Precise and Venetian Sun gave Royal Ascot day four its Group One spine as Friday’s card built into one of the sharpest afternoons of the week.
A hot, quick-ground card at Ascot was always going to ask searching questions, but the two elite races delivered clean answers. Venetian Sun confirmed herself a serious sprinting filly in the Commonwealth Cup, while Precise restored Ballydoyle control in the Coronation Stakes before Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore struck again with Causeway in the King Edward VII Stakes.
Venetian Sun Shows Her Sprinting Class
Venetian Sun had been the obvious name in the Commonwealth Cup picture, and she justified that standing by getting the better of 50-1 runner-up Spicy Marg in a race that was far from straightforward.
Clifford Lee’s mount travelled with purpose through a big field and had to dig in when the long-priced Spicy Marg refused to go away. Division finished third, with Havana Anna fourth, but the winner’s authority came from the way she settled the argument when the pressure was highest.
For Karl Burke, it was another major Royal Ascot strike with a filly who had already shown her ability at the meeting. For Lee, given the severity of the injury he suffered last autumn, it carried a human weight that went beyond the bare result.
Precise Takes Control In The Coronation
Precise then gave the Coronation Stakes a decisive centrepiece, beating Touleen and stablemate True Love after an awkward start that could have unsettled a lesser filly.
The race had been framed around whether the Irish 1,000 Guineas winner could confirm her standing against the Royal Ascot Coronation Stakes field, and Ryan Moore was in no mood to overcomplicate matters once she found her rhythm. True Love moved into the race but could not match the winner, while Touleen finished strongly for second.
It was a familiar Royal Ascot pattern: a Ballydoyle filly, a Moore ride that grew stronger with each furlong, and a result that tightened the top of the three-year-old fillies’ division rather than opening it up.
Opportunity, Green Carrera And Causeway Add To The Story
The supporting races gave the afternoon real depth. Libertango opened the card by lowering the colours of odds-on Albany Stakes favourite Sun Goddess, giving Billy Loughnane and George Boughey a notable juvenile success.
Opportunity then denied Warrant Holder in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, frustrating hopes of a royal winner after James McDonald produced William Haggas’s runner down the rail. Green Carrera followed in the Sandringham, giving Joseph O’Brien another winner in a week when the family scorecard has become a story of its own.
Causeway added the Group Two King Edward VII Stakes for Aidan O’Brien and Moore, prevailing narrowly from Ancient Egypt before Bacio closed the day by winning the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes. It made for a Friday card with strength at the top and proper movement underneath.
After Scandinavia’s Gold Cup win and O’Brien’s 100th Royal Ascot success on Thursday, day four showed the meeting still had fresh headlines to throw up. Saturday now has a high bar to clear.
