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| Sumita Pawar |
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The successful combination of Trainer Gavin Cromwell and jockey Gary Carroll at Royal Ascot continued with their second win as Snellen claimed the Listed Chesham Stakes, following Quick Suzy's victory in the 2021 Queen Mary Stakes.
Golden Mind owned by Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum and trained by Richard Fahey finished third in dead heat with Oddyssey. Both fillies were unsteady towards the end, with only a head separating them at the finish line.
Having won on debut at Limerick just 10 days prior, Snellen took the lead on the stands' side in the final furlong and had to fend off a challenge from Pearls And Rubies, who made a late charge down the centre of the track.
Royal Ascot: Dead-heat For Third Place
Carroll said, “I thought I was beaten to be honest. I thought we would all be staying stands' side, but the fancied horses all ended up further away from me. The last half furlong was a very long half furlong for me – she was looking for company and started to lean a bit, but she's a very good filly.
“She is a little bit weak and was getting a little lonely when she started rolling. I tried to correct her in Limerick when she went like that and lost momentum. So I was going forwards and thought, ‘keep going’, and thankfully I hung on.
“Gavin Cromwell is doing some job with these horses, without a doubt. Whether it’s three miles or five furlongs, he gets the best out of everything. But Gavin, all he wants to do is improve, there are no airs or graces. He said he went down and spent a day with Joseph O’Brien, and last year he spent a day with Paddy Twomey, just to try and pick up something. His results are showing.
"[At Royal Ascot] when you get inside the three-furlong pole, there's an energy which comes at you – it gets me going, anyway.”
Cromwell said: “Snellen won a barrier trial before Limerick. She has been nice from the word go and is progressing. I think she’s going to improve as well.”
On whether he has a proper Classic contender on his hands, he said: “I haven’t even thought about it to be honest. We will enjoy today – it’s fantastic.”
Richard Henry, husband of co-owner Roisin Henry, said of Pearls And Rubies: “She went to win her race, and maybe got a bit lonely on her own. She has run a great race and will come on for the run. She is a sweet filly. Ryan [Moore] thinks she could be very good.”
Odyssey’s trainer Patrick Owens said: “This is just unbelievable. I have had a lot of faith in this horse – we've only been beaten three and a bit lengths. We were completely overlooked!
"I am so proud of him. I have had faith in this horse since we got him. I gave him a couple of easy breezes in February, and then turned him away for two weeks.
"We had a line through a few of these runners. I was happy with the draw, happy with the ground, we had Jim [Crowley] on board, brilliant. Jim has done a fantastic job.”