A race that is usually a tactical affair, this year proved no different. No doubt the best horse won on the day, but so did the best ride, with Ryan Moore showing his class.

When the speed of the race changed with Tommy Berry and Harbour Master setting off, Moore did not panic. Riding his own race he eased back, letting Cirrus Des Aigles around him to sit outside Harbour Master. Moore then eased off the fence and sat two wide, which was a master stroke.

As they straightened both the favourite Flintshire and Highland Reel shifted toward the middle of the track for the run home. As was expected Flintshire was finishing the better of the two and hit the front at the 350m mark. However Highland Reel and Moore were not done with and continued to fight hitting the front at the 200m mark and going on to win comfortably by a length.

Moore said of the race “He did it very easily, he’s turned into a very good horse.  When Flintshire came by me, I thought he was in trouble but he dug in.”. There were no excuses for Flintshire, he was beaten by the better horse on the day. Third was Dariyan, who local trainer John Moore is looking to buy with a view to the Hong Kong Derby. Christophe Soumillon commented “I had a horse on my outside leaning on me the whole way which did not help me. Otherwise, I would have been up there with Flintshire.”

Highland Reel is by the great Coolmoore stallion Galileo, out of the Australian bred mare Hveger (Danehill). Hveger is a daughter of one of the great mares of the Australian stud book, Circles Of Gold and is a full sister to Elvstroem and a half to Haradasun. No doubt we will see him at stud in Australia at some stage.

You can watch the Vase here