ROYAL ASCOT: WITH BALLYDOYLE failing to fire yesterday, the Jim Bolger-Kevin Manning team slipped seamlessly into the Royal Ascot breach to record a 9 to 1 double highlighted by Lush Lashes landing the Group One Coronation Stakes.
It was the fourth day in a row that the Group One highlight fell to an Irish-trained horse in what has turned into the most successful top flight week ever for Ireland at the hugely prestigious meeting.
For Manning in particular it was a momentous day as the 41-year-old Derby winning jockey had never before ridden a winner at Royal Ascot.
Cuis Ghaire's odds-on success in the opening Albany Stakes quickly put that right and then Lush Lashes sealed the afternoon with a three-and-a-quarter length defeat of Infallible, who in turn was ahead of Dermot Weld's 16 to 1 shot Carribean Sunset.
It was spectacular reward for a typically audacious move by Bolger who dropped Lush Lashes back to a mile after she managed only fifth in the Oaks. He now plans to step this hugely versatile filly back up to a mile and a half for the Irish Oaks.
"I'm very impressed with her. I didn't think she could win in that style," said the trainer. "We were tempted by the Ribblesdale but she had already won a Group race (Musidora Stakes) so we decided to step her up in grade. She's done it in style."
However, it was clearly no surprise that Lush Lashes was capable of successfully dropping back in distance as she was well supported into 5 to 1 second favourite behind Spacious, who had to settle for fourth.
Bolger added: "She has always shown plenty of pace and I was a little concerned at Epsom about the trip. As it was I think it was the track more than the trip that was the problem."
Manning agreed with that and also shares with his father-in-law a high regard for Cuis Ghaire who justified a gamble in the Group Three opener and is now as low as 10 to 1 favourite for next year's 1,000 Guineas.
"She got caught a little bit flat-footed when they quickened up but when she hit top gear she really quickened up," the jockey said.
Bolger reported: "She's impressed me in her three races because she isn't a six-furlong horse really. But because she is so precocious we thought we would pick up a couple of races before we moved on to the serious stuff."
That serious stuff looks like being the Debutante Stakes at the Curragh before a Group One tilt at the Moyglare Stud Stakes.
Frankie Dettori finally rode his first winner of the week with Campanologist making all the running to hold off the fast-finishing favourite Conduit by three-quarters of a length in the King Edward VII Stakes.
John Oxx's Ebadiyan was fancied to go close in the Group Two Queens Vase but it was left to another Irish grey, Tiffany Diamond, to put in a challenge that ultimately had little chance against the wide-margin winner Patkai.
Tiffany Diamond faded to fourth behind the Michael Stoute-trained winner who provided jockey Ryan Moore with a second Royal Ascot success.
