Commonwealth Cup thriller goes to Campanelle on revision
Campanelle (Kodiac) and Dragon Symbol (Cable Bay) served up a duel to savour through a gripping final two furlongs of the Commonwealth Cup (Gr 1, 6f) at Royal Ascot yesterday, and the drama continued for a further 20 minutes after the pair had flashed, hooves splashing, past the famous winning post.
Dragon Symbol held a head advantage when it seemed to have counted, but ultimately, what really mattered was the decision of the stewards and the subsequent inquiry decreed that Dragon Symbol had impeded Campanelle (3 f ex Janina by Namid) sufficiently in the final stages to revise the result. The American filly carried off Ascot silverware for the second year in succession, following her victory in the Queen Mary Stakes (Gr 2, 5f) 12 months earlier.
The official result had Campanelle the revised winner by a head from Dragon Symbol, with Measure Of Magic (Kodi Bear) a further five lengths behind in third.
“We’re elated. First start of the year on heavy ground like that, it is really amazing,” said trainer Wesley Ward, who had paced the parade ring anxiously while the stewards deliberated whether or not he would be handed a 12th Royal Ascot win.
“We’ll sit down with the owners. Campanelle worked well on the July Course, but the July Cup could come a bit quick. I have run horses in the Prix Maurice De Gheest in the past and I think she’ll do well whatever ground comes on the day. I think it would suit.”
Archie Watson, trainer of the overturned ‘victor’ grimaced when the amendment was announced and promptly made his way to Ward to offer his congratulations.
It had all looked like being a glorious success for Watson and jockey Oisin Murphy. Campanelle played hare under Frankie Dettori but Dragon Symbol travelled powerfully behind. The grey colt quickened a furlong and a half out and was soon half a neck to the good of Campanelle; but as the pressure of the contest intensified, Dragon Symbol hung out, bumped his rallying rival, and continued to drift right, leaning into the filly, pushing her across the track.
“It’s never nice winning in the stewards’ room but it was plain obvious that I was carried off my line for quite a long way and the margin in the end was only a head, and I feel like I was the unlucky loser and the stewards saw it the same way,” said Dettori.
“I’m good friends with Oisin so I know what he feels like so I’m pleased that he won a Group 1 again (the Coronation Stakes). But in these conditions, when you are taken across about eight lanes, I got nudged three times, lost my momentum and got beaten a head, so the stewards felt they gave me the benefit of the doubt.”
Campanelle was registering her second Group 1 win, having landed the Prix Morny (Gr 1, 1200m) on a soft track at Deauville last August. The filly is out of Janina (Namid), a five-furlong Listed winner at York, who is herself out of the Group 3 winner Lady Dominatrix (Danehill Dancer), a bargain IR£2,000 Irish purchase for trainer Nerys Dutfield at Goffs in October 2000.
Tally-Ho Stud offered Campanelle at Book 1 of the Tattersalls Yearling Sale and sold to Ben McElroy, Agent for 190,000gns. Campanelle’s sire Kodiac (Danehill) stands at Tally-Ho Stud at a fee of €65,000 (approx. AUD$102,970).
For Murphy, it was almost a result that would have crowned a journey that began when he pulled out 67,000gns of his own money to buy Dragon Symbol out of Book 3 at Tattersalls October Sale in 2019. He subsequently sold the horse privately to Yoshiro Kubota.
“There’s no place for tears in here. There are far worse things going on in the world. We are in the entertainment industry and I am steering these marvellous animals,” Murphy said. “I was on the best horse, even Frankie said that to me but the stewards gave it to her.”
Dragon Symbol won his first four starts before placing second, a nose behind Rohaan (Mayson), in the Sandy Lane Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) on heavy going at Haydock on May 22.
“He’s run a huge race,” Watson said. “He’s a very tough horse and we came here knowing that we handled the ground at Haydock but that he probably wouldn’t be in love with it.”
Dragon Symbol’s sire Cable Bay (Invincible Spirit) shuttled to Woodside Park in Victoria the past four seasons and stood the 2021 European season at Highclere Stud.