Murphy, Gosdens, Godolphin Take Ascot Titles

[Wandering Eyes]

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy secured his first leading rider title at Royal Ascot on Saturday, with John and Thady Gosden clinching the leading trainer title and Godolphin walking away as leading owner.

Murphy, whose last of five victories on the week came aboard Foxes Tales (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in the penultimate race of the meeting, the Golden Gates Handicap, said, “I wouldn't have expected it if you had asked me on Tuesday morning if I would be leading jockey this week–of course not. It normally belongs on Ryan [Moore] or Frankie [Dettori], but they gave me a turn this week.

“Thanks very much to the fast horses. It has been a super week. It's special, because as I get older, I appreciate these days more and more. I know I'm only 25, but life, as we learnt this week, is precious, and it's a continuous reminder.”

“My best moment of the week was Alcohol Free [winning the G1 Coronation S.],” he added. “She came along at a very important time in my career last year–I was under a lot of pressure and I managed to nail a Group 1, and [Friday] was a similar scenario. The pressure was on.”

John and Thady Gosden became the first training partnership to lead the trainers' standings at Royal Ascot with four wins and a second, while Godolphin enjoyed three wins, including Kemari (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G2 Queen's Vase and Creative Force (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the closing-day G3 Jersey S.

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