Bracelet bounced back from her disappointing display in last month’s Qipco 1000 Guineas to give Aidan and Joseph O’Brien victory in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Having made a winning reappearance at Leopardstown at the end of March, the daughter of Montjeu failed to fire in the Rowley Mile Classic and was a 10-1 shot stepped up to a mile and a half and fitted with a hood for the first time.
Buried in the middle of the pack while her stablemate Terrific played the role of pacemaker, Bracelet edged closer to the front end still moving sweetly rounding the home bend.
She had to be pulled wide to challenge once straightened up, but got rolling from the two-furlong marker and saw out the trip well to hold off the late challenge of Lustrous by half a length.
Criteria was just a head away in second, with French-trained favourite Vazira making up a lot of ground from the back of the field to take fourth.
Joseph O’Brien said: “She travelled well, she did everything right through the race.
“We went a nice even pace, but I probably got there a bit soon, so I had to keep going with her. She’s tough, she stays and she tries. I could hear the others coming but I was always holding them.”
Aidan O’Brien said: “They’ve been running very ordinary. They all looked very healthy, so it’s a big relief. Some we thought would have done better, but we just have to be patient.Ryan said when he rode her in the Guineas to step her up to a mile and a half and we popped a hood on her at home and that seemed to help her.
“I suppose well have to look at the Irish Oaks now.”
Baitha Alga gave Frankie Dettori his second winner of the week with a brilliant display in the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Richard Hannon’s juvenile brought arguably the strongest form on offer into the race, having won the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom on Derby day, but was an 8-1 shot taking on much-vaunted The Great War and another unbeaten colt in Mukhmal.
Mukhmal was sharply away in the five-furlong contest and blazed a trail for a long way, but weakened out of contention tamely.
Odds-on favourite The Great War moved ominously into it, only for his effort to prove short-lived as he passed the post a well-beaten fifth.
Baitha Alga, on the other hand, showed smart acceleration to settle matters and passed the post a length and a half clear under a jubilant Dettori, who was making it 49 career winners at the Royal extravaganza.
Mind Of Madness ran an excellent race to fill the runner-up spot, just two days after finishing down the field in the Windsor Castle Stakes.
Harry Herbert, racing manager for Sheikh Joaan Al Thani's Al Shaqab Racing operation, said: "This is the theatre of dreams.
“He travelled so well - to win a Woodcote and to come back so quickly and win a Norfolk...Frankie won as he pleased.
“He’s very exciting. It’s another big day.”
Cannock Chase continued his ascent through the ranks to delight favourite-backers in the second race of the day, the Tercentenary Stakes.
Runner-up on his only juvenile appearance at Kempton, Sir Michael Stoute’s colt had looked the part when successful at Windsor and Newbury earlier this season and was a 7-4 favourite to complete the hat-trick despite taking a marked step up in class.
Ryan Moore rode a confident race and was happy to give the majority of his rivals start until the turn for home.
Angled wide to challenge early in the straight, Cannock Chase was coaxed towards the front end two furlongs down and dug deep to quicken to the lead.
He was a length and a half to the good as he passed the post, with Mutakayyef filling the runner-up spot narrowly ahead of Postponed.
A stewards’ inquiry was called, as Moore’s mount appeared to impede Barley Mow, who finished out of the places having been in second at the time, but it was quickly announced the result would stand.
Moore said: “He’s done it nicely, he travelled smoothly and when I got to the front for some reason he lugged right, it’s just greenness because he’s a genuine horse.
“He’s a nice horse, he’s done nothing wrong, he’s done what we wanted to do today. He’s at the right level for now.”
Stoute said: “I was a little bit concerned about the ground because he won’t want it too quick.
“We’ve always liked this horse and that was a good performance.
“We’ll just see how he comes out of this, we’ll wait and see before we make a plan.”
