Royal Ascot: Subjectivist shows he's the new boss by pounding Stradivarius in Gold Cup

Odds-on favorite Stradivarius was seeking his fourth straight win in the Group 1 Gold Cup on Thursday at Royal Ascot, but he was no match for runaway winner Subjectivist, a 4-year-old upstart who might be turning into the top staying horse in Europe.

Subjectivist pressed the pace for much of the 2 1/2-mile Gold Cup before jockey Joe Fanning went on with his mount a good three furlongs from the finish. Subjectivist quickly opened a big lead, and while it looked briefly like Fanning might have asked his mount too soon, Subjectivist kept finding more and never was threatened in an impressive five-length victory.

:: Royal Ascot 2021: Get PPs, previews, analysis, recaps and more

Stradivarius, racing from the tail of the field, got stuck in traffic before hitting the homestretch but had time to extricate himself and perform better than he did. Instead, he flattened out late and could only finish fourth as Princess Zoe was second and Spanish Mission third.

Subjectivist, by Teofilo out of Reckoning, by Danehill Dancer, only truly revealed his staying power last fall, when he won the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp, seeing out the 15 1/2-furlong trip on heavy ground. In his lone previous race this year, he traveled to Dubai and won the two-mile Gold Cup by more than five lengths.

His 4.20.28 clocking ranks among the fastest times in this historic race. Subjectivist, trained by Mark Johnston, paid $13.90 in North American wagering.