Almeraq won the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes | report, reaction, replay

A faller at York last season, it's been a long way back for Almeraq but he's rewarded his connections' patience in spades.

He proved that he was none the worse for his tumble on the Knavesmire when winning the listed Cathedral Stakes at Salisbury on his reappearance but this represented a huge step up in class with a strong international challenge.

That challenge was led by Australian mare and race favourite Joliestar and the mare didn't let her connections down, battling hard and only giving way in the final few, agonising yards of the contest.

She was the meat in the sandwich with Satono Reve, representing Japan, racing towards the stands' side and he finished with a rattle but had to settle for second for the second year in succession.

The French-trained Stolen Kiss was fourth with the quartet separated by only a nose, a short-head and a head.

Almeraq's victory capped a fine week for trainer William Haggas - for whom it was a fourth winner - and Tom Marquand who was riding his third winner of the week.

Haggas said: “It would have been lovely to celebrate a Japanese winner, but I’m delighted to have won. It is terrific that these people come across the world to race here and support our biggest calendar. I’m sorry they didn’t win, but I’m delighted to beat them, but long may it continue that they come over from Australia and Japan.

“As you know he had a fall at York last year when poor Jim [Crowley] got injured and Trevor Whelan got injured. It took a long time to come back, and it has been gently, gently this spring. He was pretty shook up after York. It is quite hard to fall in a race like that, at that speed, but we gave him a lot of time as there was no need to get him ready for the autumn.

“We gave him a lot of time, and this has proved why we did that. Hopefully it is now onwards and upwards as he is fine now.

“He won nicely at Salisbury, but this was a completely different jump in class, but he has managed to cope with it well. He is a beautiful horse, and we have always loved him. He is a big, strong, powerful horse. I think he will get better as he is pretty lightly raced.

“I thought this ground might be a bit quick for him as he has got big feet. I thought it might be a bit quick, but it clearly wasn’t. Slow ground horses can cope with the straight track here. I’m not saying he is a slow ground horse, he was just terribly impressive on slow ground at Ayr.

“He has taken his form to a new level so we are delighted. I would think for sure that we would go for the July Cup. We have Elmonjed in the same ownership for Shadwell for that race as well.

“I’m thrilled for Shadwell as I’ve been involved with them for quite some time now. To get a Group One winner on the biggest stage for Shadwell is terrific.”

Crowley said: “It is absolutely amazing to see him do this. I was just saying to Richard [Hills] that he was in the Sprint Cup at Haydock Park on the Saturday and the Listed race at York on the Sunday. I wish he had run on the Saturday as I would have been on him today, but that is life and that is one of those things. To be honest we always believed he was a Group One horse.

“It was amazing for William Haggas to get him back as he took just a heavy a fall as I did. I think I broke his fall in fact.

“To get that horse back from that is amazing. I felt it when he landed on me as he is a big heavy horse. It is mixed emotions as I wanted to be on him, so it was a tough watch as I’ve never experienced anything like that before in my life, but I was so pleased for everyone involved.

“If you look at his form he had only won a Listed race at Salisbury, and he had no genuine Group One form, but I believed in him and he has beat one of the top horses in Australia as well.”

Jolie good show

Chris Waller, trainer of Joliestar, was magnanimous in defeat, saying: "I’m delighted that she turned up and performed very well.

"She fought out a brave finish, but it was typical of the week as we have seen some great finishes, and that was one of them that we missed out on.

“My only fear coming into the race was that she brought her Australian form here, and she really did us proud. She didn’t win today, but she certainly has her admirers.

“I thought we had to ask her a little bit earlier than we had liked, and it would have been nice to put a length, not a head on them. I knew it was going to be tough the last four hundred metres, but she was brave.

“She literally just missed the last twenty or thirty yards, but it was a great effort.”

Pauline Chehboub, representing connections of fourth-placed Stolen Kiss, said: "It’s a bit frustrating, but today he showed he’s a Group One horse so we are very happy with that.

"He’s a young horse, only four, and the best is yet to come. He showed a lot of talent today and I’m very confident for the future.

"He’ll win a Group One for sure, but I don’t know where. It could be Newmarket, or it could be Deauville, the Prix Maurice de Gheest."

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