Oisin Murphy guides Queen Of The Pride to Lancashire Oaks victory.
Doha: Qatar Racing Limited-owned Queen Of The Pride continued her swift rise through the ranks with an authoritative victory in the Lancashire Oaks at Haydock on Saturday.
With champion middle-distance performer Roaring Lion for a sire and St Leger heroine Simple Verse for a dam, John and Thady Gosden-trained filly had plenty to live up to from day one – but the Qatar Racing homebred is doing a fine job of upholding family honour.
Ridden by Oisin Murphy, Queen Of The Pride was held up in the last trio of the field. Making a smooth headway over two furlongs out, the four-year-old pulled clear inside the final furlong to win by three lengths. The favourite Tiffany (Farhh) was second while Lady Boba (Lope De Vega) took third spot.
Although beaten on her Newmarket debut last summer, she rounded off her three-year-old campaign with victory at Leicester and has continued her progress this season, with a narrow defeat in listed company at Goodwood followed by a Group Three win over the Lancashire Oaks course and distance in last month’s Pinnacle Stakes.
“She really relaxed today and jumped and travelled. I thought we went a good, even pace and I was quite cautious of the bend, so I went from following Luke Morris (Tiffany) quite closely to giving him a few lengths head start at the top of the straight. I was really pleased with how she picked up and she ran right the way through the line. We all thought after she won her last race here that something like the Prix de Royallieu would be a good long-term target and I’m sure that’s in John and Thady’s mind,” Murphy said.
