Stradivarius (Ire)

Soft ground? No worries. If anything, that extra dimension only served to exaggerate the superiority of Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) as Bjorn Nielsen's chestnut entered immortality with an emphatic third G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. Joining Sagaro (GB) and now only one off Yeats (Ire) with his awe-inspiring tally, the 4-5 favourite was always well within his comfort zone sauntering around this part of Berkshire that he has made his own. Switched off in his customary mid-division pitch throughout the early stages, he was lightly squeezed into...

John Gosden has tentatively started to make summer plans for his stable stars. The maestro of Clarehaven Stables admits it "won't be easy" to better a wonderful 2019, which saw plenty of top-class winners and a fourth trainers' championship. "It is early days. We just started cantering on Warren Hill on Saturday morning," he said. "I have not exactly got eyes on targets. We will look at the early entries, and the older horses you won't see until virtually June--the likes of Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and all...