Royal Ascot: Coronation Stakes statistics, trends, history and video replays

Andy Stephens goes through everything you need to know about the Coronation Stakes at Ascot on June 22.

When and where?: 4.20 Ascot on June 22. Live in HD on Racing UK, Sky Channel 426.

What Grade?: Group One.

What Course?: Round Course.

What Distance?: A mile

What Prize-money?: £500,000 (Winner: £283,550).

Ages: For 3yo fillies.

Weights & Allowances: All runners carry 9st.

Key statistics and trends:

Do not be concerned if your fancy has suffered a defeat earlier in the season. Of the past 12 winners only Ghanaati and Ervedya had not been beaten that season.

Race history:

First run in 1840, the Coronation Stakes was founded to commemorate the crowning of Queen Victoria in 1838.

The mile event for three-year-olds became the fillies’ equivalent of the St James’s Palace Stakes and established itself as a natural progression for fillies who had run creditably in the mile fillies’ Classic, the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket in early May.

It attracts the principal protagonists from the English, Irish and French 1,000 Guineas.

The contest, run over the round mile, is part of the QIPCO British Champions Series and was promoted to Group One status from Group Two in 1988.

A notable early winners include Pretty Polly (1904), who won 22 of her 24 races, while Meld, the 1955 winner, also won the fillies’ Triple Crown with victories in the 1,000 Guineas, Oaks and St Leger.

A renewal dominated by Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore - the combination responsible for the first three home in Winter, Roly Poly (12-1) and Hydrangea (16-1).

Winter was confirming her superiority in the three-year-old fillies’ mile division, having previously won the 1,000 Guineas and Irish equivalent.

The three-year-old daughter of Galileo, the 4-9 favourite, was always travelling sweetly under Moore and when asked to deliver her challenge in the home straight, she found plenty for pressure to quicken away from the field in the closing stages to score by two and a quarter-lengths.

“Winter was a little bit lazy early on in the race, but she galloped on strongly at the end,” O’Brien said. “She is a filly that is thriving from race to race. She was very good at Newmarket and the Curragh and did it well again here today.”

Moore said of the daughter of Galileo: “Those three races back-to-back, she’s come a long way in a very short space of time. It wasn’t a big field but there was plenty of quality and she did what she had to do.”

Jean-Claude Rouget secured back-to-back victories in the Coronation Stakes with Qemah, a 6-1 chance who gained a decisive length and three-quarter victory under Gregory Benoist.

The daughter of Danehill Dancer travelled nicely for Benoist in the mid-division before being unleashed on the outside inside the final furlong.

“For me to do the double in this race is like a childhood dream,” Rouget said. “I hope to get some more wins here because for me it is the best racing in the world.”

Benoist said: “The last two furlongs were very exciting. It is like a dream. I can barely speak as there is so much emotion. Let’s have some champagne now.”

Nemoralia finished second, a length and three-quarters behind 6-1 winner Qemah at odds of 4-1.

Trainer Jean-Claude Rouget and jockey Christophe Soumillon both nominated Ervedya’s triumph as a career highlight after the Aga Khan’s filly came with a well-timed run to beat Found, the 13-8 favourite, by a neck.

“For quite a few years now, I have come here with nice horses. It was a deep dream to come and win a Group One here,” said Rouget, who was having his first Royal Ascot winner. “After she won the (French) Guineas, this was my target of the year. I had only this race in mind, I wanted to win a Group One at Ascot and now it’s done.”

Soumillon had won the 2005 Queen Anne Stakes with Valixir when, Royal Ascot was staged at York, but this was his first win at a Royal Meeting at Ascot.

“For me this is great, it’s a great meeting but unfortunately I don’t have the horses to come here with every year,” Soumillon said.

Found had previously been beaten a half-length by Pleascach in the Irish 1,000 Guineas and Aidan O’Brien said: “I would say that she would keep progressing. I should think she’ll be going up in distance.”

The following year she won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Clive Brittain was in typically great form after his Rizeena bounced back from a disappointing run in the 1,000 Guineas to triumph under Ryan Moore.

“I wasn’t worried about the race,” said the 80-year-old trainer. “They could have walked – she is a great walker – and she still would have won. They could have trotted – she is a great trotter - and she still would have won. But they galloped and she still won. We had covered every angle. All she had to do was turn up and show what she could do.

“I don’t know what happened at Newmarket, maybe it was the undulations. Richard (Hughes) had the perfect position and she just stopped. It was 10lb to a stone below her best.”

Ryan Moore was winning his third race of the week and said: “She was the best two-year-old filly last year and she won the Queen Mary and a Moyglare. It’s good for her to come back and I am delighted for Mr Brittain and his team.”

Lesstalk In Paris bounced back to form to go down by three quarters of a length, with Euro Charline third.

Sky Lantern overcame an unfavourable to follow up her 1,000 Guineas victory with a breathtaking display.

Richard Hannon Sr’s filly was drawn 16 of 16 but travelled strongly at the rear of the field under Richard Hughes before flying past all her rivals and winning by four lengths.

“We were in two minds whether to run her after she was drawn 16 of 16 as I didn’t feel it would have been fair on her to have to do it the hard way,” Richard Hannon Jr, son of the trainer, said. “She’s had everything against her today so to see her win like that means she must be a very special filly.

“There was talk after the Guineas that she had been lucky but we knew otherwise.”

Champion jockey Hughes had suffered a blank first three days at Royal Ascot and had a game of golf with his jockey colleague Pat Dobbs in the morning to help clear his mind. “What a relief, what a relief – everything’s gone wrong. The gaps haven’t been coming all week and it’s been a nightmare.

“We had a chat in the parade ring about the terrible draw, and Junior said to me, ‘Just go out and enjoy yourself and do what you always do’. That’s huge to know I could ride my race, and know that if I came home flying late I wouldn’t get anything back from the trainer. It gives you confidence to do what you’re going to do.”

Homecoming Queen was sent off 9-4 favourite after her shock nine-length win in the 1,000 Guineas but she quickly went backwards on the soft ground and trailed home eighth.

Instead, it was left to the John Gosden pair of Fallen For You (12-1) and Starscope (11-1) to dominate.

Fallen For You, partnered by William Buick, was much the best and took the spoils by three and a quarter lengths - in the process giving Gosden his 30th Royal Ascot winner.

The winner was showing improved form and the trainer said: “I’ve had trouble getting her to relax, but she did so beautifully today. She’s really getting in the groove and has shown me today what I always thought she could do. It was no fluke.”

Starscope had also finished runner-up in the 1,000 Guineas.

A family affair with French horses trained by father and son Robert and Rod Collet dominating the finish.

Collet Sr came out on top thanks to Immortal Verse, who was ridden by Gerald Mosse for owner Richard Strauss. This was Collet's second Royal winner, his first being Last Tycoon, who landed the King's Stand Stakes in 1986 under Cash Asmussen and also wore Strauss's colours.

Immortal Verse had refused to go in the stalls in the 1,000 Guineas and did not enjoy the rub of the green in the French version, but Collett insisted: "This is the best filly I have trained. Her best weapon is her turn of foot."

Mosse added: "When I pulled her out to challenge her reaction was quicker than I expected and we hit the front too soon. It was the first time I had been on board, but she did it really easily.”

Rod Collet was as happy as he could be in defeat. "I am happy for two things; my father beat me and it is always better when it is your family,” he said. “Everybody is happy and for me Ascot is a beautiful place to be.”

Aidan O’Brien had failed to register a win at the meeting before Lillie Langtry, sent off the well-supported 7-2 favourite, ended the Ballydoyle drought.

She quickened clear of her rivals under Johnny Murtagh to record a length and a quarter verdict in the mile contest over fellow Irish-trained raider Gile Na Greine. Jacqueline Quest was third, having previously been first past the post in the 1,000 Guineas only to be demoted into second.

O’Brien revealed Lillie Langtry had come close to being retired. “She had a little injury at the back end of the season and it is a credit to everyone for getting her back because it looked like she might never race again," he said.

“She was off the whole winter and just ready to start in the Irish Guineas, where she ran a lovely race.”

Murtagh outlined the winner’s attributes. “She’s got good heart, great ability and plenty of speed,” he said. “I’d say it was a pretty strong Coronation Stakes.”

Emotions ran high after Ghanaati, who had won the 1,000 Guineas, followed up in track record time.

Barry Hills, her trainer, had been hospitalised for the previous five weeks and the seriousness of his condition - he had been suffering from blood poisoning - was summed up by winning jockey Richard Hills, who said: “I nearly lost my dad - thank God I didn’t. He’s on his way home today. This victory means more to me than any race I’ve ever won. I’m very proud and admit I’ve worn my heart on my sleeve.

“Dad helped me this morning (by phone) when he said ‘keep her safe and she’ll do the rest’ and I kept that in the back of my mind.”

Hills’ brother, Charlie, who was assistant trainer to his father at the time, added: “It’s been lovely to look after so many fine horses, but it’s been a long five weeks. Dad had started getting on the phone a bit more lately, so we knew he was improving.”

Owned and bred by Sheikh Hamdan, Ghanaati was having only her fourth race. French raider Reggane finished a two-length runner-up and Alain de Royer Dupre, her trainer, said: “She paid for her lack of experience and was a bit outpaced early on because when the winner went she had a lot to do.”

Lush Lashes made her stamina count as she kept on stoutly to win by three and a quarter lengths under Kevin Manning.

The Galileo filly had finished fifth in the Oaks on her previous start but was not inconvenienced by reverting to a mile. Jim Bolger, her trainer, had earlier won the opening Albany Stakes with Cuis Ghaire.

“I was hoping that she would give a good account of herself but I didn’t think she could win in that style,” he said. “I was very tempted to go for the Ribblesdale, but we thought that having won a Group race already we’d try to upgrade her and win a Group One.”

Runner-up Infallible, fourth to Natagora in the 1,000 Guineas, ridden by Jimmy Fortune, satisfied John Gosden but James Fanshawe’s Spacious, sent off the 9-4 favourite after finishing runner-up in the Guineas, was unable to trouble the winner and kept on to take fourth under Jamie Spencer.