Gold Cup and bonus dreams are alive for Nielsen with Stradivarius

A summer of hopes and dreams awaits owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen after star stayer Stradivarius boosted his Gold Cup claims and kept alive the possibility of landing the Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers’ Million bonus with an impressive victory in the MansionBet Yorkshire Cup.

Racegoers gathered around the winner’s enclosure for a second day in a row to see the trademark Frankie Dettori dismount – and the winning jockey did not disappoint.

It was a second success in the race for Nielsen a quarter of a century on from Assessor’s triumph, and attention turned to the prospect and feasibility of scooping the inaugural £1 million bonus – for winning this, the Gold Cup, Goodwood Cup and the Lonsdale Cup back on the Knavesmire at the Ebor meeting.

Nielsen, a “US national but more English than anything”, said: “We’re not solely focused on the million pound bonus – it’s impossible to be. It’s like the tennis tour – Rafa Nadal doesn’t start off in Australia and think he’s going to win the Grand Slam. You have to take it as you go along and it’s hard enough to win one of these races, let alone four.

“He was getting the weight-for-age allowance last year so we never quite knew how he would fare this time around. This was his first chance to show he could take the leap, and we're delighted.”

Order Of St George beats Torcedor and Stradivarius (yellow cap) in the Long Distance Cup at Ascot. Order Of St George and Stradivarius are now joint favourites for the Ascot Gold CupCredit: Mark Cranham

Nielsen has worked in the hedge fund business for 30 years and is semi-retired. His enthusiasm for the sport has never waned.

He said: “I’m trying to pay my way as an owner-breeder – you’ve got to have a good horse here and there otherwise you go broke in this game.

“Having any kind of winner is great, and having a big winner and a horse to follow through the season is phenomenal. I’ll be thinking of Stradivarius every day of the week this summer.

“We won’t find out whether he'll stay the Ascot Gold Cup trip until the day – it’s impossible to tell. Some of the best two milers have not stayed the extra distance, but we'll soon find out.”

The Gold Cup – for which the winner was cut to a best-priced 3-1 behind 5-2 favourite Order Of St George – has proved elusive to his trainer John Gosden and the prospect of stepping Stradivarius up in trip by half a mile is one that will not concern him until June 21.

Gosden said: “You can’t practice a horse over two and a half miles at home so we’ll find out whether he'll stay or not in the home straight at Ascot.

"It’s uncharted territory but he switches off, and that will have taken the freshness out of him.”

Stradivarius, a striking son of Sea The Stars, cruised into contention under Dettori and quickened clear for an easy three-length victory over Desert Skyline, who stayed on well from the rear of the field and will bid to reverse the form at Ascot next month.

David Elsworth believes Desert Skyline (pictured) will love the additional distance of the Ascot Gold CupCredit: Edward Whitaker

Desert Skyline's trainer David Elsworth said: "The Gold Cup is the race we would like to win and we're trying to pick up what we can on the way.

"When some of the others are struggling five out at Ascot you will see this horse full of strength. When they're out on their feet he'll be full of running."

The Queen's Call To Mind ran well but could not provide his owner with a winner on the eve of her grandson Harry's wedding, finishing a neck behind Desert Skyline in third.

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