Last year’s Stewards’ Cup hero Get It (25/1) provided connections with another day in the sun as he made all the running in the Wokingham Stakes.
Swiftly into stride under Seamie Heffernan, George Baker’s runner never saw another rival and, although the closers were bearing down late on, held on to deny 3/1 favourite More Thunder by a head.
Ten Pounds (18/1) fared best of the low-drawn horses in third, while Holkham Bay (28/1) came up the stands’ rail to grab fourth.
This was a second Ascot success of the season for seven-year-old Get It, who set a new six-furlong course record in May.
Baker said: “We had a magical day in August at Goodwood, and to have another one on this stage is pretty cool! Patsy [Cosgrave, regular jockey] is sadly missing out on this, which is a great shame because he has been such a massive part of our team. Seamie breezed the horse a couple of times in Bahrain and, with Patsy suspended, he was the obvious one.
“Seamie has given him an absolute peach. He has basically given him a Pat Cosgrave ride, which is just let him roll, and he will come back to you. Then let him go again, and he did that. It is a long way home, that final furlong, but what a thrill.
“We bought him relatively cheaply at the horses-in-training sale a couple of years ago. He has won in Racing League, Bahrain, a Stewards’ Cup, and the Wokingham. How many horses have won the Stewards’ Cup and Wokingham? Not many. He is a dude of a horse and credit to everyone involved. He has been a star.”
On his recent move to Epsom, Baker said: “It was massive for us and we hit the track running, with 16 winners in the first 11 or 12 weeks. We have had a quiet month – a few of those horses have been winning and going up the handicap – but we are right back on track. This is massive for us, massive for Downs House and hopefully huge for Epsom. If we can do just a little bit to get that place up and running as a training centre, there are fantastic trainers there – Jim Boyle, Simon Down, Michael Attwater, Pat Phelan. If we can all do something special at Epsom, it is just round the corner from London, it should happen.”
Heffernan said: “I spoke to Patsy [Cosgrave] and I actually rode a bit of work on Get It in Bahrain. He is a horse with a lot of talent and, when things go smooth, he can run hard and fast. At his age, his enthusiasm is great. It just goes to show you, patience. I knew where the winning post was and I needed it to come!
“I love riding at Royal Ascot. When you get to my age, you appreciate a lot of things in life. I met the boys in Bahrain and this is the fruit of meeting [owners] Barry and George in Bahrain – it is a pleasure to be dealing with people and horses like this.”
William Haggas said of the favourite: “I am delighted with the way More Thunder ran, although a little frustrated with the outcome.”
Ten Pounds’ trainer Harry Charlton, who also had the fifth Completely Random, said: “Ten Pounds has run huge in his first time back at six. Trevor thought he had the winner in his sights two down. I think in a normal year horses do stop – it is hard to make the running here. I suspect looking at the Jersey, they’re not making up ground quite as much.
“Completely Random got a little far back and had to work his way through them. He flew at the line and looks a nice type to win one of these races at some point. I like the idea of the Stewards’ Cup for Completely Random, and we will have a think about Ten Pounds.”