Duke of Marmalade's Big Orange Clings on in a Pulsating Gold Cup

   Surprisingly making his first attempt at Royal Ascot's showpiece G1 Gold Cup, popular journeyman Big Orange (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) slugged out a pulsating finish with reigning champion Order of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to gain a career high in Thursday's feature event. The gelded bay, who was last seen annexing Sandown's G3 Henry II S. four weeks earlier, adopted his customary frontrunning role–racing in his now familiar cheekpieces–passing the judge first time in this marathon contest and remained in situ thereafter. Seeing off all rivals and poaching a decisive advantage when stoked up approaching the final quarter mile, the 5-1 chance appeared vulnerable quarry as Ryan Moore loomed large on the 5-6 favourite at the eighth pole, but he dug deep to find abundant reserves and staved off that rival in belligerent fashion to cling on by a sliver. The pair were six lengths clear of last year's G1 St Leger hero Harbour Law (GB) (Lawman {Fr}) as they hit the line almost in unison. “He's as tough as they get and it was great to get the call up, but I can't take any credit for this,” claimed rider James Doyle, who was drafted in as a late replacement for the injured Frankie Dettori. “I have to thank Frankie, he's a star and phoned me a couple of nights ago, not to give me orders but just to talk about the horse. We spoke for about 20 minutes and he was spot on. He told me, whatever I do, not to interfere with him as he knows what speed to go. I left him do his own thing and I was just a passenger really. I had Frankie's voice in my head all the way round and the rest is history.”

Thursday, Royal Ascot, Britain
GOLD CUP-G1, £400,000, ASC, 6-22, 4yo/up, 19f 210yT, 4:22.40, g/f.
1–&BIG ORANGE (GB), 128, g, 6, by Duke of Marmalade (Ire)
1st Dam: Miss Brown To You (Ire), by Fasliyev
2nd Dam: Almaaseh (Ire), by Dancing Brave
3rd Dam: Al Bahathri, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
O-W J & T C O Gredley; B-Stetchworth & Middle Park Studs (GB); T-Michael Bell; J-James Doyle. £226,840. Lifetime Record: GSP-Aus & UAE, 24-9-2-2, $1,605,813. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Order of St George (Ire), 128, h, 5, Galileo (Ire)–Another Storm, by Gone West. ($550,000 Ylg '13 KEESEP). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Lloyd Williams; B-Paget Bloodstock (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £86,000.[bullet ad=”blandfordstud-forpagetbloodstock”][bullet ad=”irt-shell”]3–Harbour Law (GB), 126, c, 4, Lawman (Fr)–Abunai (GB), by Pivotal (GB). (24,000gns RNA Ylg '14 TATYEA; £30,000 2yo '15 GOFLON). O-Mrs Jackie Cornwell; B-Hascombe & Valiant Studs (GB); T-Laura Mongan. £43,040.
Margins: NO, 6, HF. Odds: 5.00, 0.80, 33.00.
Also Ran: She Is No Lady (GB), Torcedor (Ire), Sheikhzayedroad (GB), Sweet Selection (GB), Prince of Arran (GB), Nearly Caught (Ire), Endless Time (Ire), Harrison (GB), Quest For More (Ire), Trip To Paris (Ire), Simple Verse (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
   Big Orange is something of a creature of habit and successfully defended his 2015 wins in last year's G2 Princess of Wales's S. and G2 Goodwood Cup. He was a creditable 10th of 24 in his second stab at Flemington's G1 Melbourne Cup Nov. 1, backing up a fifth there the previous year, and closed last term with a third in the Nov. 12 G2 Zipping Classic, at Australia's Sandown, and an 11th in Sha Tin's Dec. 11 G1 Hong Kong Vase. Returning this year to run fourth in Meydan's Mar. 25 G1 Dubai Gold Cup, he resumed European plunders with a wide-margin score in the G3 Henry II S. at his native Sandown, providing Frankie Dettori with a record sixth renewal of the latter contest, last time out. “He's just an absolute superstar,” said trainer Michael Bell after registering a seventh Royal triumph. “He gives his all, he's got a heart as big as himself and I can't praise his attitude enough. He wants to race and he's a colossal racehorse. On fast ground in the middle of the summer, he's a monster. We knew we would probably have to do the donkey work, but we were happy to do that as you can't check his stride. He's got an enormous stride pattern and you've got to let him use it. I was very happy throughout the race and I thought James was in total charge of the situation. Then, in the closing stages, I was praying for the winning post, saying, 'Inshallah, please God', any religious thing I could think of to make the winning post come, and it did. It's the feature race of the meeting, an epic race taking on a very good horse [Order of St George] in a proper horse race, and I can't tell you the pride I have got in Big Orange. Enormous pride and great satisfaction for the team at home. I'm so pleased for them, for the horse, for the owners, for me, for everybody.”
   Part-owner Bill Gredley was just as effusive in his praise and added, “He has been working well and is thriving and all credit must go to Michael Bell, who has done a fantastic job on him. His staff deserve a lot of credit, they are really good guys and have done a lot of work on him. We are here to take the applause, but there are people behind the scenes who deserve to take the applause. Frankie gave James some good advice, but he is not a horse who seems that bothered now and just gets on with everything. It is always nice to win and when he has gone that pace over two-and-a-half miles up front it takes a lot of getting, but he is very difficult to get past. This is alongside User Friendly's [Epsom Oaks, Irish Oaks, Yorkshire Oaks and St Leger] victories I suppose. She was a good horse and let's hope they keep coming.”
   Aidan O'Brien was seeking to extend his winning record of seven in the contest, but it was not to be in a renewal for the ages. “Order of St George ran a very good race,” he said, “I am not sure yet where he will go next, we'll see how he is before making any plans.”
   Laura Mongan contravened the Royal Enclosure's strict dress code as Harbour Law produced another sterling effort and admitted, “I threw my hat off!” She continued, “We knew he was entitled to be here and he ran a cracking race. He didn't have a great start to the year, but has come here 100 percent and is a very nice horse. He is so exciting and there is a lot more to come from him. I don't know whether we will go to Goodwood or not [for the Aug. 1 G1 Goodwood Cup], but we will have a chat with [jockey] Jim [Crowley] and the owners and see what works out. You can see that he has had a run. The ground wasn't really his and it was far enough for him. The right two horses were in front of us and he has done us proud. I am happy with this and will enjoy it for now.”
   Big Orange, kin to the 2-year-old filly India (GB) (Poet's Voice {GB}) and a colt foal by Fastnet Rock (Aus), is the sole black-type performer out of a winning half-sister to MG1SW Hong Kong Horse of the Year Military Attack (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}), MGSW Irish highweight sprinter and sire Almaty (Ire) (Dancing Dissident), and to Listed Severals S. second Salee (Ire) (Caerleon). His dam Miss Brown To You is also a half-sister to the dam of the highly popular Red Cadeaux (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}), who annexed G1 Hong Kong Vase and G2 Yorkshire Cup, and ran second in the G1 Dubai World Cup and G1 Melbourne Cup, the latter race on three occasions. The winner's third dam is G1 Irish 1000 Guineas victress and G1 1000 Guineas runner-up Al Bahathri (Blushing Groom {Fr}), whose family also includes G1 Dubai Duty Free and G1 Premio Vittorio di Capua-winning multiple highweight Gladiatorus (Silic {Fr}).