Ribblesdale heroine Bracelet gives Ballydoyle team first 2014 Royal Ascot win

Ribblesdale heroine Bracelet gives Ballydoyle team first

2014 Royal Ascot win

Trainer Aidan O'Brien and his jockey son, Joseph, got off the

mark at this year's Royal Ascot when Bracelet, a sophomore daughter of Montjeu,

won the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes, one race before a Group 1 Gold Cup triumph

with Leading Light.

Bracelet was the one who got the Ballydoyle team over the hump, though,

traveling kindly under Joseph O'Brien before quickening nicely to hit the front

just inside the furlong-pole. The 10-1 shot had to dig deep to repel the late challenge of

runner-up Lustrous but her rider was always confident she would hang on in the

dying strides. The winning margin was a half-length on the wire and Bracelet

completed 12 furlongs over the good-to-firm going in 2:30.92.

"She's traveled and quickened well off a nice even pace,"

the reinsman noted. "She's tough, she stays and she tried hard. I could hear

Richard (Hughes, jockey of runner-up Lustrous) bearing down on me as the line

approached but I was always confident my filly would hold on."

Bracelet's previous start had ended in defeat in the One Thousand Guineas, and she had not run since.

She opened 2014 with a Group 3 success in the Leopardstown One Thousand Guineas

Trial on March 30.

"We could

have gone to the Irish Guineas after Newmarket, but Ryan (Moore) said he felt a

mile and a quarter or a mile and a half would suit," Aidan O'Brien said. "We gave her time to progress after the Guineas, and

because we had three other fillies in the Oaks we decided to leave her at home

and wait to come here.

"Joseph rode her work in a hood and felt that we should

leave it on to come here, especially stepping up in trip. We will have to look

at the (Group 1) Irish Oaks (on July 19) for her.

"We're delighted to get a winner," he added. "Some of the horses have

been running in and out, so it's a relief to get a winner. They were all under

the weather in the spring, and some have come back and others haven't without

showing any signs. They wouldn't be running if we didn't think they were right,

but some just run flat."

Richard Hannon and John Gosden were happy with their respective fillies, who

were separated by only a head on the wire. Hannon said Lustrous will be headed

for a rematch with Bracelet in the Irish Oaks while Gosden indicated Criteria

will be freshened before facing listed company.

The 9-4 favorite and French raider Vazira finished fourth another length back

after a slow start.

"Unfortunately, she does a few bad things in the gates. Since her first

start, she has always gone in the gates with a blanket and we asked today to go

in last today but it was not possible and she was second or third last into

them," explained Christophe Soumillon, who rode the Aga Khan-owned Vazira. "She stayed a bit too long and didn't jump out of the

stalls. When you lose four or five lengths like this with a filly that should be

ridden close to the pace, it is very hard to make up ground.

"In the end, she finished well but, if had got a good

position in the race, I think that she would have been close to a winning

position. She stayed the mile and a half easily. It's racing -- to be a great

horse you need to be perfect in many different parts and unfortunately she is

very strange in the gates.

"We have to work on her now in the gates and this is twice

she has done something wrong. Last time she jumped out with her head nearly on

the ground and today exactly the same thing. If we change something about her

behavior at the gates, it will be good for the future."

Frankie Dettori was in joyous mood after kicking off day three at Royal Ascot

with a 1 1/2-length win in the Group

2 Norfolk Stakes on Baitha Alga, his 49th success at the famous meeting.

"I'm nearly there!" he exclaimed. "A 50 on Ladies' Day would be fantastic -- I would love it!"

Hannon, who trains Baitha Alga for Al Shaqab Racing, was visibly delighted after

the Fast Company juvenile produced a devastating turn of foot to land the Norfolk. The 8-1

shot traveled sweetly under his flamboyant

Italian rider and the result was instant when his jockey asked him for his effort just

over a furlong out. Baitha Alga finished the five-furlong sprint in :59.81.

The David Brown-trained Mind of Madness finished

second, improving on his 15th-place finish in

Tuesday's five-furlong Windsor Castle Stakes, with Ahlan Emarati another 2 1/4 lengths back in third.

"I really like this

horse, but I was worried because I'd heard Aidan O'Brien's horse (unplaced 5-6 favorite The Great War) was the best in his yard and there was the American

filly (To Be Determined) to worry about, but I knew they all had me to beat,"

Dettori noted. "It was a great performance to win like he did at Epsom,

he's hard as nails and uncomplicated -- everything you want in a two-year-old. I

just had to do the right thing, get into the race and use his turn of foot.

"He can lead if he wants, but I knew that if I joined the

mix he could burn himself out -- when I pressed the button he just went. His

attitude is fantastic which makes such a big difference."

Hannon rates Baitha Alga as "the best two-year-old I've seen this

season" and hopes that the juvenile will go on and contest the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville

in his next start.

"This isn't a race we, as a firm, have had a great amount

of success in but I knew this one was smart," Hannon said. "He was having his third run in two weeks but this horse

can handle it. He came back from the Woodcote (at Epsom) in tip-top shape and

didn't lose any weight at all.

"He was very impressive. I saw Frankie sitting in behind,

pull him out and he never really looked like getting beaten. He is a very smart

two-year-old and we might have a look at the Prix Morny after this. To have an

impressive Ascot winner like that is really nice."

Harry Herbert, racing manager to Al Shaqab Racing, was

looking to the future after Baitha Alga gave his owner their second juvenile

winner of the week following The Wow Signal's victory in the Coventry Stakes on

Tuesday.

"It's not often the Woodcote winner comes out so quickly to

win at Royal Ascot but this horse is special and is very tough," Herbert

remarked. "He's clearly very smart. Frankie has given him a wonderful

ride and to see him sitting there with so much confidence a furlong from home

was a great sight.

"Obviously The Wow Signal was impressive too on Tuesday so

we'll let the dust settle and see where they go next. They're both tough

two-year-olds and it's very exciting."

Cannock Chase was a ready winner of the Group 3 Tercentenary

Stakes one race following the Norfolk, becoming a 70th Royal Ascot victory for Sir Michael Stoute, the most

successful living trainer at the meeting.

Ridden by Ryan Moore in the colors of Saeed Suhail, the

Lemon Drop Kid colt was held up near the rear early before encouraged to move up

and take command with a furlong remaining. He edged closer to the inner rail in

the final furlong and finished up a 1 1/2-length winner over Mutakayyef, with Postponed

another neck behind in third, while running 1 1/4 miles in 2:05.31.

"He's a very progressive horse that we

have always liked," Stoute said. "I was just a little concerned about the ground, because he's

got a turn of foot and a bit of class. I think he'll get a mile and a half,

although I haven't checked that with Ryan yet, and I had him in (Friday's Group

2) King

Edward VII Stakes but this was the first choice.

"I just must ensure I don't run him on fast summer ground

at this stage. I'm glad they put a bit of juice on the ground last night --

they've done a good job. I do believe that in time he will become a Group 1 horse."

"He traveled very smoothly, quickened

up well and, when I got to the front, for some reason, he wanted to duck right

-- it was just greenness," Moore commented. "Cannock Chase is a progressive horse. He is a nice horse,

who has done nothing wrong. He only got beat on his debut and this is about his level

for now but he is open to any amount of improvement."

Richard Hills, assistant racing manager to Sheikh Hamdan Al

Maktoum, is already looking forward to next season following Mutakayyef's run in

the Tercentenary.

"It was a nice even pace and a fairly run race," Hills said. "He's run well but he'll be even better next season. He's a

big, long horse and I'm sure he'll really strengthen up again this coming

winter. (Jockey) Paul (Hanagan) got him into a nice rhythm and he's just struggled to quicken as

well as the others. He's stayed on well though and is one to look forward to."

A pair of handicaps completed day three at the 2014 Royal Ascot meeting, with

14-1 shot Born in Bombay taking the Britannia Stakes and Elite Army prevailing

in the King George V Stakes.

The lightly-raced Born in Bombay belied his

inexperience to run out the half-length winner of the Britannia, a heritage handicap,

giving jockey David Probert his first winner at the Royal meeting. The Andrew

Balding-trained three-year-old son of Shamardal, who only had three runs to his

name prior to Thursday, stayed on strongly in the final furlong to beat

top weight Bow Creek.

Probert couldn't contain his delight after the race, having

dreamed of a Royal Ascot winner since he was young.

"It's unbelievable -- it really is. It's what dreams are made of. I've

been dreaming of having a Royal Ascot ride since I was a child, let alone riding

a winner so I'm delighted," he said. "I've been lucky enough to ride a lot of Andrew's horses

over the past few years and I've ridden some really nice ones -- it's great.

Balding was also delighted and quick to praise his

jockey after the race.

"David's given him a great ride and deserves to ride a

winner here," the trainer stated. "He's a hard-working and talented jockey. The horse has

been progressing nicely and we thought he might run a big race today."

Saeed bin Suroor welcomed in his 35th Royal Ascot winner

after Elite Army got out of trouble under Kieren Fallon and won the King George

V Handicap cosily by three-quarters of a length.

The 4-1 joint-favorite was always handy under Fallon but couldn't quite find a gap as the field raced between the last

two furlong poles. However, the son of Authorized showed a smart turn of foot

when finding daylight and the lightly-raced three-year-old will move up to Group

company.

"Elite Army won last time in softer

ground. Kieren looked after him today and a mile and a half suits him," bin Suroor

said. "The horse has a good turn of foot and finished his race

well. Now we will be looking for a Group race for him -- maybe the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket in July."

"We were in a bit of trouble but I wasn't

nervous and I didn't panic as I knew the horse would get me out of bother," Fallon

added after recording his 30th Royal Ascot winner. "We've always liked him and Saeed (bin Suroor) has

done a great job, deliberately bringing him along slowly and not rushing him. Elite Army could be very nice as he's a big baby really

and there could be plenty more to come.

Racegoers can look forward to dry weather during the

remaining two days of Royal Ascot, and so watering will continue to maintain the

current going of good-to-firm going on the straight course.

"The

ground remains as it was at the start of the day, and we're going to put four millimeters

of water on the straight course (Thursday night)," said Chris Stickels, Ascot's

clerk of the course. "The false rail on the round course between the

nine-furlong marker and the home bend will be removed overnight to provide fresh

ground on the inside. There is no rain forecast this evening and I am expecting

another two dry days to follow."

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