Lockinge: Lead Artist denies Dancing Gemini in Newbury thriller

Lead Artist outbattled Dancing Gemini to win the BoyleSports Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.

John and Thady Gosden’s four-year-old was a 17-2 chance under Oisin Murphy, with Dancing Gemini and Rosallion the key players in the market.

The latter came home a two-and-a-quarter-length third, but Dancing Gemini fought Lead Artist all the way to the line to miss out only in the final strides as the Juddmonte-owned horse came out triumphant by a neck.

Lead Artist had finished last of eight behind Dancing Gemini on his seasonal bow in the bet365 Mile at Sandown last month, but John Gosden felt the outing had the desired effect on the Dubawi colt.

He said: “He’s got a great deal of talent and it was a beautiful ride. It was dead ground at Sandown and he had been working at home fine but he just plain blew up, he came with a nice run but just blew up at the furlong pole and Kieran (Shoemark) looked after him.

“That race brought him on a lot and he got a peach of a ride from Oisin.

“He likes summer fast ground and he showed it here. He’s a powerful horse with a lot of speed.

“This was a real test of a mile and Ryan (Moore) has come to us and in the end this horse is getting the stiff mile at the pace they went. If they had gone steady and sprinted, it would have been a different ball game.

“Being honest, I thought we would be in the first four and I would be thrilled because there were so many good horses in it and the betting told you that. The fact he was in a position where he was able to go first, then they had to get him and then he was able to go again because he still had plenty of talent in reserve.”

Lead Artist is Coral’s 4-1 favourite for next month’s Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot, with Dancing Gemini a point longer and Rosallion a 6-1 chance.

Gosden added: “We will all probably meet again in the Queen Anne. It’s the next obvious step and we hope it doesn’t get wet – we don’t want a wet Ascot and if the ground is OK, we’ll be going to the Queen Anne and a stiff mile at Ascot will suit him well.”

For Murphy, it was a first Group One triumph in the Juddmonte silks and also gave him redemption for the defeat of Lightning Spear in this very race in 2018.

He said: “He has a great demeanour, relaxed well and showed a lot of guts against the second horse, Dancing Gemini, who came into the race in great form. It was a great tussle to the line and I’m delighted to come out on top.

“I was aware it might turn into a sprint and possibly if I had been beaten I would have thought I may have made more use of my horse, but fortunately it all worked out.

“The yard was very confident and they prepared him well and it is a while since I have won a Group One for Clarehaven and my first for Juddmonte.

“It means a lot and Ryan beat me in a photo finish a while back when I was on Lightning Spear, so it was nice to beat him because that is quite rare.”