Precise and Venetian Sun shine on day four of Royal Ascot as O’Brien reaches 101 winners

Coronation Stakes

Precise, the 8-13 favourite trained by Aidan O’Brien, won the Group One Coronation Stakes despite a poor start. Ridden by Ryan Moore, the filly was slowly away and had to be pushed along to gain a midfield position. She hit the front a furlong and a half out and held off the unlucky Touleen by a length and a half, with stablemate True Love third. Moore said the ground covered on the turn was not a concern because he knew she would stay well.

She’s the best filly, there was no need to complicate it, and she’s done what she had to do.

Touleen’s jockey Saffie Osborne felt she was hampered when True Love pushed her inwards, but Moore was confident he always had the race won. The result was O’Brien’s 101st Royal Ascot win and Moore’s 97th.

Commonwealth Cup

Venetian Sun, the 11-8 favourite trained by Karl Burke and ridden by Clifford Lee, won the Group One Commonwealth Cup in a thrilling finish. The filly took command a furlong out and held the late charge of 50-1 outsider Spicy Marg by a head. It was her second Royal Ascot win, following the Albany Stakes a year ago.

It’s fantastic. I had five and a half months off as I broke my C1, but I felt I’ve come back stronger and better.

Lee’s return to the top level came after a severe motorbike accident last October that left him with a broken C1 vertebra and a career-threatening recovery. Trainer Burke praised his filly’s laid-back attitude and noted that soft ground at Haydock had previously made her visually impressive.

O’Brien’s milestone

Friday’s results extended Aidan O’Brien’s dominance at the meeting. He had six winners by the end of day four, including Causeway in the King Edward VII Stakes. His son Joseph moved to five wins after Green Carrera took the Sandringham Stakes, setting up a battle on the final day for leading trainer. The week also saw Christophe Soumillon receive an eight-day ban for team tactics in the St James’s Palace Stakes, a decision he has appealed.

Bargain buy

Venetian Sun’s owner Tony Bloom, the Brighton & Hove Albion chairman, bought the filly for £250,000 using a data-driven approach similar to his football recruitment. She has now earned over £800,000 in prize money and is a dual Group One winner.

You can spend a lot of money on a horse and they flop, and cheaper ones can be Group One champions. We’re in the latter category and we’re over the moon.

Bloom’s racing advisor Patrick Veitch looks at many different aspects, and Bloom acknowledged that luck also plays a part. The Albany Stakes was won on the same card by Libertango, trained by George Boughey and ridden by Billy Loughnane, the 20-year-old jockey’s fifth Royal Ascot winner.