Royal Ascot

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royal ascot 2012/

So You Think Back to His Best in Prince of Wales's Stakes
20/06/12

1 So You Think 4/5 Fav
2 Carlton House 7/2
3 Farhh 6/1
11 ran Distances: 2¼l, ½l, nk
TIME 2m 3.86s (fast by 1.74s)

Aidan O'Brien's So You Think recorded his 10th Group One victory in the 150th Anniversary of Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot.

So You Think
© Racehorse Photos

Trainer O’Brien blamed himself for not getting the best out of So You Think earlier, after the former Australian superstar looked back to his very best when winning by two and a quarter lengths.

“We felt that we had this horse in a place that he had never been before with us,” said O’Brien. “We have had him a year and a half and it has taken me a year and a half to learn how to train him. We’re just pleased to now have him in the place where everyone in Australia said he was. He’s one of those special horses and I’d like to say sorry to all the Australian people that I’ve made such a mess of it for so long. We were rightly getting a fair hammering from people in Australia but we needed to pull our socks up.

“I was probably working him too often, too long and too hard. I was killing him by making him grind but even so he was still very competitive.

“We went back, we listened to everybody, including all the interviews, and what Bart (Cummings) was saying in Australia about him - the things to do and the things not to do. We review everything, took all of the information and it probably took me a year and six months to start listening.

“We listened to it at the end and everybody at home got it together. We felt that he was in a place today where he had never been before with us, so obviously we are delighted. I was delighted to hear (Bart’s comments) because he was speaking from the heart and I was probably over-working the horse and galloping the speed out of him instead of letting it be natural.

“Joseph was very much of the opinion that he was going to ride him that way and wait. Everybody was of the opinion that he was all speed before he came to us and I suppose that I set off on the wrong leg with him - started trying to make him stay a mile and probably worked him too long, too often.

“It is often a hard thing. We knew that we only had a few runs left and we knew that he had run in all the top races but there was just that little thing missing. We knew that we only had maybe today and Sandown to get it back, so we listened. Joseph and the lads were confident that it was going to come but you can’t be confident until it comes.

“The boys will talk about (the Coral-Eclipse at) Sandown and they will make the decision. We had in our head that Sandown would be the cut-off point but we will obviously be pleading now that we have him in a different place. It will be a big business decision but we are just delighted that we have got him back to where Bart had him and what all of the people in Australia said he was.

So You Think has been advertised for a fee of AUS$66,000 for the 2012 southern hemisphere breeding season at Coolmore Australia and part-owner John Magnier said: “He looks a picture and is a horse that travels all over the world. He won three Group Ones last year, two this season and 10 overall so I say to people what more could you want? It’s hard to work in two hemispheres, they are completely different environments.

“Aidan’s been happier with this horse this year than he has ever been I think the Eclipse will be next and the plan will be to go to Australia after that, he’s probably done enough racing after that.”

150th Anniversary Of The Prince Of Wales's Stakes
(British Champions Series)
£500,000 added, 4yo plus, 1m 2f, Class 1
11 runners
Going: Good

Carlton House
© Racehorse Photos

CARLTON MISSES OUT ON MEMORABLE JUBILEE VICTORY

The Queen’s Carlton House put up a good effort effort under Ryan Moore when finishing two and a quarter lengths second to the Aidan O’Brien-trained So You Think in a fascinating renewal of the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.

Carlton House, trained by Sir Michael Soute, was stepping back up to Group One company for the first time since finishing a disappointing fourth in last year’s Irish Derby, but he had made a winning comeback at Sandown on May 31 in the Group Three Brigadier Gerard Stakes.

Stoute said: “We just got a split up the inner and had to use that gap with the momentum but the other horse was always travelling so well.

“We need to stop and think really and see how he comes out of this race. He doesn’t want to be going any further than this. Let’s hope he gets the rub of the green this year and wins a nice race.”

Moore added: “Carlton House has run a massive race - the winner is a very good horse. We are still learning about Carlton House.”

Farhh
© Racehorse Photos

The third Farhh, owned by Godolphin and trained by Saeed bin Suroor, was stepping up from an impressive six-length Thirsk Hunt Cup Handicap victory in early May and, although he lost 10 lengths at the start, he made a lot of ground in the home straight to miss out on second by half a length under Frankie Dettori.

Bin Suroor said: “I like Farhh - he is improving all the time - and in the past he has been a bit weak. He has a few small problems, but nothing major and this year he has looked a completely different horse physically.

“I thought after Thirsk he would be good enough to run in a Group One. I have every confidence in him and I think he is a genuine Group One horse now over a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half.

“I think races like the Eclipse and King George will come under consideration.”

Simon Crisford, Godolphin’s racing manager, added: "Farhh missed the break and has come from a long way back. I hope we have a genuine Group One horse now and he is still very lightly raced.”