From grave to G1 glory at Royal Ascot

ASCOT – Last October, jockey Clifford Lee came within a “millimetre” of dying when he broke a vertebra in a motorbike crash. But on June 19, he rode Venetian Sun to victory in the Commonwealth Cup (1,200m) at Royal Ascot.

The 30-year-old Englishman was out of action for 5½ months after the accident with the surgeon saying “he was within less than a millimetre of killing himself”.

Lee gave the Karl Burke-trained Venetian Sun ($11) a fine ride in the £700,000 (S$1.2 million) Group 1 race, a year to the day that the filly owned by Premier League side Brighton’s owner Tony Bloom won the Group 3 Albany Stakes (1,200m) at the meeting.

“It is fantastic,” said Lee.

“I had 5½ months off as I broke my C1 (first cervical vertebra), but I feel I have come back stronger and better.

“It helps riding good horses. It was very hard as it took me a long time to actually get back fit – it is great to be back.”

Aidan O’Brien was to win the other Group 1 race on the card, racking up Royal Ascot win No. 101, as his star filly Precise ($7) made it six wins from eight races in the £700,000 Coronation Stakes (1,600m).

For champion jockey Ryan Moore, the 1000 Irish Guineas winner’s 1½-length win from Touleen (Saffie Osborne) was his 97th Royal Ascot triumph.

It also gave British billionaire Michael Tabor the perfect day for his first appearance of the week.

“I have been nursing a heavy cold from the Derby and at my age it takes longer to get over it,” the 84-year-old said.

As for O’Brien it was doubly pleasurable as the Irish multiple-champion trainer bred the winner, a fact which the horse’s part owner could not resist highlighting after the win.

“There is one happy breeder but he is very shy,” said Tabor, with O’Brien standing beside him.

O’Brien as ever had been very reluctant to talk himself up after he brought up the 100 on June 18, paying tribute to the team.

“Aidan is very much his own man and as he says quite rightly it is a team game,” said Tabor.

“Like in business if you do not have the right people round you it falls flat but he has a great team, he is good at delegating and he is the leader of that team.”

O’Brien moved to six winners for the week when Causeway won the £250,000 Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes (2,400m).

However, he will face a battle royale with his eldest son Joseph on the final day as to who emerges as the leading trainer for the week.

Joseph moved on to five when the 33-year-old’s 8-1 shot Green Carrera (Mickael Barzalona) won the Sandringham Stakes (1,600m).

Jockey Billy Loughnane and trainer George Boughey will hope Libertango (6-1) goes on to repeat Venetian Sun’s success as they teamed up to win this year’s Albany Stakes.

Loughnane came from the clouds weaving his way through the 25-runner field to overhaul favourite Sun Goddess (Moore) and record the fifth Royal Ascot winner of his career.

Boughey, who teamed up Loughnane, the 20-year-old whom he calls his “younger brother”, to win the feature race on June 16, the Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes (1,600m) with new British sensation Bow Echo, admitted it had not been “pretty” to watch.

He was, however, delighted Turkish owner Ibrahim Araci’s determination to buy the horse in April had been rewarded so quickly.

“He was pretty bold, Mr Araci – he wanted to get the horse and he had to pay (£400,000) for it,” said Boughey.

Three years ago, William Haggas saddled a winner for Britain’s King Charles III at the meeting. However, on June 19, the Newmarket trainer denied the monarch his first victory of the week.

Superstar jockey James McDonald, on the Haggas-trained Opportunity ($32) – owned by the Emir of Qatar’s Wathnan Racing – seized his and ran down the King’s Warrant Holder (William Buick) to win the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (2,400m).

“The King and Queen will have more chances, probably more than I will,” said the New Zealand-born jockey.

“I am here baby and enjoying it.” AFP