Stradivarius keeps streak alive in Yorkshire Cup

Stradivarius began his 5-year-old campaign Friday at York doing the same thing he did every trip to the post as a 4-year-old: Win a long-distance group stakes.

Five for five as a 4-year-old, Stradivarius now is 1 for 1 as a 5-year-old after edging clear late from Southern France in the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup. The Aidan O’Brien-trained Southern France got three pounds from the winner and had started once this season, while Stradivarius raced for the first time since Oct. 20. But while Southern France put up a good fight, Stradivarius had too much class in the end, crossing the line three-quarters of a length the best under Frankie Dettori after a quarter-mile battle between the top two.

It was a full five lengths back to Mildenberger in third, with Ispolini, his strong Dubai form failing to make any real impact, finishing fourth.

John Gosden trains Stradivarius, a son of Sea the Stars and the Bering mare Private Life, for breeder Bjorn Nielsen. Stradivarius now has won 10 of 15 starts and has a six-race win streak that began in the 2018 Yorkshire Cup and includes victories in the Group 1 Gold Cup at Ascot and the Group 1 Goodwood Cup. A similar schedule has been plotted this year, with Gosden saying post-race that this 1 ¾-mile distance was the bare minimum for Stradivarius at this point in his career.