Royal Ascot awardsgo to familiar names

Coolmore and Ballydoyle overcame a slow start to the five-day Royal Ascot spectacular by scooping the three end-ofmeeting awards.

The unstoppable combination of trainer Aidan O’Brien, jockey Ryan Moore and owners Coolmore won their respective titles despite drawing a blank on the first day.

The ever-reliable Highland Reel got the ball rolling in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes on Wednesday, with Sioux Nation in the Norfolk Stakes their sole success on Thursday when Order Of St George suffered a narrow defeat in his bid for backto-back victories in the Gold Cup.

It was business as normal on Friday with the brilliant pair of Caravaggio in the Commonwealth Cup and Winter in the Coronation Stakes justifying their prohibitive odds.

Even so, Coolmore went into Saturday’s final day trailing Godolphin by two winners. They managed to get those with September in the Chesham Stakes and Idaho in the Hardwicke.

With Godolphin drawing a blank, Coolmore went to the top on the back of better placed performances.

O’Brien, winning the Qipcosponsored trainers’ award for the eighth time, and for the third year in succession, said: “I am delighted for everybody really. A lot of people put in a lot of hard work day in day out so I am delighted for everyone really.

“We always hope and we try and have the horses ready and that is all you can ever do really. You don’t ever expect anything.

“They are all very important. I suppose Caravaggio would be the one as he had only had the one easy run. He has always excited everyone, It was a tough race and the second and third were two good horses.”

Aidan O’Brien: won the trainers’ award for an eighth time.