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Frankie Dettori won his second successive winner of the third day of Royal Ascot 2019
His fourth at this year's meeting - when Sangarius won the G3 £90,000 Hampton Court Stakes. It takes him to the front of QIPCO Leading Jockey Award, with Ryan Moore and Danny Tudhope sharing second place with three wins apiece.
Following A'Ali's success in the opening Norfolk Stakes, Sangarius gave Dettori the second half of a 44/1 double.
The Kingman colt, trained by Sir Michael Stoute and owned by Khalid Abdullah, was impressive in beating the 7/2 favourite Fox Chairman (Andrew Balding/Silvestre de Sousa) by two and a quarter lengths at odds of 13/2.
Dettori, who has now ridden 64 Royal Ascot winners in his career, said: "I hope I haven't used up all my luck! I came in this morning thinking Stradivarius [favourite for the G1 Gold Cup] was my best ride. He's not until race four and I win the first two races, and I'm thinking, 'Oh God...'
"It's Ascot, you've got to have 10 plans for a race and hope you pick the right one. I had half a split and I took it. He's a very brave horse - he's very big, so he made himself plenty of room, and boy, didn't he half quicken for a big horse. It was a great performance. I saw daylight, which in these races is very unusual, and I was able to push him out to the line and enjoy the moment.
"I embrace the pressure. It is part and parcel of the job and I thrive off it."
Sangarius 's form looked good coming into the ten-furlong Hampton Court Stakes (G3) having finished third to King Of Comedy, this week's St James's Palace Stakes (G1) runner-up, in the mile Listed Heron Stakes at Sandown in May.
The form lines held good today.
A strapping bay three-year-old son of Juddmonte Farm's Kingman, the Prince Khalid Abdullah-owned colt put the race to bed in a matter of strides, going away to win by a two and a quarter lengths under jockey Frankie Dettori, who was riding a quick double on the day two card.
"He is a horse we have always liked a lot," said trainer Sir Michael Stoute. "He did it well, he was tight for space, and he couldn't get enough room to get into a rhythm. But he has a turn of foot, and he is improving, he is a nice horse. He very quickly put a lot of space between himself and the field, that is a good sign!
"There was not a suitable mile and a quarter race for him in the spring, so we went to Sandown. He was little bit undercooked there as he had had a hold-up in March," explained Stoute, who laughingly added: "Frankie is getting pretty old, but we'd better hang on in there!"
The Newmarket-based trainer has now accrued 81 Royal Ascot winners, a new record.
BALDING TAKES DEFEAT ON THE CHIN
Racehorse owners King Power Racing and trainer Andrew Balding were back in the Royal Ascot winner's enclosure today, but in the place reserved for runners-up.
The same combination were in that position on Tuesday, when Beat The Bank was a neck second in the G1 Queen Anne Stakes, and today they had to settle for the same placing after Fox Chairman finished behind Sangarius in the G3 £90,000 Hampton Court Stakes - who was another winner for in-form Frankie Dettori.
Sangarius (13/2) beat Fox Chairman (7/2f) by two and a quarter lengths, but the gap would have been unquestionably smaller had the runner-up not been checked twice as Silvestre de Sousa attempted to find gaps in the home straight. The partnership had not been helped by their slow start, but Fox Chairman ran on strongly once finding clear space and caught third-placed King Ottakar (5/1) near the line to finish a neck ahead of that rival.
Asked to reflect on the race, Balding sportingly handed praise to Sangarius, saying: "I think the winner has run very well and we take nothing away from him, but we would have been closer.
"That was only the third start for our horse, and he's certainly a very nice horse in the making.
"We'll work back from the autumn and take it from there. I don't want to over-race him because he'll stay in training next season. He's going to be a very smart horse in time."
Charlie Fellowes was magnanimous in defeat following King Ottokar's (5/1) third-placed finish in the £90,000 G3 Hampton Court Stakes.
The three-year-old son of Motivator had to challenge towards the outside of the field in the home straight, but stayed on well to finish third.
Frankie Dettori and Sir Michael Stoute captured the 10-furlong event with 13/2 shot Sangarius, who defeated the Andrew Balding-trained Fox Champion (7/2f) by two and a quarter-lengths. King Ottokar was a further neck behind in third.
Newmarket-based Fellowes said: "You look at where the first two have come from and it just hasn't worked out for us.
"I'm not blaming anyone, we just couldn't get a good position and we've ended up being three wide out the back of the field.
"Sir Ottokar has covered more ground than any other horse in the field which is a shame as he has run a massive race.
"There are loads of positives to take from the performance. We have a very good horse on ouer hands. I t was a very goods race.
"Sir Ottokar is very quick and we have options over a mile or a mile and a quarter.
"I'm proud of the performance but you just wonder what would've happened if we had been positioned where Sangarius was, because we probably gave away quite a few lengths.
"Today was not his day, but we can go forward positive with King Ottokar for the rest of the season. He has proved himself in a top-class race and we have a lot to look forward to.
"Options have now opened up for him. This was our Derby today so we'll get him back home and see where we go from here."
