NEWS
Lillie Langtry takes Coronation, McPeek filly third in Albany
Posted: Friday, June 18, 2010 1:20 PM
Injured in an eighth-place finish as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last fall, Lillie Langtry (Ire) capped a strong recovery and lifted trainer Aidan O’Brien to his first win of the week at Royal Ascot in capturing the Coronation Stakes (Eng-G1) on Friday.
The Danehill Dancer filly finished a close fifth in the Etihad Airways Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) on May 23 at the Curragh in her only previous race since she suffered a small knee fracture in the Juvenile Fillies Turf.
Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Susan Magnier own Lillie Langtry, who wore down frontrunner Gile Na Greine and kicked away for jockey Johnny Murtagh to win by 1 ¼ lengths as the 7-to-2 favorite.
“We are delighted, we always thought she was a very good filly,” O’Brien said. “She was a very good filly last year, she had a little injury at the backend and it's all credit to everyone for getting her back. She was off all through the winter. We started her off in the Irish Guineas and she ran a lovely race there. We were delighted with her and were looking forward to coming here.”
Lillie Langtry won the Tattersalls Timeform Fillies’ 800 at Newmarket, Debutante Stakes (Ire-G2) at Leopardstown, and Coolmore Stud Fillies’ Sprint Stakes (Ire-G3) as a two-year-old. She completed the one-mile Coronation in 1:39.69 on good to firm turf.
Gile Na Greine persevered to finish second at 25-to-1, and Jacqueline Quest finished another 2 1/4 lengths back in third in her first start since she was disqualified and placed second behind Special Duty in the Stanjames.com One Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1). Gile Na Greine finished third in the English Guineas.
Earlier in the day, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed al Maktoum and trainer Mark Johnston teamed for their second stakes win of the week, striking with Monterosso in the King Edward VII Stakes (Eng-G2) for three-year-olds.
Succeeding in his stakes debut, Monterosso scored by 2 ¼ lengths over the North Light (Ire) colt Arctic Cosmos in 2:30.06 for 1 ½ miles. Johnston and Sheikh Hamdan, a son of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, also won the Jersey Stakes (Eng-G3) with Rainfall on Wednesday.
In Friday’s opener, Memory fended off a gritty effort from U.S.-based filly Tiz My Time in the Albany Stakes (Eng-G3) for two-year-old fillies.
A daughter of freshman sire Sharp Humor trained by Ken McPeek, Tiz My Time set the pace in the field of 22 and rallied back when she was caught with about a furlong remaining in the six-furlong contest.
Memory edged Margot Did by a head and Tiz My Time finished another 2 ½ lengths back in third.
“I thought she would show up well and she did,” said McPeek, who finished fifth in the St. James’s Palace Stakes (Eng-G1) on Tuesday with Noble’s Promise. “Running her was more of a test to see what type of fillies and colts I need for the future and what has happened this week has given me a good feel for that.”
Trained by Richard Hannon, Memory stopped the clock in 1:13.70 to remain unbeaten in two career starts for owner Highclere Thoroughbred Racing.
