Royal Ascot: Running Lion roars to Duke Of Cambridge Stakes victory under Oisin Murphy | Racing News

The well-backed Running Lion made all the running to land the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot under Oisin Murphy.

The four-year-old daughter of Roaring Lion, trained by John and Thady Gosden, stuck to her task gamely in the closing stages of the one-mile Group Two event to see off the late challenge of Ryan Moore on her stablemate Laurel, scoring at odds of 6/1.

Doom then just came out ahead of Magical Sunset in a bunch finish for third as the favourite Rogue Millennium missed out.

Royal Ascot: The latest news from Day TwoAll the latest results | RacecardsJohn Gosden said: “This filly has been unlucky. She moved a bit soon in the Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket, gets boxed in at Epsom. We did decide ‘third time, Oisin, do what you want’. He’s drawn 11, go to the front, control it. It was perfect, because we got in a muddle in the last two races.

“She got heatstroke in the Diane, kicked the gates out at Epsom, was third in the Guineas. She hasn’t always been lucky.”

Murphy added: “Obviously at Epsom she broke well, I didn’t want to lead because she did too much in front at Newmarket and wasted too much energy and we had a hard luck story.

“Today, I had to have a bit of confidence to go out and do my own thing. When she broke well and she pricked her ears, I was happy to lead, and when she saved energy like that, she was always going to be hard to pass.

Image:
Murphy celebrates after crossing the line on Running Lion

“I got a breather into her all the way through the turn, today I had the horse to do that. The freshness is out of her and she took the prelims.

“It’s great because David Howden bred her. He’s an official sponsor here, along with Qipco, he’s important, vital to British racing and he’s been rewarded this afternoon.”

As regards game runner-up Laurel, Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owners Juddmonte, said: “It’s absolutely marvellous and we’re over the moon. Ryan said the winner just shifted a bit in front and cost us a bit of momentum but I think we were booked for second at that stage.

“If she comes out of it well, we will have a look at the Falmouth. This was only her sixth run, for a five-year-old. She does have her issues, but she’s training great and is loving life. Ryan knows her and won on her at Kempton and loves her and hopefully she will get it done on the Group One stage someday.”

Murphy went on to complete a double when scoring on the well-backed Wild Tiger in the Royal Hunt Cup.

Saeed bin Suroor’s charge, who was notching a third successive win, was sent off the 11/2 favourite and fended off the late challenge of top-weight Sonny Liston by a head, with Perotto third and Daysofourlives fourth.