The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Moore rides Aloft and into the record books
With six races to ride, Moore has a chance to break alltime record
Ryan Moore roared into the history books on the penultimate day of Royal Ascot as he became the first jockey since the war to ride nine winners at the showpiece meeting.
Lester Piggott set the previous post-war best of eight winners in 1965 before repeating the feat a decade a later, while Pat Eddery matched that total in 1989.
Those numbers were achieved when Royal Ascot was a four-day meeting rather than the current five, but Moore, 31, still managed to pass that figure with a day to spare.
And with six rides to come on Saturday, it is possible Moore could go on to break the great Fred Archer’s overall record of 12 Royal Ascot winners, which dates back to 1878.
Moore rode a patient race on the Aidan O’Brien-trained colt, who was having his first race since finishing second in the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster last October.
It was hard work over the marathon distance, but Aloft responded admirably considering his lengthy absence and got up to beat Tommy Docc and Future Empire by half a length and the same.
Moore went close aboard Coronation Stakes runner-up Found, He was only denied by a withering late run from Jean-Claude Rouget’s Ervedya.
Irish 1,000 Guineas runner-up and 13-8 favourite Found quickened up to lead inside the final two furlongs, but Christophe Soumillon timed his challenge just right aboard the 3-1 chance Ervedya to win the prestigious prize by a neck.
For Soumillon, who won the 2005 renewal of the Queen Anne Stakes aboard Valixir when the meeting was held at York, it was clear that it ranked as high as many of his other Group One successes.
Jim Bolger’s Lucida carried the Godolphin silks to third place with connections confident that a prize at the top level is within her capabilities.
Sheikh Mohammed’s bloodstock advisor John Ferguson said: “She’s done very well, only beaten half a length in a Group One.
David Simcock is expecting even better things from Balios after the lightly-raced colt gave the Newmarket trainer his first Royal Ascot winner in the King Edward VII Stakes.
The winner of a Kempton maiden last November before being narrowly denied on his seasonal debut at Newmarket, Balios was a 3-1 shot for this Group Two contest and was dropped out last by Jamie Spencer.
Arab Dawn (6-1 joint-favourite) was a determined winner of the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes to give Richard Hughes a double after victory on Illuminate in the Albany Stakes.