17:16 Well they say all good things must come to an end and this is the end of three good days racing here at Ascot.

Highlight of the three days has to be yesterdays big races with Rainbow View’s impressive victory in the Fillies mile and Raven’s Pass in the Queen Elizabeth II finally getting the better of Henrythenavigator at the fourth attempt.

This afternoons highlight must be Liberation in the Nursery, a very useful looking prospect.

Tomorrow we will be just down the road at Windsor where there are some very large fields and finding winners looks as though it will be a nightmare.

Until tomorrow it is a very good evening from Ascot.

17:10 When you have a race where the likes of Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore competing you expect a nice tight finish and so it happened in the finale of our three day festival.
However it was top apprentice jockeys David Probert and Jack Mitchell who fought out the finish after slipping the field.

It has to be said their respective mounts Isphahan and Curzon Prince were not unfancied in the betting, they were sent off joint second favourites.

Mesbaah under James Moriarty set a strong pace, arguably too strong as he was allowed a seven length lead at one point.

Two out he had come back to the field and it looked to be  a four horse race with the two aforementioned runners in contention with Extraterrestrial and the favourite Gold Sovereign.

As the two apprentices fought out the finish Frankie Dettori asked the favourite for an effort bur had little response.

Isphahan won the battle up front finishing 1¾ lengths ahead of his rival with the favourite a further 4½ lengths back in third.       

16:39 I have said this many times before but there is, for a jockey,  a very fine line between glory and making a complete and utter prat of yourself.

The two mile SIS Live Fenwolf Stakes is a perfect case in point. The form book will say that Jamie Spencer found a gap on Metaphoric and won by 1¼ lengths with a late run. Without a greta deal of luck it could have said, jockey managed to get the horse in an impossible position and rode like an idiot.

The race was run at no great pace as Tungsten Strike, in his usual manner, made the running and by Swinley Bottom the field were running in Indian file with Metaphoric mid-division and favourite Distinction tracking the leader.

Land ‘n’ Stars took up the running three out and a charge then occurred as the runners all decided to make a race of it. Jamie Spencer on Metaphoric was well and truly mullered and the favourite did not get the best of runs.

In a messy finish a gap appeared on the rail and Jamie Spencer was able to extricate himself from the earlier mess.

All in all an unsatisfactory race and one to ignore for the form book.

16:05 A very well backed and convincing winner in our seven furlong nursery.

Mark Johnston’s Liberation was backed in from 6/1 to be sent off the 100/30 second favourite. To say the colt won with plenty in hand would be a massive understatement. He demolished the field of good two-year-olds with consummate ease.

The favourite, Secrecy could only finish five lengths behind and he, in turn, was five lengths ahead of the remainder, headed by Good Again ridden by Hayley Turner – but quite frankly the filly may as well have been in a different race.

Johnmanderville set the pace with Cook’s Endeavour, Sweet Possession and My Kingdom with Richard Hills happy to track these on the winner.

15:26 The six furlong Diadem Stakes was our third race.

Frankie Dettori was again on the favourite, this time Godolphin’s Diabolical, although the support may be down to him being tipped as the Pricewise horse in the Racing Post.

Dettori kept the favourite mid-division before launching a challenge inside the final furlong. It was a good run but insufficient to peg back the eventual winner King’s Apostle who was given a textbook ride by Liam Jones.

Most of the fifteen runner field stayed centre course, the two exceptions being Lesson In Humility and Dark Missile, who opted for the far side route. Halfway Lesson Humility had the call but then dropped back, presumably not having anything to race against.

In the main bunch Prime Defender just about set the pace although he was accompanied the eventual winner, Strike The Deal and Dhaular Dhar (who ran here over seven yesterday).

Liam Jones asked the eventual winner to take the lead half a furlong out and it was a good enough lead to hold off late running challenges for several runners who finished up in a heap for minor honours, none more so than the running on (and well backed) Sir Gerry.

14:52 One of our top races of the day and Sixties Icon was sent off the well baked 11/10 favourite.

However favourite backers must have had palpitations as he really badly missed the break, giving at least six lengths to the rest of the runners. Jockey Frankie Dettori did not panic and, thanks to a reasonably slow pace set by Sugar Ray he was soon in touch with the field, with Dettori happy to settle the horse in rear.

From a spectacle most of the race was boring with the field running in Indian file in the order Sugar Ray, Lion Sands, Galactic Star, Ajhar and Sixties Icon.

The race developed as they entered the home straight with Galactic Star challenging for second place but never really looking that keen (he was worked up before the race and sweating badly).

Meanwhile Frankie launched Sixties Icon with a run along the far rail and cut through the field with consummate ease taking the lead about a furlong from home and never looking to be in any danger.

The front running outsider managed to hold on to the second place, a deserved placing as the other runners were all disappointing.

A visually impressive victory from the winner but it has to be said the main contenders were disappointing and none of them, bar the runner-up, ran to their true potential.

Talking about the tardy start Dettori said, "He's never done this before, but he's an old horse and is quite clever about the game.

"He eventually came out and it was a good effort because he was giving five lengths and 3lb to the field.

"He won it decisively, but for a split-second I was worried."

14:15 A mile and a half handicap to get us under way this afternoon.

Young Mick was sent off the 4/1 favourite but only managed to take the runners-up spot. A generous interpretation would be an unlucky run as he was boxed in with nowhere to go two out. Whether it is down to bad judgement by jockey Robert Winston or luck in running is open to debate.

Another interesting ride was that given by Ian Mongan on Profit’s Reality, who took the wide Willy Carson route – the difference being the Carson route works when the going is soft but not on a warm sunny day. Granted he had his nose in front five out but having to take a wide sweep did not help.

Drill Sergeant was the other front runner and he help on to take third place.

The winner, Night Crescendo, ran a well judged race under Jim Crowley, with the pace most of the way he was launched on a run two and a half furlongs out and took a handy lead.

The challenger at the end was Young Mick but although running on well was too late to nail the winner.

13:00 Just over an hour to our first race and the crowds are arriving, a different type of crowd today, much more family oriented.

I have to say Ascot seem to have managed to get the Family Day off to a tee with plenty of activities to keep the youngsters occupied - unlike a number of courses who seem to think throwing up a bouncy castle is enough to justify the Family Day epithet.

11:45 Good morning from Ascot for day three of the September festival. We have another glorious day weather wise and although the racing may not quite be the same class as yesterday we still have some decent races in prospect.

Just the one non-runner so far and the official going is Good

Return to race archive:

Non-Runners

3:50
4 Blown It (Lame)

Results

2:05

1st 8 Night Crescendo 9/1
2nd 1 Young Mick 4/1 fav
3rd 4 Drill Sergeant 12/1
12 Ran
Distances head & 1/2L
Fav Second
Tote
Win £11.10
Place £3.00 £1.60 £4.40
Exacta £54.00
CSF £45.16
Tricast £445.05
Time 2' 32.39"

2:40

1st 1 Sixties Icon 11/10 fav
2nd 5 Sugar Ray 10/1
5 Ran
Distances 2 1/4L
Fav Winner
Tote
Win £1.90
Place £1.30 £2.30
Exacta £8.90
CSF £12.53
Time 2' 33.68"

3:15

1st 8 King's Apostle 12/1
2nd 5 Diabolical 11/2 fav
3rd 11 Sir Gerry 13/2
15 Ran
Distances Neck & Neck
Fav Second
Tote
Win £15.10
Place £3.90 £2.60 £2.80
Exacta £93.20
CSF £77.09
Time 1' 14.20"

3:50

1st 5 Liberation 100/30
2nd 1 Secrecy 15/8 fav
3rd 3 Good Again 12/1
12 Ran NR 4
Distances 5L & 5L
Fav Second
Tote
Win £4.60
Place £1.80 £1.80 £3.20
Exacta £12.30
CSF £10.13
Tricast £71.14
Time 1' 27.81"

4:25

1st 5 Metaphoric 4/1
2nd 3 Balkan Knight 13/2
3rd 7 Sagara 7/1
8 Ran
Distances 1 1/4L & 3/4L
Fav 1 Distinction 11/4 (5th)
Tote
Win £5.50
Place £1.80 £2.30 £2.10
Exacta £28.70
CSF £30.17
Time 3' 26.90"

5:00

1st 8 Isphahan 4/1
2nd 3 Curzon Prince 4/1
3rd 1 Gold Sovereign 9/4 fav
9 Ran
Distances 1 3/4L & 4 1/2L
Fav Third
Tote
Win £5.20
Place £1.70 £1.80 £1.50
Exacta £19.90
CSF £20.42
Tricast £43.12
Time 1' 31.46"