Estimate won today
A clenched fist and a loud holler offered a revealing insight into Sir Michael Stoute’s private thoughts after Estimate passed the line in front at Doncaster on Friday in the Gr2 Socialites Electric Cigarettes Doncaster Cup run over 3600m.
Throughout Stoute’s decorated career, it is entirely plausible that few horses will have filled him with quite as much angst during a calendar year.
To suggest the 2013 Ascot Gold Cup winner has had a volatile season would be the essence of understatement.
The Queen’s mare may have run heroically to finish second at Royal Ascot in June, but just a month a later a positive test for morphine delivered a seismic jolt which made worldwide headlines.
Estimate was one of a cluster of horses to have become embroiled in the case, with the source of the drug identified as a contaminated batch of horse feed.
Even so, she is still likely to be disqualified from this season’s Gold Cup at a British Horseracing Authority hearing on September 25.
To compound the matter, a deplorable run at Glorious Goodwood must have added to the sense of bewilderment at how things had gone so sharply awry in such a short space of time.
Little wonder, then, that the usually taciturn Stoute afforded a rare outpouring of joy when the five-year-old daughter of Monsun claimed the Socialites Electric Cigarettes Doncaster Cup by showing trademark pluck in adversity.
This was a significant prize, of course, but connections now have even more grandiose ambitions, with the Melbourne Cup at Flemington in November one of three possible autumn targets.
Stoute, surprisingly winning this race for a first time, said: “She’s a lively filly that has a lot of energy and gets bored every now and again.
“Her resolution can never be questioned, but she is a character, and they (the staff) do a great job with her.
“I think we have to consider it (Melbourne Cup), but I won’t make the final decision. I’m not paying!
“You’d wonder a bit about the ground at Flemington as she does like a little bit of forgiveness in it.
“We’ll think about it and discuss it with the Queen and John Warren (Her Majesty’s racing advisor).”
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