Longshots take down Coronation Stakes, Commonwealth Cup

Longshots ruled the two Group 1 races Friday at Royal Ascot, where 31-1 Cercene captured the Coronation Stakes and 27-1 Time For Sandals won the Commonwealth Cup.

Cercene, based in Ireland, came into the Coronation, a one-turn mile for 3-year-old fillies, with one win – a maiden last season at Naas – from six starts. She had showed some spark and improvement finishing third, albeit a well-beaten one, behind Lake Victoria last out in the Irish 1000 Guineas, but her win price in the World Pool, $64.20, reflected the improbability of this breakthrough.

A breakthrough it was for trainer Joseph Murphy and jockey Gary Carroll, neither of whom had won a Group 1 until Friday.

Cercene broke last but Carroll wasted no time slipping up the fence on his handy mount and within a furlong had taken a favorable ground-saving position just behind the pacesetter. That was 5-2 second choice Falakeyah, who pulled much too hard in the early and middle stages while making just her third start and had run herself out of gas by the time she came off the turn and into the home straight.

There, Carroll took Cercene off the fence and outside Falakeyah and pace-pressing Exactly, bowling to the lead with about a furlong and a half-remaining.

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Yet even as she hit the front, Cercene looked like she’d lose. Zarigana, the 6-5 World Pool favorite, responded with alacrity to Mickael Barzalona’s urging and gained quickly on the leader, coming alongside Cercene at the furlong grounds and poking her nose in front.

Whether from her own reluctance to finish the job, a gallant counterattack from Cercene, or some combination of the two, Zarigana’s lead lasted about three jumps before Cercene regained her advantage, going on to win by a half-length.

One length farther back in third came Ryan Moore and late-running January, a half-length better than fourth-place Cathedral.

Cercene is by Australia out of Tschierschen, by Acclamation. She clocked 1:38.35 over good-to-firm ground, the fastest Coronation since 2018.

Commonwealth Cup

Time For Sandals proved only a slightly less unexpected winner of the Commonwealth than Cercene in the Coronation, paying $57.80 in the World Pool after besting 20 rivals. Richard Kingscote rode the winner for trainer Harry Eustace, who had saddled his first Group 1 winner Tuesday when Docklands landed the Queen Anne.

Time For Sandals, by Sands of Mali out of Days of Summer, by the Miswaki stallion Bachelor Duke, never had run a poor race before the Commonwealth, a straight six-furlong contest restricted to 3-year-olds, but neither had she won in four starts since a debut tally last year over the Kempton Park all-weather track.

Kingscote placed her a length or two off the leader in a seven-horse group, headed by the American filly Shisospicy, who traveled down the far side of the course. The larger group of 14, headed by Arizona Blaze, raced near the stands’ side rail and during the middle stages appeared to hold a general advantage over the other seven.

Shisospicy threw in the towel with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining, Time For Sandals quickly jumping to the lead, going clear by what looked like about one length with a half-furlong remaining, and holding on to win by a neck over 32-1 shot Arizona Blaze, runner-up last fall at Del Mar in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.

Rayevka, in from France for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, checked in third at 26-1, a half-length behind Arizona Blaze and a half-length in front of fourth place Sayidah Dariyan, who was 90-1.

Shadow of Light, the Charlie Appleby-trained Godolphin colt favored at 6-5, finished a modest fifth, while Shisospicy faded off the scene to 15th.

Time For Sandals, racing over quick ground, clocked 1:12.03, the second-fastest Commonwealth since the race came into being 10 years ago.

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