LONDON: Courage Mon Ami brought up a hat-trick of Group 1 victories at the Royal Ascot meeting on Thursday for world-leading sire Frankel, out of the Saudi-owned breeding operation Juddmonte.
The four-year-old gelding, who was bred by Hascombe and Valiant Stud and is trained by John and Thady Gosden, was ridden to the front one furlong from home and held on to see off a persistent Coltrane to deliver a thrilling battle at the end of the two-and-a-half mile contest.
The victory means Courage Mon Ami has kept his unbeaten profile in tact and now has four wins from four runs to his name.
Courage Mon Ami’s success on Thursday represented a second at the meeting for the gelding’s new owners, Wathnan Racing.
The Qatari operation secured the Gold Cup winner privately in the lead up to Britain’s showpiece festival via bloodstock agent Richard Brown, along with yesterday’s Group 2 Queen’s Vase winner, Gregory.
Frankel has now sired a trio of Group 1 winners at this year’s Royal meeting. In the opening race of the week on Tuesday, the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum’s homebred Triple Time led home a one-two for Juddmonte Farms’ linchpin sire, with Cheveley Park homebred Inspiral, the winner of last year’s Group 1 Coronation Stakes, picking up second place honors.
Then on Wednesday, Shadwell’s homebred Mostahdaf, a five-year-old by Frankel, won the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’ Stakes in an impressive manner also for the Gosdens.
Frankel’s six Group 1 runners at Royal Ascot this year so far have all finished in the top three of their respective races.
Great British Racing International spoke with Shane Horan, Juddmonte’s Nominations Manager based at Banstead Manor Stud, on Thursday afternoon after the Gold Cup.
“The week has been phenomenal. The timing couldn’t be more important because it’s on the international stage, he said. “You’ve got very important owners and breeders from an industry point of view coming from America, Australia and Japan, the Northern Hemisphere season is over and we’re now very much focused on the Southern Hemisphere. There are a lot of Australians around, so this won’t go unnoticed,” he added.
On Frankel’s continued success as a sire at the very highest level, Horan continued: “What can you say? Frankel keeps surprising us with what he can do. We’re looking forward to seeing Covey (by Frankel) race in the Jersey on Saturday. It’s a big step up for him, but he’s a horse of immense talent. He’s a homebred.”
