Jan Brueghel crowned a winner in the Coronation Cup at Epsom
Jan Brueghel (10-3) battled to a gutsy victory to give Aidan O'Brien a record-extending 10th victory in the Betfred Coronation Cup at Epsom on Friday afternoon.
Under Ryan Moore, the four-year-old son of Galileo upset warm 8-13 favourite Calandagan in the Group One contest, holding the French raider off to score by half-a-length. The Francis Henri-Graffard-trained four-year-old, who won at Royal Ascot last year, was once again having to settle for second place in a Group One having been runner-up to to O'Brien's City Of Troy in the Juddmonte International, to Anmaat in the Champions Stakes at Ascot and on his seasonal return behind Danon Decile in the Dubai Sheema Classic in Meydan in April. But Jan Brueghel, who was unbeaten in his four starts last season including in the Betfred St Leger, bounced back from a first career defeat when second on his seasonal return to Galen in the Group Three Alleged Stakes at the Curragh in April, to land another Group One victory despite not necessarily being at home on the ups and downs of the Epsom track.
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Ballydoyle stable-mate Continuous cut out the running with Giavellotto. But after the turn around Tattenham Corner, Jan Brueghel – who was tracking the leaders – came through to hit the front as Calandagan also made his move. The pair battled for supremacy all the way to the line and while the pair were locked together, Jan Brueghel was always giving more and held his big rival to follow the likes of O'Brien's great stayer Yeats, hat-trick hero St Nicholas Abbey (2011-2013), Fame And Glory and Luxembourg – in the same maroon and blue Coolmore colours 12 months ago – to land the Coronation Cup.
READ MORE: Minnie Hauk lands the Betfred Oaks at Epsom
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The Galileo colt gave trainer O'Brien a record-extending 10th victory in the Coronation Cup and is likely to be aimed all the other top middle-distance contests throughout the season.
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O'Brien, who was also winning his 30th Group One at the Derby Festival, said: "He's a very tough horse and Ryan (Moore) gave him a class ride. He doesn't surrender. He was unbeaten last year and he was the biggest penalty kick ever in the Melbourne Cup, but didn't get to run.
"Ryan has given him an incredible ride and got him balanced and into a lovely rhythm. They started to race from a long way out, but it was incredible in the straight how he carried on. Everyone knew it was going to be a good gallop and Wayne Lordan (on Continuous) was there to ensure it was a good gallop, all everyone wanted was a solidly-run race and Ryan felt they were going fast enough for him.
"I thought Wayne was excellent at setting the pace and everyone was happy to get a lead off Wayne and when you get a race run at a suitable pace you know what distance you can go next or what not to. This way everyone learns.
"At Group One level he is a mile-and-a-half-plus horse and he's a very tough horse who would still be unbeaten if I hadn't run him at the Curragh. It's was a lovely run first time back and it was only over a mile and a quarter and he was beaten by a good horse of Joseph's (O'Brien, Galen). It was a bit unfair what I did pitching him in over that trip, but I needed to get him out early. He's a very brave horse and if you pass him slowly you're in trouble."
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Illinois was originally set to be the Ballydoyle entrant in the Coronation Cup but following the retirement of star stayer Kyprios, he will be heading to the Ascot Gold Cup. O'Brien added: "Everyone was standing in line behind Kyprios and he was always going to get first preference and there would be no move made on anything if he was going to Gold Cup. When he was retired Illinois was put in there and this fella came into Illinois' position. He was going to go for a Group One in Longchamp but then slotted in here."
Jockey Moore, who was winning a fifth Coronation Cup. said: "He's only been beaten once and he's a very good horse. He's a Classic winner and still improving and we're still learning. Hopefully we'll keep learning about him. He was headed there and battled back, but he's a tough horse."
Francis-Henri Graffard, trainer of runner-up Calandagan, said: 'The horse had a perfect run and got the ride we were thinking of. Going down the hill he found himself behind Ryan (Moore on the winner) and he gave him plenty of time to balance. He probably took the lead for a small moment and then when they started to climb again you could see that Ryan was finding more. He's a very talented horse and I'm sure he'll win a Group One as he always runs his race. There are no excuses and I think it was a good performance. Don't forget he ran in Dubai and he hasn't run in Europe until this race. I think he was ready, but the winner is a tough O'Brien horse who keeps finding more. He's in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.'
Calandagan's jockey Mickael Barzalona added: 'He always throws away the start a little – we cannot manage another way with him, but once he found his rhythm… I was behind Ryan at Tattenham Corner and I was pretty happy to be there. About 100yd before the line I hoped he'd stay on, he was just getting a bit tired before the line. It was the first time for him at this track and I hoped that he would break faster and get a better position earlier, but he has his own rhythm and we have to deal with that. This is the first time he has run on this different sort of track. I think he might have been outstayed, yes.'
Formal, ridden by Oisin Murphy, on the way to winning the Nyetimber Surrey Stakes on Betfred Oaks Day at the 2025 Betfred Derby Festival at Epsom Downs Racecourse on Friday, June 6 2025 -Credit:PA
Formal (9-4 joint favourite) scorched to victory in the opener on Betfred Oaks day, the Listed Nyetimber Surrey Stakes. Under Oisin Murphy three-year-old filly, who was trained by the now retired Sir Michael Stoute during her juvenile campaign, justified the support that sent her off the well-backed 9-4 joint favourite alongside Diego Ventura, to score in style.
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Now trained by Andrew Balding, the Cheveley Park Stud-owned daughter of Dubawi justified the promise of her first two wins last season. Although she disappointed when eighth in the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury on her debut for her new stable, she stepped up markedly on that. She was sat just off the pace set by The Waco Kid before easily moving to the front. She went clear of her rivals with around three furlongs to go in the seven-furlong contest. And she was a length-and-half clear of Saqqara Sands (13-2) at the line with the other 9-4 joint favourite Diego Ventura a further length-and-a-quarter back in third.
Balding said a trip to Royal Ascot is unlikely but he was delighted with Formal. He said: "I thought she ran well in the Fred Darling, but it was a funny race and she got impeded at a vital stage and didn't give her true running. It made our decision easy and we skipped any idea of a Guineas and rebooted and this became the obvious choice. It's a relief to see her win like that. She had been quite keen early doors at home and her work is very good at home, but we thought now she had the first run under her belt we would take the hood off. She travelled really strongly but didn't over-race."
He added: "I think we'll probably wait for something like the Oak Tree (at Goodwood on July 30). I don't think we want to be squeezing races into her and that looks the right spot. After that we know she goes well on slow ground so we would have the whole autumn ahead of us. She looked quite good there, but we will take it step by step."
Ralph Beckett, trainer of runner-up Saqqara Sands, said: 'The winner got away but that was a really good effort. She lacked a recent run, which all those around her had had, and we are very pleased. I should think the Eternal Stakes at Carlisle in three weeks' time might be next for her.'
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On the third-placed Diego Ventura, jockey James Doyle added: 'It's a bit sticky out there, a bit dead, but not bad (ground). Mine ran fine, but he was just a bit sleepy for this trip and track. I think he wants more of a stiff seven (furlongs).'
Maximized, ridden by Liverpool FC fan William Buick, wins the Betfred British EBF Woodcote Stakes on Betfred Oaks Day of the 2025 Betfred Derby Festival at Epsom Downs Racecourse on Friday, June 6 2025 -Credit:PA
Maximized (6-5 favourite) won the Betfred British EBF Woodcote Stakes. Under Liverpool FC fan William Buick, the Charlie Appleby-trained two-year-old made it two wins from two starts with a smart victory in the six-furlong contest. Maximised had made an eye-catching debut when winning over six furlongs at Haydock Park and the son of Mehmas, who cost £720,000 at the spring breeze-up sales, continued that perfect start to score in the Godolphin blue at Epsom. The two-year-old was tracking the pace set by Logi Bear and then came through to take over two furlongs from home alongside Havana Hurricane.
Coral cut Maximized to 12-1 from 16-1 for the Group Two Coventry Stakes on the opening day of Royal Ascot two weeks on Tuesday.
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Trainer Appleby said: "When he won at Haydock he jumped and skipped very sweetly on the sounder surface and it's good to soft out there today. It will be interesting to see what Will has got to say, but he might have found that a little bit more testing today I would imagine.
"The Royal Ascot picture is building with a few of these two-year-olds. With Military Code we might look towards the Coventry, and then we've Wise Approach who we thought could be a Norfolk or a Windsor Castle horse. I don't think this horse would be able to drop back in trip, so if we need to go to Ascot it could be the Coventry, or we could skip Ascot as I thought the July Stakes (at Newmarket) could be a nice race for him to be honest."
Brocklesby Stakes winner Norman's Cay had to be eased down by jockey David Egan well before the line, with the colt appearing to go wrong. Screens were erected around the Richard Hannon-trained runner but a Jockey Club spokesperson said: "He walked into the horse ambulance and will be taken to the racecourse stables for further assessment."
Ecureuil Secret, ridden by Oisin Orr, on the way to winning the Betfred Nifty 50 Handicap at Epsom Downs Racecourse on Friday June 6 2025 -Credit:PA
Ecureuil Secret (28-1) ran out an impressive winner of the Betfred Nifty 50 Handicap. Richard Fahey's four-year-old, under Oisin Orr, made what appeared a competitive 1m2f handicap look easy as he bounded clear to score by four lengths from Akecheta (17-2) with Westerton (11-1) third, three-quarters-of-a-length back in third and Defiance (11-2) half-a-length further adrift in fourth.
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Winning jockey Orr said: "He's been working well at home and I thought the ground on the easy side would definitely suit but we didn't have a great draw. We got a good break, got in a really good position and it was easy from there. I know he stays well so I was happy enough to get rolling early and he galloped through the line well, took a bit of pulling up as well; it's a dead end and that was it so he had no choice but to stop, lucky it was there."
David Loughnane's Partisan Hero (7-2) made all the running under Silvestre de Sousa to deny Fahey and Orr a big-priced double with Golden Mind (25-1) a head adrift in second in the Debenhams Handicap. Last year's winner Rhoscolyn (5-1) was a length back in third with Persuasion (33-1) a further two-and-a-quarter lengths further adrift in fourth.
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