Kinane lands his first Gold Cup

MICK KINANE bagged his first Ascot Gold Cup and his fourth win of the week to shoot down Double Trigger at Royal Ascot yesterday…

MICK KINANE bagged his first Ascot Gold Cup and his fourth win of the week to shoot down Double Trigger at Royal Ascot yesterday. Kinane riding Classic Cliche, killed off the double dreams of the people's favourite in Britain's premier staying race.

Class told as the St Leger winner proved too strong for Double Trigger, who was forced to settle for second best.

The victory by the Godolphin colt ruined Mark Johnston's ambitions to establish Double Trigger as Europe's champion stayer.

But the five year old never went quick enough in front to seriously stretch his rivals.

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He proved a sitting target for Kinane, who won by a length and a half, with French challenger Nononito three lengths back in third.

"I didn't want to take Double Trigger on too soon because I know Double Trigger has the heart of a lion, and I didn't want to be fought out of it," said Kinane.

"I didn't feel the pace was too quick. Jason stepped it up seven furlongs out, but Double Trigger was idling and not doing as much as Jason would have wanted."

The winning time was nearly three seconds slower than last year on identical, good to firm conditions, but Johnston refused to blame his jockey Jason Weaver.

He revealed there had been training problems and the horse returned to the unsaddling enclosure without his off fore plate.

"It is very hard when you are in front to tell how good the pace is. I've no complaints," he said.

"Double Trigger has had terrible foot problems. He ripped a shoe off and there were big veins showing in his leg. But he was never lame and continued in his work.

"We were always prepared for the possibility of defeat by Classic Cliche. Our nightmare was for Classic Cliche to win and us to be third, as we wouldn't know if he had run up to his form. With Nononito third, he could have run up to his best."

Classic Cliche's victory was achieved in spite of grave doubts among key members of the winning team about the colt's suitability for this two and a half mile test.

"I was against running him, confessed racing manager Simon Crisford. "But Sheikh Mohammed said `Shut up and get on with it'!"

Having proved himself over extreme distances, Classic Cliche is now likely to return to a mile and a half, with the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, for which Coral quoted him a 25 to 1 chance.

"Hopefully his programme will, now lead towards the Arc where softish ground should suit him well," Crisford added.

Third place for Nononito was the first blemish on the record of Sylvain Guillot, who was boasting a perfect strike rate in England after taking the Ribblesdale Stakes on Tulipa.

The French filly denied challenger Key Change by a neck to become her rider's second victory, having captured the 1994 Champion Stakes with Dernier Empereur.

But there was a sting in the tale for Guillot, who picked up a three day ban (June 29th, 30th and July 1st) for breaking the whip guidelines.

Jason Weaver said he believed the ground to be slower than it was for last year's Gold Cup and that Classic Cliche was just too good for Double Trigger.