Fayr Jag claims narrow win

Day five round-up

Fayr Jag held on strongly to win the Golden Jubilee Stakes by a head at Royal Ascot on Saturday.

The horse, ridden by Willie Supple, was always well placed and moved into the lead with a furlong-and-a-half to run.

Crystal Castle, with Kieren Fallon on board, finished very fast and nearly caught the winner on the line, but Fayr Jag had just done enough.

Hong Kong raider Cape Of Good Hope finished third with last year's runner-up Airwave well down the field.

Twelve months ago, Fayr Jag, trained by Tim Easterby, dead-heated with the John Hammond-trained Ratio in the Wokingham Stakes and history looked like repeating itself when Crystal Castle, another Hammond runner challenged.

Supple told BBC Sport: "Group Ones don't come often enough and I was very lucky to ride this horse. He has been very good to me.

Eddie Ahern guides Lafi home in the Wokingham Stakes

"He has had his problems over the years - he broke a bone in his head in the stalls, and I fell off him at Newmarket last year.

"He travelled well all the way and got a good lead, but probably got there too soon and just held on in the end."

Lafi, trained by sprint king Dandy Nicholls, gave jockey Eddie Ahern his second winner of the meeting when he won the Wokingham Stakes.

As expected, the 29-strong field split into two groups, with the 6-1 market leader bursting through on the far side in the closing stages to score by a length and a half.

Coconut Penang (12-1) led home the stands side to take second and was followed by High Reach (10-1), with Royal Storm (16-1) fourth.

He's a nice horse and he travelled very well through the race," admitted Ahern afterwards.

"I had a brilliant draw and I thought our group was in front. I got a nice lead and when the split came I asked him to go at the furlong pole, which was the right time."