Flashmans Papers (pictured right), who credited his sire Exceed And Excel with his first northern hemisphere Stakes success by landing Tuesday’s Windsor Castle Stakes, proved that he is very tough as well as very fast by finishing a hugely creditable fourth in the Norfolk Stakes two days later. It is very uncommon for a two-year-old to run twice – never mind to run very well twice - at the same Royal Ascot, but Flashmans Papers proved a rare exception by finishing just over a length off the winner in a thrilling finish to the Group Two Norfolk Stakes on the third day of the Royal Meeting (Thursday).
Remarkably, Flashmans Papers was not the first son of Exceed And Excel across the line in the Norfolk Stakes, because second spot – just a head behind the winner South Central – was taken by Spin Cycle (white cap), who closed on South Central all the way to the line, putting in a really bold bid in his attempt to record his third consecutive success. This was a tremendous run by the strong colt, as the Racing Post observed when pointing out that, coming in isolation up the stands’ side, he “did not really have a target to aim at”. Little wonder, therefore, that the paper commented that he “ran a fine race to take second and looks a certain future Group winner”.
Another fine placed run by a Darley-sired horse at Ascot on Ladies’ Day was that put in by the previously unbeaten Coastal Path in the Gold Cup. This four-year-old son of Halling fared easily the best of the younger generation in Europe’s premier staying event and actually looked to be travelling like the winner for much of the race, before finding his older rivals Yeats and Geordieland too seasoned in the final stamina-sapping stages. It was a magnificent effort by such an inexperienced horse to run third in this great race on only the seventh run of his life, and he went into many notebooks as a horse seemingly sure to win a Group One race in the future.
