Cracksman Rallies Late to Prevail in Coronation Cup

European champion Cracksman completed a group 1 hat trick and extended his winning streak to five in the  June 1 Investec Coronation Cup (G1) at Epsom—but not before giving his supporters a major fright.

The son of Frankel was sent off at just 2-7 in a field of six to add another top-level score to victories in the QIPCO Champion Stakes (G1) and Prix Ganay (G1), but he was never traveling with any fluency for rider Frankie Dettori. Meanwhile, 33-1 longshot Salouen was cruising along on the lead under Silvestre de Sousa—and it soon became apparent Cracksman was going to have to work.

Approaching the final furlong, Dettori made the decision to switch inside to the rail, and that paid dividends as Cracksman gradually clawed back the deficit before getting up in the final strides to beat the frontrunner. The final margin of victory was a head, with a further 3 3/4 lengths back to German raider Windstoss in third.

A relieved Dettori said it wasn't one of the 4-year-old's best performances, but he was happy considering the circumstances.

"He doesn't really enjoy galloping downhill, and when I wanted to close the gap, I couldn't," Dettori said. "Silvestre got five lengths on me and made it really hard work. Once we flattened out, the turbo kicked in, but we had to work for this one.

"You didn't see the best of him today. He was never happy on the track. He's so big, and we know he's a better horse than he showed today. He showed his class, as any other horse would have just downed tools and finished second. I didn't think I was going to get there until the last five yards. It was a massive effort to make that ground up."

Owned by Anthony Oppenheimer and bred by his Hascombe and Valiant Studs, Cracksman completed the 1 1/2-mile test in 2:38.49 on a track rated soft.

It was the first Coronation Cup victory for trainer John Gosden, who was quick to back up Dettori's assessment of Cracksman's performance.

"He doesn't really handle the track," Gosden said. "He got in a muddle coming down the hill and wasn't really traveling at any stage. He doesn't like racing down a hill, he found it awkward, and it wasn't until he went uphill that he was happy and he accelerated. He wasn't comfortable at any stage until the last 50 yards.

"It's hard to pick up on this ground when you give one that much of a lead, and he's not in love with the track. It wasn't ideal, but he showed his class. Royal Ascot (and the group 1 Prince of Wales' Stakes) is next."

Salouen ran a huge race. The son of Canford Cliffs had not won since September 2016 and was last seen finishing third in a minor stakes at Ascot. But he got a peach of a ride and looked set to prevail for much of the straight.

Trainer Sylvester Kirk was understandably thrilled with the effort.

"To be that close to Cracksman shows what a serious horse he is," he said. "It is just fantastic. I thought we had won it for a moment.

"I think we have the Arc de Triomphe (G1) in mind for him, and we will probably go with the same jockey. Salouen is a horse that loves going off in front, he is a fantastic mover, and he loves going on the top of the ground. It is almost a fairy tale, but I am happy with second."

Trainer Aidan O'Brien was seeking a record-extending ninth win in the contest, but his pair of Idaho and Yucatan were both well-beaten, finishing fourth and sixth, respectively. Godolphin's Hawkbill chased the pace for much of the race but checked out quickly in the straight and finished fifth.