Coventry hero Nando Parrado the biggest-priced Royal Ascot winner ever at 150-1
Nando Parrado became the biggest-priced winner in Royal Ascot history when springing a 150-1 surprise in the Coventry Stakes.
He surpassed the previous record held by 100-1 chances Fox Chapel, who landed the 1990 Britannia Stakes, and the John Best-trained Flashmans Papers, winner of the 2008 Windsor Castle Stakes.
Nando Parrado had been written off in the market after finishing a well-beaten fifth at Newmarket earlier this month, but stayed on best to finish a length clear of Qaader, with Saeiqa back in third.
It was a shock result to everybody except, seemingly, his trainer Clive Cox, who said: "The only surprise was the price. I think we shouldn't treat it as a fluke because we had a positive plan for him anyway, which is very much alive after that performance.
"We expected him to run a bit better at Newmarket but the ground was a bit livelier than we had hoped. We loved him and I wanted to give him a realistic timeframe to get to this race.
"He came home in impeccable form after that and we luckily managed to persuade the owner to let us bring him here. I'm delighted they trusted us and it's very special to win a Coventry.
"We knew he was talented when he came to the yard and he's not just a horse for today. He'll be treated like a top-class two-year-old."
"It takes a seriously good horse to win it," said winning jockey Adam Kirby, who was recording his ninth royal success having also won the Commonwealth Cup for Cox on Friday with Golden Horde.
"We've fired a lot of live bullets at this race in the past so it's great to finally get a winner. He's got a very good trainer and has galloped with a smart horse at home. His work is always above average.
"Things just didn't happen for him when he went to Newmarket but he was a lot more streetwise today and toughed it out well. He had to be brave but he hung in there. He could well be a Guineas horse and I can see him getting a mile very easily."
The Coventry, which is usually run on the first day of the royal meeting, has produced an array of world-class performers, including Calyx and Dawn Approach, who went on to land the 2,000 Guineas in 2013.
That could be a future target for Nando Parrado, who is owned by Paul and Marie McCartan, and he was introduced by Paddy Power at 50-1 for the first Classic of the 2021 season at Newmarket.
Watch: Nando Parrado cause a huge shock in the Coventry Stakes
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Published on 20 June 2020inReports
Last updated 16:12, 20 June 2020
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