Sun Goddess and Great Barrier Reef enhance Royal Ascot claims

A course and distance winner on soft ground on debut, Great Barrier Reef brought a tall reputation to the track having been namechecked by Aidan O'Brien before the season had begun but had to work hard to land the six furlong Group 3.

Stablemate Carry The Flag cut out the running and was still travelling well while Ryan Moore was scrubbing his mount along in the centre of the track.

The response was not instantaneous but deep inside the final furlong, Great Barrier Reef finally wore down his rival and finished so strongly that the winning margin was a length and a quarter.

Carry The Flag held on for second from the fast finishing Immortal Guard.

Paddy Power and Sky Bet responded by cutting Great Barrier Reef to 5/2 favourite for the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.

O'Brien, though, felt there were mitigating circumstances for Great Barrier Reef, telling Racing TV: "The last piece of work for Ryan's horse was just a little bit ordinary.

"We didn't know what happened; it was a sharp, hard work and maybe he got caught a little bit unaware of what was happening. We weren't sure, we couldn't find anything wrong with him, everything was right, so that's why we were here.

"Ryan said he was a little bit babyish today in the stalls, he was whinnying, and because of that he missed the break and ended up a little bit on the backfoot on the outside. Ryan said when he got hold of him and taught him, he said he won well on the line. He's still very green and babyish, it's only the second time he's been asked to really stretch.

"He's a horse that could progress plenty. He looks like a horse who will get seven though, if everything is well, he could go to the Coventry with the horse that won at Naas [Confucius]. You'd have to be very happy.

"Very happy with Wayne's horse as well, he looked fast; very happy going back to the Norfolk or something like that."

O'Brien and Moore had earlier combined to take the Revamp Conservation And Restoration Irish EBF Fillies Maiden with Sun Goddess (4/11 favourite).

Runner-up on debut at Naas, Sun Goddess showed the benefit of that experience to run out an easy five length winner to provide Moore with his fifth winner from as many rides at the weekend meeting and to put herself in the frame for the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot.

“I’m delighted," her trainer said.

"She had a lovely first run at Naas, and she is a lovely, long-striding filly with loads of quality.

“Ryan said she was very green from the two to the one out but said she started to go again in the last furlong.

“She could be an Albany filly, or she could go up to seven. 'The lads' love to be at Ascot.”

Sun Goddess is the new 3/1 favourite for the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot with both Paddy Power and Betfair.

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