The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Free Eagle flies high for patient trainer
Favourite shakes off fitness concerns to land Prince of Wales’s Stakes
Dermot Weld has had winners in big races all over the world, from America to Australia and from Cheltenham to Galway, but few have given him greater pleasure than guiding Free Eagle to victory in the Prince ofWales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot yesterday.
The talented but fragile colt has had so many issues, seeing his racing career restricted to just four races in two years before he graced the Berkshire track in the successful pursuit of Group One honours.
Weld, who has shown unlimited patience with thoroughbreds throughout an illustrious training career that has seen him conquer the globe, always kept the faith and let the horse do his talking on the track.
The 5-2 favourite had been forced to miss his intended reappearance at the Curragh last month because of a cold and Weld admitted that the race came two weeks too soon.
But he knew he had the horse to deliver, even if he was slightly underdone. And with his star now firing on all cylinders, Weld is plotting a future that could take in the Irish Champion Stakes and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
It was, however, a close-run thing as The Grey Gatsby finished to such effect that he was just a short head behind Pat Smullen’s mount at the line.
“This horse has bags of courage and is a hard horse to beat,” said Weld.
“He had a stress fracture of the tibia last year and had to miss all the Classics. We got him back for the Champion Stakes here and that was run on heavy ground.
“The plan was to start him in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, but he got a bad head cold which delayed his comeback and his work.
“Fitness was my biggest concern and I had him as good as I could have with the limited preparation he’d had.”
John Gosden’s Western Hymn finished third.
Emotion overflowed for Frankie Dettori as he clinched a 50th Royal Ascot winner with a last-gasp success on Osaila in the Sandringham Handicap.
The triumph for the 44-year-old comes 15 years after his first taste of victory at the meeting and sees him join Lester Piggott (116), Pat Eddery (73) and Willie Carson (56) as those to ride 50 or more Royal Ascot winners.
Ryan Moore followed up his treble on the opening day of the meeting with two more big race victories.
Acapulco turned in an electrifying performance to ensure one prize would be heading back across the Atlantic when providing Wesley Ward with a second win in the Queen Mary Stakes.
Looking twice the size of many of her rivals in the parade ring the well-supported 5-2 favourite put her rivals firmly in the shade with a blistering display of speed in the five-furlong test.
Gm Hopkins completed the double for Moore when finishing with a late flourish to take the Royal Hunt Cup.