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John and Thady Gosden’s Running Lion barely saw a rival when stretching clear to take out the Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes on Wednesday at Royal Ascot.
The daughter of Roaring Lion was bitterly disappointing when last of eight in the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom on derby day, but proved what she was capable of when putting it all together with a commanding all-the-way success in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes.
Oisin Murphy made his intentions clear from the outset and soon steered the well-backed 6/1 chance into a clear advantage after a furlong. High off the back of his Group 1 victory on Asfoora in the King Charles III Stakes yesterday, the three-time champion jockey soon dictated the tempo, and it quickly became apparent that he had his rivals in trouble turning for home.
The pair kicked clear up the Ascot straight and although the returning to action Laurel emerged from the pack to give chase under Ryan Moore, Running Lion and Oisin Murphy were not for passing as they stretched clear for a comfortable two-length triumph.
The William Haggas-trained Doom rallied well to get the better of Magical Sunset in a photo finish for third place, with Joseph O'Brien's 100/30 favourite Rogue Millenium finishing a further short-head behind in fourth.
Paddy Power cut the winner to 12 (from 25s) for the Falmouth Stakes, while the same firm also made her an unchanged 16/1 chance for the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.
"This filly has been unlucky," said the winning trainer, John Gosden. "She moved a bit soon in the Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket and got boxed in at Epsom. We did decide 'third time, Oisin, do what you want'. He's drawn 11, go to the front, control it. It was perfect because we got in a muddle in the last two races.
"She got heatstroke in the Diane, kicked the gates out at Epsom, was third in the Guineas. She hasn't always been lucky."
Murphy added: "Obviously at Epsom she broke well, I didn't want to lead because she did too much in front at Newmarket and wasted too much energy and we had a hard luck story.
"Today, I had to have a bit of confidence to go out and do my own thing. When she broke well and she pricked her ears, I was happy to lead, and when she saved energy like that, she was always going to be hard to pass.
"I got a breather into her all the way through the turn, today I had the horse to do that. The freshness is out of her, and she took the prelims.
"It's great because David Howden bred her. He's an official sponsor here, along with Qipco, he's important, vital to British racing and he's been rewarded this afternoon."
