David Awopetu
Stradivarius brought an historic ray of sunshine to a rainy, cool third day of Royal Ascot, striding out down the stretch to win the Group 1 Gold Cup, the Thursday feature, for the third straight year.
There were concerns as overnight rain continued into the racing program, softening the turf beyond the liking of the 6-year-old son of Sea the Stars. The conditions seemed to boost the chances of other accomplished stayers in the 2 1/2-mile marathon.
Stradivarius, a striking chestnut horse, shrugged off all of that with disdain, posting the most emphatic victory of his stellar, multimillion-dollar career.
Stradivarius joins Sagaro and Yeats in winning the highlight of the Royal meeting three times.
Trainer John Gosden indicated afterwards that matching Yeats’ record of four wins from 2006-09 could be a target for next year.
