Get It makes all for Wokingham win

Get It just held on to deny the fast-finishing big-race favourite More Thunder after making every yard in the Wokingham Stakes at Royal Ascot.

An all-the-way winner of the Stewards’ Cup at Goodwood last year, George Baker’s seven-year-old arrived at the Royal meeting having broken the track record from the front over course and distance last month.

Sent off at 28-1 in the hands Seamie Heffernan, he was away quickly leading the majority of the field up the centre of the track and although William Haggas’ 3-1 market leader More Thunder was weaving his way through the field to challenge late on, Get It had enough up his sleeve to deliver a head verdict.

“He broke Blue Point’s record here six weeks ago and that was a great thrill – and it got us into this race,” said Baker.

“Seamie has given him a peach. All credit to Pat Cosgrave who, annoyingly, is banned. Pat has been the making of this horse and a great, great friend of mine and I’d love Patsy to be riding him obviously because we’ve had a lot of fun along the way – but what a wonderful substitute in Seamie.

“He breezed the horse a couple of times in Bahrain, loved him, and he did what Patsy always does. Let him burn out of the stalls and then he’ll come back to you and then he’ll go again.

“When he was still in front two furlongs out and they were coming, I knew he would go again. But that last furlong took about three days! What a horse. He’s danced a lot of dances and has been an absolute superstar for us.”

Quai De Bethune got up in the very last stride to to deny favourite backers in the Golden Gates Stakes.

Ralph Beckett’s Seraph Gabriel was all the rage as the 11-4 market leader following an eyecatching comeback run at Sandown, and he looked set to oblige after quickening up from the rear to grab the lead under Rossa Ryan.

However, the Andrew Balding-trained 12-1 chance Quai De Bethune came from even further back in the hands of Oisin Murphy and while there was little to choose between the pair passing the post, the judge confirmed Balding’s charge had got up by a nose.

“I’m very pleased. We’ve had this race in mind for him for a good while now, but you need everything to go right,” said the Kingsclere handler.

“He was given an outstanding ride and we just got the margins at the end of the race.”

The Queen Alexandra Stakes brings Royal Ascot to a close and not for the first time it was Willie Mullins who sent punters home happy, with odds-on favourite Sober sauntering to a facile victory under Ryan Moore.

A multiple winner in France for Andre Fabre before making a successful hurdling debut for Mullins at Killarney last month, the six-year-old was a 4-5 shot for his return to the Flat and after cantering all over his rivals, he pulled five lengths clear with the minimum of fuss.

Mullins, winning the race for a fifth time, said: “We bought this horse and he has surprised us; he’s improved a lot more than I thought he would.

“We will aim for the Melbourne Cup – this was stage one. There are a lot of hoops to jump through, but we’ll get them done.”