Coronet bolsters Oaks form as she pips Mori in a thriller

Coronet provided bookmakers with some relief when landing the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes under Olivier Peslier, denying the well-supported favourite Mori in a thrilling finish.

A 9-1 shot, Coronet scored by a neck to give John Gosden a second win in the Group 2 he took with Michita in 2008.

The winner's stablemate, Hertford Dancer, finished one length back in third.

Coronet, who had finished fifth behind her stablemate Enable in the Investec Oaks, became her trainer's 42nd Royal Ascot winner and the 16th for Peslier.

Gosden said: "Coronet loved the uphill at Epsom but not the downhill. She's a lovely filly and deserved this success. The longer gap this year between the Oaks and this race was obviously a help. I've never seen a pace like that for a mile-and-a-half race.

"Hertford Dancer is a great street fighter and I thought at one stage that she had the race won. Then I thought Mori, who is a very good filly, was going to beat us but that crafty Frenchman got Coronet home.

"He's a great friend of Frankie Dettori and stood in for him today."

Silvestre de Sousa set a furious gallop aboard The Sky Is Blazing and was still ten lengths clear on the final bend before dropping out quickly two furlongs out.

Peslier said: "There was a good gallop but the leader was a bit too far in front and nobody wanted to follow her. There was a horse on my outside [Naughty Or Nice] whose saddle had slipped and it wasn't very comfortable for my filly for a time.

"I had to be very patient and she stayed on very well. I'm very happy to win for John Gosden. He told me that Coronet would take a bit of time to change gear but that when she came, she would come well and that is what happened."

Paddy Power cut Coronet to 6-1 (from 10) for the Irish Oaks on July 15. Gosden confirmed that the Curragh Classic remains the plan for Enable.

Regarding plans for Coronet, Gosden said: "There are plenty of options but nothing is decided regarding where she'll go next. She could be entered for the Park Hill Stakes and maybe even the St Leger. We'll wait and see."

Sir Michael Stoute said of Mori: "She's run a very big race. At the end of the day she had every chance and she got a lovely ride, but a more experienced filly just found a little bit more than we did.

"It would have been nicer to have won, but we were delighted with her. We came here confident that she would get the trip and she did."