Connections take defeat on the chin after volatile Vazirabad 'gave up'

Connections of Vazirabad were phlegmatic after suffering a narrow defeat in the Gold Cup, reasoning it was their horse, rather than winner Stradivarius, who was responsible for the loss.

"When he got there he stopped, he doesn't like to fight too long," was Alain de Royer-Dupre's honest assessment of the runner-up.

Fight is an essential quality in the 2m4f stamina test, and Vazirabad was found wanting. "He was touched two or three times by the winner and after that he refused to give the maximum," said Royer-Dupre.

"He didn't blow too much afterwards, he gave the minimum. It's why he can have a long career. If Christophe [Soumillon] had waited longer the same thing would have happened.

"He does what he does, he doesn't like to fight, he comes and then he stops. He had the ability to go with this horse, but he's a nice horse."

Soumillon said: "I know him so well and when you have to battle it's not his game. Frankie was clever, he came close to me and the horse just gave up. I hit the front, maybe a head, but he does it all the time."

On the beaten favourite Order Of St George, who finished fourth, Aidan O'Brien said: "He ran a very good race."

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