Racing: Soft Ascot track blunts Star Witness

Ascot is celebrating its 300 years of horse racing at the Royal Racecourse. Photo / AP

A soft Ascot track got the better of Australian sprinter Star Witness yesterday, the four-year-old closing his account at the royal meeting with two minor placings.

The Danny O'Brien-trained colt went into the £375,000 ($747,000) Golden Jubilee Stakes at 4-1 in the betting and led the field of 16 in the straight, but could not hold on for the 1200m distance.

Unlikely Irish horse Society Rock (25-1) won with Monsieur Chevalier in second and Star Witness more than a length behind for third.

"It would have been nice but racing doesn't reward you out of the turn," a realistic O'Brien told BBC Television.

"The horse has run very well today [but] just found the ground a little testing. He hit the front full of running but certainly tired inside the 50-metre mark."

O'Brien said the horse had recovered well from Wednesday's King's Stand, for which he jumped as favourite but finished second after also tiring in the closing 200 metres.

Two days of steady rain made for a heavy Ascot track yesterday.

"He has got a really good burst and I think if you'd seen him on a good track today you would have really seen him let go," O'Brien said.

"He puts a length and a half on them inside the furlong but just peaks on it late and a lot has to do with the ground being just a little bit testing."

O'Brien will keep Star Witness in Europe for the Newmarket July Cup and denies two starts last week was too much to ask of the horse.

"He's certainly managed it before in Australia, he raced twice over the Melbourne Cup Carnival and he's raced twice here now," the trainer said.

"He's got three weeks here now until the Newmarket race and ... he's certainly thrived so if he keeps on that plane he'll be there on July Cup day [July 9]."

O'Brien said he and his Flemington crew have "loved" Royal Ascot. "We'd love to come back here and win a race."

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Tom Queally feels a showdown between Frankel and Canford Cliffs in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood on July 27 would be great for racing.

Sir Henry Cecil's colt maintained his unbeaten record in the St James's Palace Stakes on Wednesday, but Queally's mount was grimly hanging on from Zoffany close to home.

A step up to 10 furlongs (2000m) for the Juddmonte International at York was mentioned as a possible but it is more likely the Galileo colt will run against Queen Anne hero Canford Cliffs in the one-mile (1600m) Sussex Stakes.

Queally, who has ridden Frankel in all seven of his starts, said: "You have to remember he's never been eyeballed, but I think he'd pull out more if he did get into a battle.

"All he wants to do is try for you.

"He settled well and I think we can ride him differently now.

"We can have more of an open ticket about him and play it more by ear and see how his races pan out. I expected Canford to win the Queen Anne and he really is the top older miler around.

"Clashes like this are what everyone wants to see in racing, and all roads lead to Goodwood now," he said in his Racing UK blog.

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Census is to be trained with the St Leger in mind after his fine run in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot on Friday.

The Richard Hannon-trained colt got going all too late behind the impressive winner Brown Panther.

Owned by Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, the three-year-old will be aimed at a Leger trial next.

- AAP, PA