Coronet to Retire After Champions Day Swansong

Denford Stud has confirmed that Coronet will be retired as a valuable broodmare prospect following a final outing in October's QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (G1) at Ascot.

Bred by Faisal Salman's Berkshire stud, Coronet secured a second group 1 triumph of the season in the Aug. 18 Darley Prix Jean Romanet. She had ended a frustrating string of defeats, where she had placed second or third in seven group 1 races, in the June 30 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1).

Running on heavy ground at Deauville, the gray maintained the run of the irrepressible jockey Frankie Dettori and trainer John Gosden with a powerful display as she held With You by three-quarters of a length.

"She's absolutely fine and has taken the race really, really well," said Richard Evans Denford Stud farm manager, Aug. 19. "We're still on a high, to be honest. The ground was a slight concern—we didn't want it like a bog—but it dried out and became quite sticky, and she doesn't mind it on the soft side. She was a very comfortable winner and we are obviously well chuffed with her.

"We started the season wondering whether or not she would win a group 1, and now she has won two of them. It is a wonderful result for everyone concerned."

Coronet, by Dubawi, is out of the listed-winning Darshaan mare Approach. She is a half sister to five winners, most significantly the 2010 Ladbrokes St. Leger (G1) runner-up, Midas Touch, and group-race performer Streetcar To Stars.

"Coronet will now be lined up for the Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day. That will be her swansong and she will then head off to the paddocks," Evans added. "She's a retained homebred so she'll come back to the stud after her racing career is over, which will be lovely. It's also fantastic for Prince Faisal, who bred Coronet.

"We'll be pushing our luck asking for another group 1 from her, but this is as probably as good as it gets, to be honest."