Gold Cup: Kyprios is king as Stradivarius goes down fighting

Having gone a slow pace there were plenty in with chances turning into the straight, as the mare Princess Zoe just about hit the front a furlong out looking to go one better than 12 months ago.

She was soon headed by Kyprios, but Mojo Star, second in the Derby and St Leger last year, and eventually Stradivarius having had to be switched for a run, threw down their challenge.

But it was not to be, as the 13-8 favourite held on for a famous win by half a length with another three-quarters of a length back to Frankie Dettori and Stradivarius, who was bidding to join the O’Brien-trained Yeats as a four-time winner.

“We’re delighted with him, Ryan gave him a great ride,” said O’Brien, who was landing the historic race for the eighth time.

“He’s a baby, but he’s a brave horse and he’s going to progress – he’s only a baby and he missed all of last year. We thought he would do the Leger, but he got out under the stalls (in the Queen’s Vase) last year and badly bruised his back.

“We couldn’t race him for the rest of the year – he’s a brave horse and we think there’s more to come from him.

“It was a competitive race with Stradivarius and all the good horses. It’s incredible, and it was great Stradivarius was here and he ran in this race. It makes these races even more special and incredible. I’m delighted for all the lads and the team.”

He added: “He could race for a good while, he’s a lovely, kind, good-natured horse and a very sound horse.

“Hopefully the lads will decide to keep him going (next year).”

Moore said: “It wasn’t a nice race to ride. Kyprios stepped slow for him which was unusual. I didn’t like the position I was in. I knew I had Frankie on my inside and they were going slow up front.

“I had to move him to the outside and I don’t like doing that, but I felt I had to keep Kyprios going.

“He’s got there and Mojo Star has come to us and this fella kicked in then and it was comfortable at the line.

“It wasn’t a true test today, I don’t think we saw the best of him. I’m glad he has come over here and won – there are plenty more good days to be had with him.

“He is brave. It was a more complicated race than it should have been. I think he was much the best.”

As for Richard Hannon’s Mojo Star he surely has the unwanted moniker of being the unluckiest horse in training.

He has only won one of eight lifetime starts but he has finished second in the Derby, St Leger and now a Gold Cup.

Hannon said: “Gold Cup next year is where we work back from. He is in all the good races. He is very manoeuvrable and he can go back to a mile and a half and now gets two and a half miles. Or anything in between.

“I worked him with my milers, Lusail and Chindit at Kempton, and thought he might have worked the best.

“I knew then he might run a big race if he would go the trip – and he got the trip and for a second I thought he might go and win it. Obviously, I’m gutted not to win.

“We have had a few seconds this week, but it will come and it is a real pleasure to be associated with him and his day will come. He has been second in three Group Ones. It took a lot to get him here and to run him in the Gold Cup first time out.

“If he was trained by a good trainer, he might win four lengths and win the Hardwicke on Friday. I am so proud of the horse and the people surrounding him. He has only just won his maiden – six months ago.

“He looks like Superman. You would not get a better-looking horse. He takes a bit to get fit and when you go that trip he does come into consideration. He has had a hard race today and we will pick our way.”

Dettori said of Stradivarius: “He ran good, I had an inside draw so I had to be careful what I was doing.

“I was tracking the winner, but the pace wasn’t that strong and in the end I had nowhere to go so I had to take him on the outside and that cost me a little bit.

“I don’t think it cost me the race. The young horses had fresher legs, I didn’t make too much headway when I pulled him out, maybe half a length, but as I hit the line they were going stronger than me.

“I had every chance to get him at the end, but they were stronger than me.

“He owes nothing to racing, he’s been a magnificent horse and even though he got beaten today he went down fighting.

“He is eight and I laboured a bit in the end and I was never going to get him. He tried hard.”

“He’s been a star, but he’s got to pass the baton to the younger ones.”

Speaking to ITV Racing, co-trainer John Gosden said: “I think there was obviously no real pace and I was a bit surprised being in the box seat we dropped back so far and the problem is when they sprint, you’ve got to get a run and he had to come widest of all, so his head was turned around to get a run.

“He had a chance the last furlong, but the race had just slipped on them. They had gone a pretty steady old pace.

“Great horse to get here and to turn up now in five Gold Cups, just to be here, and to have the longevity he’s had. He has come back in and he’s had a neigh, he seems happy. So a great credit to the horse and to the owner-breeder for keeping him racing.

“There are younger horses there who are first and second, but I think I just wish we’d been a little handier and not had to go through a wall of horses.”

Asked if he felt it was a race that had got away, he said: “Potentially.”

Reflecting further, he added later: “I felt it was a very slowly-run race to be dropping back. They were only cantering the first time and he had a nice position. I couldn’t understand dropping back. Because once you do that, you know it will be a sprint and then you have got to get around them and I’d be happier if he stayed where he was.

“If there was a strong pace, I get it, but they were hack-cantering.”