STOUTE HAS FINAL WORD
Sir Michael breaks record as Poet’s shoots down Cracksman
POET’S WORD shocked Cracksman to ink Sir Michael Stoute’s name into the Royal Ascot record books.
Punters made Cracksman the 2-5 favourite for the featured Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.
And although Frankie Dettori’s mount took the lead two furlongs out, 11-2 shot Poet’s Word (right) ran him down to give Stoute a 76th success at the meeting.
The total eclipsed the late Sir Henry Cecil’s 75 wins, and Stoute modestly said: “Henry’s record was formidable, because he accumulated those numbers when there were four days of Royal Ascot for most of his career.
“I met Henry soon after I first went to Newmarket to 1968.
“He was godfather to my daughter – we weren’t bosom pals socially, but we were good, solid friends, and respected each other. “This horse has been in at the deep end at Group 1s and it was nice to see him win one,” added the Freemason Lodge trainer, 72, who welcomed his 77th Royal Ascot winner when Expert Eye romped home in the concluding Group 3 Jersey Stakes. Cracksman had humbled Poet’s Word by seven lengths in the Champion Stakes at Ascot last October, and a nonplussed Dettori said: “He’s not the same animal I’ve been riding in the spring. He was very lethargic and was never travelling at any stage. “Usually, when he kicks for home, the turbo kicks in – but today he was very one-paced. “He’s not the Cracksman I know.”