Port Fairy outbattles Lava Stream for Ribblesdale honours

Port Fairy battled back to deny Lava Stream in the Ribblesdale Stakes on Gold Cup day at Royal Ascot; Going The Distance lived up to his name, emerging from the clouds to win in a thrilling renewal of the King George V Stakes

Port Fairy knuckled down admirably to provide Aidan O’Brien with a fifth victory in the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Previously successful with Bracelet (2014), Even Song (2016), Magic Wand (2018) and Warm Heart (2023), the Ballydoyle handler was double-handed in this year’s renewal, with Ryan Moore siding with 12/1 shot Port Fairy over her stablemate Rubies Are Red.

A winner at Dundalk before being touched off by Forest Fairy in the Cheshire Oaks, Port Fairy was fitted with a visor for her latest assignment and tracked the pacesetting Oaks fourth You Got To Me for much of the mile and a half journey before moving towards the front passing the two-furlong marker.

The daughter of Australia was soon joined by and briefly passed by the strong-travelling Lava Stream, but Port Fairy battled back to claim Group Two honours by a neck under a power-packed Ryan Moore drive, with 9-4 favourite Kalpana beating You Got To Me to third.

Going The Distance lives up to his name

Going The Distance came from the clouds to grab victory in a thrilling renewal of the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot.

A field of 19 runners went to post for the mile-and-a-half contest, with much of the pre-race focus on Gilded Water, who was the 5/1 favourite to provide trainer William Haggas, jockey Tom Marquand and the King and Queen with back-to-back victories following Desert Hero’s memorable success 12 months ago.

Going The Distance, who won his last two starts of last season and his first of this, was a 9/1 shot for Ralph Beckett and had only Neski Sherelski behind him rounding the home turn.

Both horses made up from hand over fist in the straight and it was Going The Distance who finished just the best down the outside of runners to beat Neski Sherelski by half a length in the hands of Rossa Ryan. Gilded Water was a well-beaten 12th.

Watch every race from Royal Ascot live on Sky Sports Racing this week.