The Aiden O’Brien trained Australian wonder-horse, So You Think, was narrowly defeated by Godolphin’s Rewilding following a tight finish in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, run over 1m2f at Royal Ascot on Wednesday 15th June 2011.
Despite being sent off at 4/11 by the bookmakers, and bursting clear of the pack with 2-3 furlongs remaining, So You Think found Godolphin’s Mahmood Al Zarooni-trained Rewilding – which was third in the 2010 Epsom Derby – to have just too much staying power.
So You Think could not shake off Rewilding’s advances, before the Frankie Dettori ridden colt began to pick up in the final 100 yards, before passing the Irish-trained colt for an impressive victory by a neck.
Rewilding had won at a Starting Price of 17/2 from So You Think. The third horse, Sri Putra 66/1, was a full six lengths behind So you Think and Rewilding as this high-class pair blitzed a good Royal Ascot field.
A rattling pace had been set by Aiden O’Brien’s pacemaker, Jan Vermeer, which Godolphin racing manager, Simon Crisford, said “played into our hands” because their horse, rewilding, is a mile and a half horse. aiden O’Brien tended to agree with this opinion, calling So You Think’s failure to win this Group 1 event simply “trainer error.”
Speaking to reporters after the race, O’Brien said “(So You Think) came there to win his race but was then nailed by a horse who stays a mile and a half.”
Winning jockey Frankie Dettori was ecstatic after the result, particularly, he felt, the horse had not received the recognition he deserved previously. He described Rewilding as “a very good horse.”
