Advertise gives trainer Meade a boost by winning Commonwealth Cup

Advertise gave Martyn Meade his first career win at Royal Ascot in Friday’s Group 1 Commonwealth Cup for 3-year-olds at six furlongs, a reprieve from a difficult spring for the trainer based in the countryside west of London.

For jockey Frankie Dettori, Advertise was his 67th career win at the famous flat-racing festival. Through Friday, Dettori had won seven races in the first four days at Royal Ascot, making him well positioned to claim the riding title after Saturday’s final day.

Advertise (8-1) was not rated as one of Dettori’s leading chances at the beginning of the week. The colt was 15th in the Group 1 English 2000 Guineas on May 4 in his first start of the year. In the $635,950 Commonwealth Cup on a straight course, Advertise was the fifth choice in a field of nine.

Advertise stalked the pace and took the lead in the final furlong, winning by 1 1/2 lengths over 20-1 Forever In Dreams. Hello Youmzain (6-1) finished third, a head in front of even-money favorite Ten Sovereigns, who was beaten 2 1/2 lengths.

Forever In Dreams, a filly, was purchased for approximately $546,000 at the Goffs’ London sale of horses in training on Monday.

Dettori, who rode the first four winners on Thursday’s six-race program at Royal Ascot, has ridden Advertise in four of his seven career starts.

“Advertise put up a tremendous performance,” Dettori said. “I was always in control and traveled like the winner.”

The win completed a remarkable turnaround for Meade, who did not have a runner for four weeks from early May to early June because of concerns over the health of his stable. Since he resumed action on June 5, Meade’s stable has won 2 of 13 starts in England and France.

“It has been a difficult year,” Meade said. “The horses were running very flat to start with. A good example was Advertise in the Guineas.

“It’s a huge elation to win a Group 1 at Royal Ascot. It doesn’t get much better than that, but there is certainly relief because the horses have been a little bit under par. It’s brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.”

Advertise, owned by Phoenix Thoroughbred Ltd., won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at The Curragh in Ireland last August. He was second in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes for 2-year-olds at Royal Ascot last June.

Meade said the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville, France, on Aug. 4 is a possibility for Advertise.

In the following race, the French-trained Watch Me (20-1) scored an upset in the Group 1, $635,950 Coronation Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, finishing 1 1/2 lengths in front of Hermosa, the even-money favorite.

Ridden by Pierre-Charles Boudot for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, Watch Me was always near the front and took the lead in the final furlong. Hermosa, who won the English and Irish 1000 Guineas in May, led in the final quarter-mile but could not sustain the advantage.

“She ran well,” said jockey Ryan Moore. “She’s had a hard couple of races.”

Hermosa finished a length in front of 9-2 Jubiloso in the field of nine.

Watch Me, owned by Alexander Tamagni, gave Graffard his first Royal Ascot win in an already-milestone week. He won the Group 1 French Oaks at Chantilly Racecourse last Sunday with Channel, ridden by Boudot.

“It’s a week you dream of,” Graffard said. “I was confident today. I trusted in my filly, and she has worked well.”

Watch Me was sixth in the French 1000 Guineas at Longchamp on May 12. She won the Group 3 Prix Imprudence at Maisons-Laffitte Racecourse outside of Paris in April.

At the start of the day, Daahyeh remained unbeaten in two starts with a smart win in the Group 3 Albany Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs against 24 rivals.

American trainer Wesley Ward finished 12th with Chili Petin and 13th with Nayibeth. Ward has won 10 races in his career at Royal Ascot but is winless with his first six starters this week. He has two runners entered on Saturday.

Daahyeh, ridden by David Egan, was the 4-1 favorite in the Albany Stakes. Trained by Roger Varian, Daahyeh is unbeaten in two starts.

In the Sandringham Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, Thanks Be (33-1) won by a neck over 7-1 Magnetic Charm, giving jockey Hayley Turner her first Royal Ascot win. Turner is the first female jockey to win at Royal Ascot since Gay Kelleway in 1987.

Turner became the first female rider to win more than 100 races in Britain in 2008 and won the Grade 1 Beverly D. Stakes at Arlington Park on I’m A Dreamer in 2012. The win in the Sandringham came at a cost. Turner was cited for overuse of the whip and was suspended nine days and fined approximately $2,035.