Impressive Jersey Victory By Ribchester

Ribchester ran away with the G3 Jersey Stakes over seven furlongs on day two of Royal Ascot, winning very impressively.

The Richard Fahey-trained colt, third in the G1 2000 Guineas on his previous start, broke well and tracked the leaders in third of the far side group as the 19 runners split into two.

He always travelled strongly for William Buick who had tried to delay his challenge for as long as possible.

The field converged approaching the final quarter-mile and Ribchester cruised up to take the lead from Ibn Malik a furlong from home.

The three-year-old colt went clear to score by two and a quarter lengths over Thikriyaat in 1m 28.49s on soft ground.

John Ferguson, the Godolphin Chief Executive and Racing Manager, said: "The horses ran really well yesterday and Ribchester is a fantastic colt.

"He ran very well in the Guineas and the first thing William said is that he has really improved since then.

"All credit goes to Richard and his team because they have done a wonderful job with the horse and here we are with a winner.

"It is lovely for Sheikh Mohammed and everybody associated with Godolphin. I think any owner loves this week more than any other and Sheikh Mohammed is one of the greatest enthusiasts for all kinds of sport. Racing is real passion for him and it is a hugely important week for all of us."

Richard Fahey commented: "I felt in time that Ribchester would get better. The French race took a little bit more out of him than we wanted, but I had to get some experience into him. He went to Newmarket for the Guineas there, rather than back to France, as I wanted to give him a break before Royal Ascot. He benefited from that.

"I'm delighted for Godolphin, but I'm also delighted for myself. I was thrilled when I knew Ribchester was staying with me. That's the new policy and it's brilliant. John (Ferguson) is good to work with and Sheikh Mohammed is very knowledgeable and between the team it works well.

"They leave it to us - after the Guineas I said to John I'd like to give the horse a break and he said 'do what you want'. There's no pressure."

"Mentally, the horse is a still learning and he's going to make a lovely four-year-old."

"It looked good after Galileo Gold won yesterday, and English Guineas form is always good - but I felt today we had a better horse than we did in the Guineas. Once he got in behind today and relaxed I felt it would take a good one to beat him. He picks up so well."

Responding to whether Ribchester will drop back to six furlongs or return to a mile, Richard Fahey said: "He could go either way - and William said that.

"He wasn't stopping today, but he has the speed for six furlongs. He's in the Sussex Stakes (G1, 1m, Goodwood, July 27), and it was in the back of my mind to take them on (the best milers) in the St James's Palace Stakes, but he could take them on there. We'll see how he is."

William Buick remarked: "It was an impressive performance - Richard was very confident beforehand and it was a case of getting the job done.

"I kept it simple as I wanted to give the horse every chance and he travelled very well, and to be honest the others could not lead him for long enough.

"He has improved since the Guineas and has handled the ground very well. He is a horse we are going to have a lot of fun with in the future."