Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
CORONATION TREAT
Cen-sational Alpha blitzes star-studded field in record time
ALPHA CENTAURI was light years ahead in the Coronation Stakes to give Jessica Harrington a Royal Ascot success to go with her Cheltenham Festival triumphs.
Harrington is better known for her exploits under the winter code – last year Sizing John captured the Cheltenham Gold Cup for the Co Kildare trainer, also a winner of the Champion Hurdle and Queen Mother Champion Chase.
But Alpha Centauri, who shares her name with the nearest system of stars to our solar system, broke new ground when giving Harrington a first Classic victory in last month’s Irish 1,000 Guineas.
Fellow Classic winners Billesdon Brook (1,000 Guineas) and Teppal (French 1,000 Guineas) were also in the line-up.
But they came back in fourth and ninth as 11-4 favourite Alpha Centauri, ridden by Colm O’donoghue, blitzed to victory, breaking the track record with a six-length supremacy over Threading.
“The ground is the key to her. She is a very big filly – she weighs 520kg – and when she is on soft ground, she physically can’t get her feet out of the ground,” said
Harrington (right).
“When Colm turned in, I thought,
‘Jeepers – he has gone very soon!’ But the further she went, the quicker she went.
“I have had Royal Ascot runners, but never Royal Ascot winners. It is fantastic.”
The winning jockey added: “Alpha Centauri is awesome. She is a top-class filly, as you saw today in beating the track record.
“I see all the work Jessie has put in and how hard she has worked over the years, and she deserves this. We came into the race full of confidence on the back of the Guineas win.”
is a 20-1 shot for next year’s 1,000 Guineas after fending off Charlie Appleby’s La Pelosa in the opening Group 3 Albany Stakes.
Appleby went one better with
who held Rostropovich by a length and threequarters in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes.