ASCOT, England (AP) — Kyprios held on to win the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot on Thursday as the Frankie Dettori-ridden Stradivarius came up short in his attempt to land the prestigious race for a record-tying fourth time.
Kyprios, the 13-8 favorite, was neck-and-neck with Mojo Star for the final two furlongs before pulling narrowly ahead and staying on to win by a half-length under jockey Ryan Moore and for trainer Aidan O’Brien, who won the Gold Cup for the eighth time.
Stradivarius was looking to equal Yeats as a four-time winner but had a tough run, finding himself initially blocked off then needing to switch to go very wide in a bid to reel in Kyprios and Mojo Star. He finished third, a further half-length back, in his last race at Royal Ascot.
“I had an inside draw and I had to be careful with what I was doing,” Dettori said. “The pace wasn’t that strong and in the end there was nowhere to go, so I had to take him on the outside which cost me a little bit.
“He has been a good hero, he has been magnificent for racing and a brilliant horse. He just got beat today, he tried and went down fighting. He has been a star. You have to pass on the baton to the younger ones.”
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