Alpine Star evoked memories of her brilliant half-sister Alpha Centauri when running out the wide-margin winner of Saturday’s Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Not seen since landing last year’s Debutante Stakes at the Curragh, Alpine Star was sent off at 9/2 in a field that included the 1,000 Guineas second and third, Cloak Of Stars and Quadrilateral, and after briefly looking in trouble on the inner coming into the straight, quickened clear for a four-and-a-quarter length win under Frankie Dettori.

American raider Sharing, trained by Graham Motion, stayed on to finish second, a length and three-quarters ahead of Quadrilateral in third.

In the process, Alpine Star became the first Group 1 winner for Lanwades Stud resident Sea The Moon and the fourth for the Niarchos family after Magic Of Life, Chimes Of Freedom and Alpha Centauri. Not included in the list is their remarkable miler Miesque, who bypassed the 1987 renewal during her illustrious three-year-old campaign; she appears as the third dam of Alpine Star.

Speaking from her base in County Kildare, trainer Jessica Harrington said: “It is absolutely amazing because I am sitting here, I can’t go racing, and watching it on the telly is very hard. I could not believe it because she was the only horse in the field that hadn’t had a run this year, but she is amazing. She is a half-sister to a complete superstar, Alpha Centauri, who gave me my first Royal Ascot winner. She was just amazing today, she did it so easy.

Alpine Star runs out the easy winner of the Coronation Stakes for Frankie Dettori. Pic: Edward Whitaker

“She is very laidback and nothing like Alpha Centauri, who was a great big, very imposing filly. This filly is not very big, she is not a great colour – a little bit of a mealy chestnut. If you saw her trotting around in the string, you wouldn’t pick her out, but she has the most wonderful attitude.

“Frankie was probably squeezing her along before she turned in but every time you give her a squeeze, she will come for you. You are definitely very nervous when you are watching it the whole way from Ireland and it’s unbelievable.

“It is sad for Shane (Foley) that he isn’t allowed to come over and ride, but we are in very strange times. It is a very strange Ascot and I am absolutely thrilled to have a winner there. I only sent over three horses and I am delighted with how they all ran. It is a strange year and something that we will probably never forget.

“This was the plan and I don’t know about the next plan. I will talk to Maria [Niarchos-Gouaze], Electra [Niarchos] and Alan [Cooper] and then we will see what happens.”

Alpine Star is the eighth foal out of Alpha Lupi, who is also responsible for Listed winner Tenth Star. In turn, Alpha Lupi is out of the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches and Prix de Diane heroine East Of The Moon, herself a daughter of the mighty Miesque. It is the further family of other Group 1-winning milers such as Kingmambo and Karakontie as well as Thursday’s Jersey Stakes winner Molatham.

Super Saturday for Dettori

An excellent day continued for Frankie Dettori as the ebullient Italian partnered the rapidly ascendant Palace Pier to victory for John Gosden in the St. James’s Palace Stakes. 

The son of Kingman, himself winner of this race for Gosden in 2014, had looked rusty when landing a Newcastle handicap on his seasonal return two weeks ago but made no mistake on this occasion, answering all of Dettori’s calls to run down Pinatubo. At the line, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s colt had a length to spare over last year’s champion two-year-old with 2,000 Guineas runner-up Wichita only a head away in third. The trio pulled five and a half lengths clear of the fourth Threat.

Palace Pier (nearside), Pinatubo and Wichita fight out the finish to the St. James’s Palace Stakes. Pic: Julien Finney

“What a day! We always thought a lot of Palace Pier, but he got a bit sleepy on us in the mornings and we were scratching our heads,” said Dettori. “John [Gosden] did a great job, and he thought, let’s start him off in a handicap at Newcastle to see whether he would wake up, and he did. We threw him in at the deep end today, but in the back of our minds we knew that there was a good horse in that big body, and we just were not sure how much of a good horse he was. Today was no fluke.

“I went wide, he went round the field, he galloped out good, and the Guineas form stood up. I am pleased he showed me today what I thought potentially he was going to be.

“Palace Pier is so laidback that he could probably reach a mile and a quarter, but a mile at the moment is pretty much what he wants. When you have got a good horse, he is easy to place and I am sure John will have a good plan for him. He is a Group 1-winning son of Kingman and we can think of the future with excitement.”

From the second crop of Juddmonte Farm’s Kingman, the unbeaten Palace Pier becomes the second Group 1 winner for his excellent young sire. He was bred in Britain by Highclere Stud and Floors Farming out of the unraced Beach Frolic, a Nayef half-sister to Dante Stakes winner Bonfire and Windsor Forest Stakes heroine Joviality, and was bought for 600,000gns by John Gosden at the Tattersalls October Sale.

Kodiac rules

It was a banner day for Tally-Ho Stud stallion Kodiac, who hit the Group 1 heights as sire of Hello Youmzain just hours after supplying the winners of both juvenile Group races.

Successful in last year’s Betfair Sprint Cup, the Kevin Ryan-trained Hello Youmzain came out on top under Kevin Stott in a tight finish to oblige at 4/1 from Dream Of Dreams, also runner-up in last year’s renewal, and bargain buy Sceptical.

It was an excellent result for Haras d’Etreham and Cambridge Stud, who have joined forces to stand Hello Youmzain at the end of his racing career.

Hello Youmzain hands Kevin Stott a first Royal Ascot winner with victory in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. Pic: Edward Whitaker

Celebrating his first Royal Ascot winner, Stott said: “Listen, fair play to the horse – he dug very deep when I needed him. All credit to him more than me.

“I am blessed to be put back on him with the change of ownership and I can’t describe in words how thankful I am that they put me back on him. It means everything.

“Kevin gave me a lot of confidence going out riding him, I have ridden him a handful of times before and Kevin said ‘Ride him like the best horse in the race’.

“Like I say he dug deep when I needed him, I am very delighted.

“I am pretty sure [Dad] is very delighted, my mum watching and my brothers as well. It is a dream come true. I am very happy.

“So much credit to the horse going into this without a run he is a very big horse, he has dug deep when I needed him, all credit to the horse.”

Adam Ryan, son of Kevin Ryan, added: “Hello Youmzain has done it the hard way.

“He jumped well and Kevin [Stott] did the right thing, let him find his stride and where he was happy, and when it came to the business end, he battled on hard. He is a very game, very tough horse, and especially to do that on his first run of the season was very impressive.

“He did well over the winter; he strengthened up and matured again. We had him as well as we could have done at home – his work has been very good. We always thought this year he’d be more of the finished article, and he looked fantastic today. Credit to the team.

“It’s fantastic, particularly given the times we have gone through. For everyone in racing, to get it back and win on the biggest stage of all is fantastic. As well, for Kevin Stott – we knew him when he first came across and he did his apprenticeship with us. He is an absolute credit to his family and gave Hello Youmzain a brilliant ride. I am delighted for him to have his first Group One winner for us.

“We will see how he comes back from this, but he’s a Group 1 sprinter and he will be tackling all of them. The July Cup is an obvious choice for his next run. He has a lot of natural speed as well, so I don’t think we’ll rule out dropping him down to five. He’ll probably get an entry in the Nunthorpe as well.”

One of four Group 1 winners by Kodiac, Hello Youmzain was bred by Rabbah Bloodstock out of Spasha, an emerging force at stud who is also responsible for Group 2 winner Royal Youmzain and Listed scorer Zuhoor Baynoona. The daughter of Shamardal is a half-sister to another Royal Ascot winner in Persian Majesty, successful in the Hampton Court Stakes.

The Kodiac filly Campanelle, meanwhile, struck a blow for the Wesley Ward contingent in the Queen Mary Stakes, running out the three-quarter of a length winner over Sacred under Frankie Dettori. Although trained in America, Campanelle was actually bred in Ireland by Tally-Ho Stud and sold by the Mullingar farm for 190,000gns at last year’s Tattersalls October Sale to Ben McElroy, acting on behalf of owner Stonestreet Stables.

Less than an hour later, Kodiac was on the mark again, this time as sire of Nando Parrado, who pulled off a 150/1 shock in the Coventry Stakes for Clive Cox.

Bred in Britain by Anita Wigan, the colt is out of Argentinean Group 3 winner Chibola.