A star is born: Alpha Centauri crowned in Coronation Stakes

Alpha Centauri dominated the Coronation Stakes field by six lengths at Royal Ascot on Friday to add to her win in last month's Irish 1,000 Guineas, marking her out as one of the best three-year-old fillies in Europe this year.

Exceed And Excel filly Threading and Frankel filly Veracious filled the places.

The daughter of Mastercraftsman had previous form at the royal meeting, having finished second to Different League in last year's Albany Stakes, and there were plenty of clues in her pedigree to suggest she would go one better on Friday.

She hails from the fifth crop of Mastercraftsman, whose fee had risen from €12,500 to €35,000 in 2014 off the back of Kingston Hill's brilliant juvenile campaign the previous year.

Other representatives from that same crop include the classy middle-distance performers Neufbosc and Esteve, and Agrotera, who brought up a double on the day for the sire in the following Sandringham Handicap.

Alpha Centauri showed she has taken after her father, who also took in an Irish Guineas before following up in a Group 1 mile contest at Royal Ascot, in his case the St James's Palace Stakes when he denied Delegator by a neck.

Hailing from an ironclad Niarchos family, Alpha Centauri is one of four winners from as many runners out of the unraced Rahy mare Alpha Lupi, who in turn is out of dual French Classic scorer East Of The Moon.

The latter is one of five stakes winners out of the Niarchos family's brilliant racemare and broodmare Miesque, together with St James's Palace Stakes scorer and sire Kingmambo.

The Jessica Harrington-trained Alpha Centauri shares her great-granddam Miesque with last year's ill-fated King Edward VII Stakes scorer Permian and the 2007 Ribblesdale heroine Silkwood.

She also counts Pasadoble as her fourth dam, as does Old Persian, who struck in the King Edward VII Stakes earlier on Friday's card.

Mastercraftsman joined Galileo and Shamardal on two winners apiece at this year's royal meeting, one behind Frankel who still leads the way.

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