Fame & Glory wins the Royal Ascot Gold Cup
As was noted in the race previews, the 2011 Ascot Gold Cup really boiled down to one key question. Could Fame And Glory reproduce his top class middle distance form over the unique two and a half miles of the Ascot Gold Cup?
The answer to that question was a resounding ‘Yes’ as Jamie Spencer guided this son of Montjeu to an emphatic 3 length success over Opinion Poll and Brigantin.
Ascot Gold Cup Result:
(05) Fame And Glory - Derrick Smith/Mrs J Magnier/Michael Tabor/Fitri Hay
(10) Opinion Poll – Godolphin
(13) Brigantin – Team Valor
Distances: 3 lengths, 4 1/2 lengths
The result proved to be the first significant success for Fitri Hay (wife of Dubai businessman Dr Jim Hay) since she teamed up with the established Coolmore owners of Derrick Smith, John Magnier and Michael Tabor. Pictured below is Fitri Hay receiving the trophy from Her Majesty The Queen flanked by Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor.
The race itself itself took place in unusually wet conditions and as the rain fell on Ladies Day at Ascot, it washed away the chances of Shiekh Mohammed’s leading hope Holberg (who needs fast ground) and Duncan (who was a doubtful stayer). In fact, the closer it got to racetime, the more convinced everyone seemed to become that Fame And Glory would run out the winner and he started a very strong favourite for the race.
But, the horse still required a good tactical ride and Jamie Spencer (the former number 1 to Aidan O’Brien and now the retained jockey for Fitri Hay’s runners) delivered that in some style. Royal Ascot had witnessed some questionable rides on some big name horses during the week, but there was none of that from Spencer, who was ice-cool on Fame and Glory, settling him in behind the leaders before delivering him in the straight to score in fine style.
Post race, Spencer spoke of his relief in riding such a high profile winner for his former employees. He said
“Initially I was more relieved than anything else. It’s a big ride and he’s a great horse. The race went very smoothly and when you’re on a horse like him it’s like everything is in slow motion – you can go where you want and the gaps open. There was no stage in the race when I didn’t think I would win.”
Spencer went on to compare Fame And Glory with Yeats, who of course landed this famous race on four occasions for O’Brien and Coolmore.
“I rode Yeats in his younger days and this fellow is so easy to ride. He does the bare minimum – in his trials he was very idle and relaxed. Let’s hope he’s around for a few more years and he can go back there and win again.”
So, for Fame And Glory the path is now set out clearly in front of him. O’Brien will doubtless try to bring him back next year to defend this crown and after that – who knows? He certainly possesses the raw talent to emulate Yeats, but it is no easy task to bring a top class racehorse to a peak for four years in a row.
Before defending the crown though, O’Brien has nominated the Prix De L’Arc De Triomphe as an autumn target for the horse. Fame And Glory has finished 5th and 7th in the last two runnings of that race so victory this season would seem unlikely. But, if the rain falls in Paris and the race becomes a real test, it isn’t impossible that Fame And Glory could make the frame this time around.
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