The Andrew Balding-trained Stone Of Destiny (11/2) captured the opening £60,000 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash with a thrilling nose success in the five-furlong event.
The four-year-old son of Acclamation ran on strongly in the closing stages to score by a nose.
Stone Of Destiny was ridden by Team Europe captain Filip Minarik, who picked up 15 points for his team.
Jamie Kah finished second aboard Final Venture (7/1), securing 10 points for The Girls, whilst Minarik’s team-mate Gerald Mosse gained a further seven points for his third-placed finish aboard the well-backed 13/8 favourite Danzeno, who was a short-head behind.
Balding, discussing the King Power Racing-owned gelding, said: “That was a good performance from Stone Of Destiny, who has deserved to get his head in front in one of these races.
“Stone Of Destiny has been a little bit unlucky this year, so I’m glad that he got a bit of luck by winning today.
“He is a very consistent horse and he appreciated the stiff five-furlong finish today.
“Filip has obviously never ridden at Ascot before but he gave the horse a great ride. He got him nicely settled and then he ran on well.
“Stone Of Destiny was eighth in the Stewards’ Cup last time out (August 3) and we were hopeful that a reproduction of a similar effort would see him go close today.”
MINARIK PUTS EUROPE IN FRONT
The 15 points won by the Czech Republic’s Filip Minarik, captain of the Europe Team, when taking the first race of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup 2019, the 5f £60,000 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash, gives him an early lead in the Alastair Haggas Silver Saddle competition for the most points amassed by a jockey during the day.
He rode the Andrew Balding-trained Stone Of Destiny, an 11/2 chance, to beat Final Venture (Australian jockey Jamie Kah of The Girls Team, riding for trainer Paul Midgley) by a nose in a photo-finish.
The 13/8 favourite Danzeno finished a short-head further back in third for Gerald Mosse and Michael Appleby.
Minarik, for whom this was a first ride in the UK, said: “It is brilliant, a dream come true. This is my first ride in England and it’s a winner. I got the right instructions from Oisin Murphy and Freddy Tylicki, so thanks for that, and we had the perfect draw to do what I did.
“We had a very nice race. I think five furlongs is just perfect for the horse and the draw [stall one] was a big help for me.
“He [Stone Of Destiny] doesn’t like the pressure; he likes a quiet race with plenty of cover, and than he ran for me in the final furlong.”
GREAT FIRST RIDE AT ASCOT FOR JAMIE KAH
A thrilling opener to Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Day saw four horses involved in the finish to the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash, with just a nose, a short-neck and a neck splitting the first four home.
Jamie Kah, riding for The Girls, picked up 10 points for her team with a second-placed finish on Final Venture (7/1). The Australian jockey set out to make all and was just caught on the line, losing out to race winner Stone Of Destiny (11/2), ridden by Filip Minarik for Europe.
Kah said: “It was very exciting, I thought I was going to hold on. It was a good first experience of the track – the ground is beautiful.”
Gerald Mosse added seven points for Europe with a close third on Danzeno (13/8), while Tadhg O’Shea put Great Britain & Ireland on the scoreboard when fourth on Recon Mission (9/1). O’Shea said: “There is a strong headwind, it is good fast ground out there, my fella ran a cracker.”
Adrie de Vries, bagged fifth spot for Europe on Corinthia Knight, giving his team a total of 25 points, said: “I had a beautiful run around, he just stayed on the one pace.”