Coroebus pulls out all stops to clinch St James’s Palace

Coroebus was made to pull out all the stops to supplement his 2000 Guineas triumph with victory in a thrilling renewal of the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

The Dubawi colt narrowly denied esteemed stablemate Native Trail when providing trainer Charlie Appleby with a first victory in the colts’ Classic on the Rowley Mile.

And with Native Trail having since bounced back to winning ways in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, Coroebus was unsurprisingly cramped odds to double his tally for the season as the 10-11 favourite.

Drawn low in stall two, the fear beforehand was whether the three-year-old would get boxed in behind the pacemakers – and for a moment turning in his supporters would have been sweating.

But the gap came for William Buick’s mount against the far rail with a furlong and a half to run, at which stage it looked like he would pick up and win comfortably.

However, Lusail refused to go down without a fight and My Prospero and Mighty Ulysses were both in there pitching to set up a grandstand finish.

In the end Coroebus found just enough for pressure to hold on by a head from Lusail, with My Prospero third and Maljoom coming from the clouds to finish a close-up fourth after being denied a clear run.

Charlie Appleby's 2000 Guineas winner Coroebus just held on to add the St James's Palace Stakes to his record.

The three-year-old got a gap up the rail at just the right time, just as William Buick might have been forgiven for starting to panic.

However, once he found a passage the 10-11 favourite failed to quicken away like he had done in the Guineas, as Lusail stuck to his guns gamely and My Prospero was only narrowly behind in third.

The unlucky one, though, was Maljoom, who got no run from the back of the pack and ended up in front two strides after the line, so fast did he finish.

Buick said: "You have to enjoy these good horses and I'm privileged to get on these good horses, but at the same time it's a case of getting the job done.

"It was one of those races where it was tricky. He had a good draw, but a good draw can turn into a bad draw very quickly. He travelled so strong and I just wanted him to drop his head.

"In the straight I had no option to go when I did and I got a lovely run through. He's a very good horse. You are supposed to enjoy it but you do want to get the job done."

Appleby said: "We knew coming into today it would be a different style of a race. I just wish the pace had been stronger.

"On the turn it allowed him to get a breather but his class and determination got us over the line.

"We'll have discussions about the future, but the Sussex (Stakes) is there as an option and the Prix Jacques le Marois is another.

"I'm sure a clash with Baaeed is something that we'd all need to discuss, but Sheikh Mohammed never shies away from a challenge.

"Baaeed was very impressive winner, taking nothing away from him, but this was just our horse's fifth start of his career, and I thought it was a gutsy performance in a race that probably wasn't run particularly to suit us."

Richard Hannon said of Lusail: “He’s run a super race. He has confirmed the run from the Guineas, which we thought was an extremely good run; he didn’t get it right in the gates and I think we proved it right here.

“A lot of people thought we should be going to the Jersey Stakes, but he’s won Group Twos, and he’s run not necessarily the race of his life, but he’s put his name in place in a Group One, and one’s going to fall his way before the end of the year, I’m sure.”

Pat Dobbs added: “Lusail over-raced a little bit through the race; I wish he’d have relaxed