Epsom Derby Festival 2024: Luxembourg wins the Coronation Cup

Luxembourg (9-4) led from start to finish to give trainer Aidan O'Brien a record-extending ninth victory in the Group One Holland Cooper Coronation Cup at Epsom.

The Aidan O'Brien-trained five-year-old son of 2012 Derby hero Camelot was winning over this 1m4f trip for a first time having finished seventh in the Prix de l’Arc De Triomphe in October 2022 and fourth in the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes at last year’s Royal Ascot on his only two runs at the distance. But having won two Group Ones over 1m2f in the Irish Champion Stakes two years ago and the Tattersalls Gold Cup last season, he was ridden positively and proved he is just as effective at the longer middle distance trip.

Under Ryan Moore, he went to the front and dictated the race as John and Thady Gosden’s 7-4 favourite and last year's Coronation Cup heroine Emily Upjohn was struggling with the steady pace. Time Lock was initially almost upsides Luxembourg early on, but after the turn around Tattenham Corner the leader moved clear. Initially Emily Upjohn tried to go with Luxembourg, but once he shrugged off her challenge, he galloped all the way to the line to triumph. Hamish came from the back to throw down his challenge but Luxembourg held on well to score by a length. French raider Feed The Flame (6-1) was a further six lengths back in third.

Now he has conclusively proved he gets the 1m4f, Luxembourg is likely to head to Ascot for the King George VI Stakes at the end of July with another crack at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp in the autumn also likely to be on the cards.

Ballydoyle maestro O'Brien was winning a record-extending ninth victory in the Coronation Cup but a first since Highland Reel in 2017. Moore, who showed his skill to control the contest throughout, also partnered Highland Reel and O'Brien's triple winner Sir Nicholas Abbey in his first success in 2011.

O'Brien said: "Ryan controlled everything and at halfway he had everyone where he wanted them. It was an incredible ride. Ryan obviously always makes his own mind up, we always talk about different scenarios but once the gates open, he makes his own mind up. Obviously in the big races, he's incredible."

Luxembourg has now won Group Ones aged two, three, four and five and his Irish trainer added: "We always thought he was a mile-and-a-half horse. We ran him a bit short through the winter because the races were there, but genuinely he gets a mile and a half well. When he ran in the Arc, the ground was very soft and other things didn't work for him, but I'd say he's made to be a King George horse. This year he's changed into an older horse physically, we think. We probably ran him too short (in first two races of the year) to be fair to him, we asked him to do things that probably wasn't fair to him. I think the last day we ran him over nine furlongs. Ryan just said he was a lot better than those runs. "He gets a mile and a half well and he loves fast ground. I think nice ground will be a help to him, too. He's a great horse to have, I think he will travel plenty. He's at that age now and has a great mind on him."

Connections werer delighted with eight-year-old Hamish, who is trained by William Haggas. His wife and assistant Maureen Haggas said: "I'm thrilled to bits with him, we could have just done with more rain. Ryan has ridden a brilliant race on the winner, he did what he did on Candleford last week in Ireland – steady, steady, steady then 'whoosh' and that doesn't really sort of suit Hamish, he's a stayer. The ground is important to him and it wasn't wet enough. I said to William this morning 'are we doing the right thing?', but it might not rain for three months and you have to go. The problem is with him, every time he runs you are just terrified it is going to be his last run and he breaks down again. It's pathetic but he's like my pet.

"I would be delighted if it rained all summer, he's in everything, he's in the King George and he's in the Hardwicke and the ideal race would probably be the Irish St Leger. We missed York and Chester because of the ground and we missed the Irish St Leger last year because of the ground being too fast. Good to soft is the fastest it can be and ideally softer. He's a bloody star and I'm thrilled to bits with him."

Of beaten favourite Emily Upjohn, John Gosden said: "Obviously it was a steady pace, she's a mile-and-a-half filly and wants a good pace. We're happy and I did warn everyone before that this race would bring her on. She's only run twice in the last year, and at home her work has been somewhat idle and this race will bring her on a bundle. We'll look at something like the Hardwicke at Ascot, but she needs racing now and that will bring her on a lot."

Teej A (7-2) won the opener, the Betfred British EBF Woodcote Stakes, in good style on Oaks day. Trained by Liverpool FC fan Karl Burke, the daughter of Mehmas got off the mark at the second attempt when running out a two-and-a-quarter-length winner of a six-furlong maidan at Chester’s May Festival earlier this month. And under Clifford Lee, she followed up that success with another victory at Epsom. The two-year-old broke well and sat just off the pace set by End of Story and stable-mate Assertively. Coming to the final two furlongs Teej A moved through to lead and stayed on really well to score by a length-and-a-quarter from the late finisher Megalithic (9-2). Tanager (22-1) was as further length-and-three-quarters back in third.

Teej A, who was one of four juveniles sporting the Nick Bradley Racing's white and black colours, looks a speedy youngster and has plenty of options open to her now.

Trainer Burke said: "The great thing about her is since Chester she has grown up behind, I really noticed it in the paddock and she has another few inches to grow I think, so there is a bit of scope there for the future. I don't know about Ascot, she could go there – she has the ability to go there – but I think especially after what I've just said about her having a bit of growing to do, why rush her back when she has had a couple of quick races. She could go for a nice Group race in France and try to get that black type. This race used to be a black-type race and isn't now and I would be looking at races like the Cheveley Park later in the year and giving her a chance to really fulfil her potential."

He added: "This was the plan to come here after Chester. I thought Clifford kicked on 100 yards quicker than he needed to and I thought she would get collared by Ralph's horse in the last furlong, but to be fair to her she stuck to her guns and did it well. I was delighted with her and she was tough in the last 100 yards."

On runner-up Megalithic, trainer Ralph Beckett said: "He ran a lovely race, but the draw kind of killed us. He's a nice little horse, but the winner got the run of it. I'm not making excuses, the winner won well, but given how the first two furlongs went for our horse I thought he ran really well, he just couldn't reel the winner in. I hope he's a stakes horse and based on that I think he is. We'll try to find a maiden for him now, he won't go to Ascot, we'll take a longer-term view. He'll probably stay over six furlongs, but he is out of a Galileo mare so he probably will stay seven and might be one for one of those seven-furlong races in high summer."

Trainer Burke doubled up on Oaks day as Bolster (5-1) won the Betfred Nifty 50 Handicap, under Pierre-Louis Jamin. The four-year-old, who had won at Pontefract last month, scored again under a fine ride by Jamin. Bolster scored by three-quarters-of-a-length from Paradias (18-1) with Derry Lad half a length back in third, with Haunted Dream (8-1) was the same distance further adrift in fourth.

Burke said: “I don’t like running two nice horses like that against each other, but they both want these conditions and this trip (Burke also saddled 9-2 Favourite Liberty who finished seventh). There’s hopefully a bit of warm weather coming round the corner, and if it dries up we’d have nowhere to go with them, so I had to let them take their chance. Thankfully Sheikh Mohammed Obaid was happy with that. Bolster has been in great form. Liberty Lane is a very good horse on his day but he just needs things to drop right for him. I’d say Bolster is a Group Three horse – that’s where we’ll go, but he wouldn’t want fast ground. We’ll have a good look for the autumn campaign for him.

“Both of them will have entries in the John Smith’s – well, maybe not Bolster now; I think the handicapper might have his cut at that – but Liberty Lane will be entered in the John Smith’s and if it came up right for him, that would be a nice race for him.”

Winning jockey Jamin added: “He’s a horse that always keeps himself to himself at home and doesn’t show a lot, but when he won the last day at Pontefract we were quite surprised the way he did it so easily, and I came here today hoping for a big run as well. Karl left it more or less up to me, but I thought if I could make the running and get an easy lead and kick off the bend, I thought he’d be hard to pass. I think he will progress. I hope he’s at least a Group Three horse; every time they came to him, he’d go again. These conditions are definitely what he wants - Good to Soft or Soft is perfect for him.”

Two Tempting (12-1) just got the better of Beshtani (12-1) in a photo-finish in the Trustatrader Handicap. Under David Egan, the Jeremy Portman-trained five-year-old landed a nose success over Beshtani to land a third win from his last four starts this year. Two Tempting sat off the pace in third for much of the early exchanges on the inside rail. He moved through smoothly and looked like he would win comfortably after the turn around Tattenham Corner. But the Hamad Al-Jehani-trained Beshtani tried to peg him back, under James Doyle. The two pulled well clear and in a head-bobbing finish it was Two Tempting who just scored by the narrowest margin.

Portman said: "I didn't think he'd won, I was pretty sure we'd been chinned, but then I would have been delighted with second as I thought he'd run a blinder. Although this was the plan as he'd run well in this last year, expectations were less. But the jockey had him in the right place at the right time and it worked. "I never put him in the Hunt Cup (at Royal Ascot). I rang the owner up when the Hunt Cup was closing and asked him what he thought, but then I thought I wish I'd never rung him, what was I thinking! Maybe I should have put him in. There might be something at (Glorious) Goodwood."

Winning jockey Egan added: "He travelled sweetly but I had to commit a bit early to get the gap on the inside and make sure I got there. I got there a week too soon, butte horse did find a bit more when James came to me. I was definitely behind for five or six strides, but he got his head down at the right time."

Al Jehani, a former champion trainer in Qatar, said of his runner-up Beshtani: "It's amazing to be here at Epsom, one of the best tracks in the world and for sure the hardest place. It was his first run for me and my first runner at Epsom, but I'm sure not my last. We felt he might not handle the ground very well so he surprised me how he challenged the winner to the line and be beaten just a small head I think. He ran very well and he'll hopefully go to Royal Ascot next for the Hunt Cup. It's amazing to be training here in England and challenging the best trainers in the world."

Jockey James Doyle added: “I’m delighted with him. He’s had a long time off the track and has been well-prepared by his trainer – I’m very pleased.”