Wathnan Racing’s Courage Mon Ami claims Gold Cup

In the presence of Britain’s King Charles III, Wathnan Racing had second winner of the week as their progressive four-year-old Courage Mon Ami (Frankel x Crimson Ribbon) produced an excellent performance to land the Gr 1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot on Thursday.Wathnan Racing’s Ali al-Romaihi and Ali al-Kubaisi received the Gold Cup from King Charles III.Just like the Wathnan Racing owned Gregory (Golden Horn) a day earlier, the unbeaten Courage Mon Ami is trained by John and Thady Gosden and was ridden by Frankie Dettori, who landed a second Gr 1 on the week of his Royal Ascot Swansong.Pitched into Gr 1 company direct from handicaps and relatively inexperienced, Courage Mon Ami took on eleven rivals as he stretched out to 2m4f (4,200m) for the first time.Settled towards the rear of the field, but travelling easily in a race taken along by the eventual third placed Subjectivist (Teofilo), Courage Mon Ami took the eye from a long way out.Scything through the field inside the final 600m, he was switched out to challenge andhe galloped clear of Coltrane (Mastercraftsman) to win ahead of him by three quarters of a length.It was the ninth win in the race for Dettori, which means he will retire two short of Lester Piggott’s all-time record, and a 79th win at the meeting.Dettori punched the air as he recorded his 79th victory at the meeting on Courage Mon Ami where he had his first on Mark Of Distinction in 1990. The 52-year-old described the win as ‘unbelievable’."I didn’t expect it,” he said. "The last five years I’ve had Stradivarius, so the pressure was on. This one I thought was a bit of a chancer coming from handicaps, but John (Gosden, the winner’s trainer) was confident."I rode him cold (off the pace) and it just happened. I got the splits when I wanted to and he showed a turn of foot. The last half a furlong, I couldn’t give in to Oisin (Murphy, on Coltrane). I thought: ‘no, we’ve got this far, please keep going’."It’s unbelievable. Winning the Gold Cup in my last year. I wanted to ride Courage Mon Ami to run well because I really don’t know the horse and I didn’t know his capability or if he was able to stay. I knew there would be pace, I wanted to swing out wide but Stéphane (Pasquier, on Big Call) kept me in and actually won me the race, because I thought: ‘I’ll cut the corner and see what happens’. Then it happened.”Dettori, who is enjoying a successful final year in the saddle having won the English 2000 Guineas and Oaks. Courage Mon Ami is the third consecutive four-year-old to win the Gold Cup, after Subjectivist and Kyprios, and it is conceivable all three will be in the lineup next year, when Courage Mon Ami will be in need of a new jockey.Speaking after the race the impressed winning trainer John Gosden said: "We didn’t run him here for fun, but it was Thady and Peter Shoemark’s idea to enter him, not mine. He’s quite mature at home, but hasn’t been easy to train. It was a superb performance and a great ride from Frankie. He saved every inch, slithered through, and showed his nerves are better than mine.”Bred by Hascombe and Valiant Stud Ltd, Courage Mon Ami is a son of Crimson Ribbon (Lemon Drop Kid) and is a brother to black type performers Purple Ribbon (Gleneagles), Crimson Rosette (Teofilo) and Astronomos (New Approach).