Coroebus won an absolute thriller to take the St James's Palace Stakes race at Royal Ascot 2022. Despite being stuck in the far corner, William Buick and his charge held on to win ahead of second place Lusail in a photo finish, while My Prospero came home in third.
Aikhal was leading Lusail, but with a furlong and a half to go, Coroebus made his move and surged to the front. In a tight finish, a delighted Buick took the win by a head from his rivals. "He's very brave and has got everything you would ask for in a racehorse," the 33-year-old said.
"The St James's Palace Stakes is always the confirmation of the top three-year-old miler and now we go and take on the older horses. You have to enjoy these good horses, I'm very privileged to be able to get on these good horses. But at the same time, it's a case of getting the job done."
Buick shared his thought process when he was camped in the far corner as the race headed to its conclusion. "I had two options, I could have come back a stride and gone around him which I was prepared to do," he added. "In the straight I had no option to go when I did and I got a lovely run through.
"He's a very good horse. He's brave, he's got a turn of foot, he's got a great temperament, he's a got a will to win." When asked if he knew he'd won at the line, he confidently replied: "Yep."
Coroebus, who was the favourite ahead of the race, notched his first victory away from Newmarket and what a time to do it. Happy trainer Charlie Appleby said: "We knew coming into today it would be a different style of a race. I just wish the pace had been stronger.
"On the turn it allowed him to get a breather but his class and determination got us over the line. We'll have discussions about the future, but the Sussex (Stakes) is there as an option and the Prix Jacques le Marois is another.
"I'm sure a clash with Baaeed is something that we'd all need to discuss, but Sheikh Mohammed never shies away from a challenge."
Having only had four runs Coroebus could now face a clash of the generations – against fellow Royal Ascot scorer Baaeed, who maintained his unbeaten record with victory in the Queen Anne Stakes earlier today, in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
