never entirely comfortable during the race, stayed on late to snatch second from Lambourn, while Calandagan failed to cope with the conditions and finished a distant fourth.
A jubilant Scott described the success as “an out-of-body experience”.
He said: “It’s so special to share a moment like this with the people who have been with me from the beginning.
“I can hardly believe it. I’ve always hoped we’d get these conditions in a major race because I know how effective he is on this ground.
“He’s a very good horse and I’m delighted he’s been able to show everyone exactly what he can do.
“He’s become a complete professional. He just gets on with his work, trains hard every day and genuinely enjoys racing.
“This race had always been on the radar. Once we committed to the Tattersalls Gold Cup, things came around quickly, but with the weather forecast changing we prepared specifically for this race and it became the obvious target.
“A mile and a half is definitely his best trip. He’s capable over 10 furlongs because he’s a top-class horse, but this distance is really his bread and butter.”
Looking ahead, Scott added: “I’m not sure whether we’ll freshen him up before the King George and then work towards the Arc, which looks an ideal race for him.
“The original plan was to head for the Hardwicke Stakes if he got beaten today, but obviously that won’t be happening now.
“Winning races like this is an out-of-body experience. We’re aiming to compete at this level, but you never quite believe days like this are going to happen.
“I actually sent Oisin a video of his Munich win on the way here and reminded him what he had done the last time he encountered Convergent.
“He’s a very good horse when he gets this ground and Oisin was keen to race down the middle of the track. I was happy to leave that decision in his hands.”
Coronation Cup
£1,000,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 4f, Class 1
6 ran
Going: Good to Soft
