Fame And Glory, right, keeps Unaccompanied at bay, with Steps To Freedom in third © Photo Healy Racing
Fame And Glory set himself up for defending the Gold Cup at Ascot when winning his prep race, the Listed Vintage Crop Stakes over a mile and six at Navan.
He only had a neck to spare over market rival Unaccompanied but winning jockey Joseph O’Brien was content with the performance, though he highlighted that his horse got a bit tired on his race for 218 days.
He said: “He ran quite fresh down the back. I had a nice position on the bend going away from the stands and then he changed his legs and took off a bit.
“He just got a bit tired which he was entitled to on his first run of the year.”
O’Brien was standing in for the first time for regular pilot Jamie Spencer who was on day one of an enforced holiday due to a three-day riding ban.
Fame And Glory, who landed odds of 5/4 today, is now 2/1 from 5/2 with Ladbrokes to win his sixth Group 1 and second Gold Cup at Ascot next month.
The winner was kicked into a clear lead rounding the home turn but Unaccompanied (11/8) and Steps To Freedom (13/2) looked like they would threaten when they closed into second and third respectively, three furlongs out.
The race developed into a final furlong battle, but Fame And Glory was always sticking his neck out to win from Dermot Weld’s talented dual-purpose mare.
Steps To Freedom couldn’t go with the front two in the final furlong and had to settle for third a further three lengths back.
Michael Graham
