Snellen (12-1) just narrowly beat 7-4 favourite Pearls And Rubies to grab the opener, the Chesham Stakes, on the final day of Royal Ascot 2023.
Ballydoyle trainer Aidan O’Brien had won four of the last seven runnings of the seven-furlong Listed contest and his two-year-old daughter of No Nay Never was just denied giving him a seventh victory as Gavin Cromwell's Snellen scored by a neck under Carroll with Golden Mind (12-1) and 125-1 outsider Oddysey dead-heating for third a further half-a-length back. Dallas Star had made the running on the farside group with Pearls And Rubies just sitting off the pace, but Snellen was ahead of the nearside and both of the principals broke free of the field. They were separated by the much of the track but it was Snellen on the stands' side who prevailed.
County Meath dual purpose trainer Cromwell has had big success in National Hunt racing with winners at the Cheltenham Festival and he also saddled Vanillier to finish second to Corach Rambler in the Randox Grand National at Aintree Racecourse in April. But having shown his ability to send out stayers over the Jumps, he is adaptable enough to score at the top meetings on the Flat too. Cromwell was landing a second Royal Ascot success after Quick Suzy won the Queen Mary Stakes in 2021.
