Royal Ascot 2025: Cercene claims major Coronation Stakes shock on day four – as it happened

Joseph Murphy’s 33-1 shot handed out defeat to the fancied Zarigana as Wille Mullins landed a winner on Ethical Diamond

By the standards of most British racecourses and festival meetings, Royal Ascot has Group One races coming out of its ears, but it would still be a little embarrassing to lose one under the Group-race system’s quality-control rules, which is a threat that was hanging over this race 12 months ago. It was awarded Group One status when it was founded in 2015, which itself caused some muttering at tracks which can only hope to upgrade their races to the highest level the old-fashioned way - via significant investment, hard graft and patience – but the average end-of-year rating for the first four home in 2021 and 2022 was a long way below the required standard of 115. But it got the decent renewal it urgently needed last year, not least thanks to the subsequent exploits of Lake Forest, the runner-up behind Inisherin, who went on to win one of the world’s richest turf events, the $10m Golden Eagle in Australia. It would further ease the fears over a possible downgrade if Shadow Of Light, last year’s Dewhurst Stakes winner over seven furlongs, could get the job done dropping back to six, and he ran as though he could well be most effective at sprint trips when fading late into third in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. Babouche, last season’s Group One Phoenix Stakes winner at the Curragh, and Whistlejacket, second in the Phoenix and then the winner of the Prix Morny at Deauville, are two more high-achieving juveniles in the field, and also finished first and second respectively in a Group Three at Naas in mid-May. Among the less-exposed potential improvers, Jonquil, has serious claims on his close second to Henri Matisse in the French 2,000 Guineas, although the winner did not do much for the form in Tuesday’s St James’s Palace Stakes. William Haggas’s filly Sky Majesty, in the same colours as Lake Forest 12 months ago, was unbeaten in three starts as a juvenile including a Group Two on heavy ground at Chantilly in October, and while she was a beaten favourite on her three-year-old debut on the all-weather at Chelmsford in April, her super-shrewd trainer is hardly renowned for running horses out of their depth. And there was also a lot to like about the way Shisospicy went about her business in the Mamzelle Stakes at Churchill Downs in early May. Oisin Murphy is booked to ride for Jose D’Angelo and the daughter of Mitole, a cracking dirt sprinter in his time, has been attracting support this morning.

KEY FORM:

2,000 Guineas, Newmarket 3 May 25 (Shadow Of Light)

Phoenix Stakes, the Curragh, 10 Aug 24 (Babouche, Whistlejacket)

Prix Morny, Deauville, 18 Aug 24 (Whistlejacket)

Poule D’Essai Des Poulains (French 2,000 Guineas), Longchamp 11 May 25 (Jonquil).

Dewhurst Stakes, Newmarket 12 Oct 24 (Shadow Of Light)

Lacken Stakes, Naas, 18 May 25 (Babouche, Whistlejacket)

Mamzelle Stakes, Churchill Downs, 10 May 25 (Shisospicy) Continue reading...