Landmark win for big-spending owners Phoenix as Advertise returns to his best

Phoenix Thoroughbred enjoyed a landmark result in the Ascot sunshine as the free-spending owners landed a remarkable one-two in the Commonwealth Cup.

While last year's Group 1 Phoenix Stakes winner Advertise took his top-flight tally to two in Phoenix's now familiar white and orange silks, runner-up Forever In Dreams carried the predominantly orange colours of the Phoenix Ladies, an all-female ownership group run under the same umbrella.

Victory, achieved under man-of-the-moment Frankie Dettori, came almost a year to the day that Phoenix chief executive Amer Abdulaziz revealed the full scale of his grand plans for the investment fund to rub shoulders with the bloodstock giants who dominate the sport following Signora Cabello's Queen Mary success.

Fast-forward 12 months, and the Dubai-based businessman was back in the identical spot with an identical smile on his face, after scaling the heights of a Royal Ascot Group 1 less than three years after Phoenix Thoroughbreds launched.

"That's just the way we like it," said Abdulaziz. "What a beautiful day – it could not have gone better. We knew the horse was doing great and working well and to have him here today and win like that is amazing.

"The ladies gave me a fright but whoever finished first and second doesn't matter – I'm just happy for the brand. There's about 15 of the investors here and they were all shouting and jumping and it gives us a huge boost."

Widespread bloodstock acquisitions across the globe have followed a big-spending start at the sales in 2017 and Phoenix's plans remain as grand as ever according to Abdulaziz, who revelled in another significant milestone.

"We wanted to come back this year and repeat what we did last year," he added. "It's very important and this is another step forward, we're now a global company – South America, Australia, Europe and America – and it's going from big to bigger all the time."

"When you win at Royal Ascot there's nothing like it – much better than any Derby in the World. Advertise is a Group 1 winner in the past, he's a beautiful horse and no doubt he's a future stallion for Phoenix – that's the plan.

"We've got some stallions in America but he will be the second one here in Europe."

For winning trainer Martyn Meade there was as much relief as elation following a testing period during which the horses at his base in Manton had failed to show their true colours through the first part of the season.

He even shut down the yard earlier in the spring to aid their recovery but Advertise – one of the star juveniles of last season – emphatically proved the stable to be back on track.

"There's obviously huge elation but certainly relief as well as the horses have been well under par," said Meade.

"He's only had one bad run in the Guineas and I've always believed in him. He was not right at Newmarket – we wanted to see if he got the mile but never found out that day and we decided to go back to what we know over six, where we knew he was so good last year.

"We might go to France for the Prix Maurice de Gheest over six and a half furlongs next. Maybe he would get a mile but we'll take baby steps and keep him around six furlongs for the time being."

Following Thursday's heroics with four winners, Dettori was back in familiar territory in the centre of a bustling huddle after the race, and he was suitably impressed with his seventh win of the meeting.

"He put up a tremendous performance," said Dettori. "I was always in control and always travelled like the winner. When I kicked he just went and was back to his best."

Runner-up Forever In Dreams provided her owners with a slice of their investment having sold for £430,000 at the Goffs London Sale earlier in the week.

"It was a brilliant run, absolutely unbelievable," said her trainer Aidan Fogarty. "She was bought on Monday evening by Phoenix Ladies, so it was a good result for those two with Phoenix winning."

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