 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
Rosallion emerged as the victor in the highly anticipated clash of three 2000 Guineas winners in the St James’s Palace Stakes, proving Richard Hannon's praise as the best horse he has ever trained to be true.
Hannon had always held his colt in high regard, despite a defeat by Notable Speech at Newmarket. After defeating stablemate Haatem in the Irish Guineas, Rosallion faced a strong field at Royal Ascot.
Aidan O’Brien’s Unquestionable set the pace, closely followed by Henry Longfellow, while Notable Speech was held back by William Buick.
Rosallion briefly found himself trapped behind horses but, with a well-timed move by jockey Sean Levey, he surged forward with an impressive turn of speed to outpace Henry Longfellow and clinch the race.
Hannon said: “He was special before today. It’s not about today, unfortunately we lost in the Guineas, but he has always been brilliant – physically, mentally. He got a bit upset beforehand today. I couldn’t believe he got beaten in the Guineas the way he was travelling. He won the Irish Guineas very well. He’s a complete package. He’s as good as I’ve ever seen in our place.
“He’s in the Sussex (at Goodwood), he’s in all those big races, and I can’t wait. He’s already done enough for me if he never does another... It’s not about being proven right either, it’s about the work that goes into these horses from everybody at home. We’ve been watching him all winter, this kind of makes it a shorter winter.”
“It means the world to me, and everyone at home, there is a lot of work that goes into this horse.”
Henry Longfellow secured second place, falling just a neck short, with French Guineas winner Metropolitan finishing three lengths behind. The disappointing performance came from the 6-4 favorite, Notable Speech, who failed to pose a serious threat throughout the race.
Henry Longfellow came in second place, narrowly missing out on the win by just a neck, while French Guineas winner Metropolitan trailed three lengths behind. The highly anticipated Notable Speech, delivered a disappointing performance, failing to pose a serious threat throughout the race.
1st Rosallion - Owner: Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum- Trainer: R Hannon
2nd Henry Longfellow - Owner: Mr M Tabor, D Smith & Mrs John Magni- Trainer: A P O'Brien
3rd Metropolitan- Owner: P R Bradley III/Scuderia Scolari- Trainer: Mario Baratti