Royal Ascot 2017 – Prince Of Wales’s Stakes next for Decorated Knight after Curragh win for trainer Roger Charlton
The race lost some of its appeal after star filly Minding was ruled out, but Decorated Knight took advantage of her absence to bag the Group 1 prize at the Curragh
BRITISH challenger Decorated Knight spoiled the Irish party as he claimed top honours in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh.
Decorated Knight was the 7-2 favourite to add his name to the roll of honour after winning at the highest level in Dubai earlier in the year.
He showed a great attitude under Andrea Atzeni to hold off the late challenge of the admirable Somehow who was having her fourth run in just a month.
Aidan O'Brien was also responsible for the third, Deauville.
Atzeni said: "It went very smoothly. We had a good draw, we had a good position all the way and he travelled beautifully into the race.
"Two (furlongs) out, I was very confident it was going take a decent horse to beat him today.
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"He got to the front easily enough. In the last 100 yards he got a bit lonely, but when the second horse came he went again.
"He's very brave, he's got a big heart and he's going the right way."
Charlton said: "I was very worried when I saw the ground yesterday. I knew the forecast was for heavy showers, but not like an inch or whatever they had.
"People kept tactfully sending me photographs of flooded car parks and puddles everywhere and I thought it was getting bad.
"This horse has improved and improved. The Group 1 race he won in Meydan wouldn't have been the strongest race and this is a stronger race. He keeps on improving.
"If Minding had turned up it would have been a different story, but he won with his ears pricked and was pulling up in front.
"He has a very classy pedigree. He's a very close relation to Gleneagles and his dam is a half-sister to Giants Causeway, so he has a stallion career."
The Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot looks Decorated Knight's likely next port of call.
"We were looking to go abroad a bit but you would have to run at Ascot. It's worked for us before so hopefully it will work again," the trainer added.