Canford Cliffs climbs high in Palace Stakes

CANFORD Cliffs arrived at Royal Ascot with a score to settle and left at the top of the podium in the three-year-old miling division after proving his worth in the St James's Palace Stakes.

It is hard to believe it was exactly a year ago when Richard Hannon's colt blew his rivals away in the Coventry Stakes and it had taken until last month's Irish 2000 Guineas for him to register another victory.

With Makfi, the 11-4 joint-favourite with the winner, looking a shadow of his best, it was again Dick Turpin who proved the biggest danger but the Hannon team's one-two were divided by a comfortable length.

Richard Hughes' combination of patience and confidence are the perfect foil for the exuberance of Canford Cliffs and he sat motionless as the race began to develop around him and the line grew ever closer.

The gaps opened right on cue and the son of Tagula surged past Dick Turpin to take the Group 1 prize in style.

With Paco Boy just beaten by Goldikova in the Queen Anne and Strong Suit winning the Coventry later on, this was an afternoon to match the opening day of the 2009 meeting for Hughes and Hannon. "Canford Cliffs is a horse that just keeps getting better and better. It's one thing to win the Coventry but to come on and win this year is something else," said Hannon.

"I feel very sorry for Dick Turpin – that's the third Group 1 he has finished runner-up in after the English and French Guineas. He may be the bridesmaid but I'm lucky to have two horses as good as this pair."

Meanwhile, few of the fillies attending Ladies' Day today will match the superstar status of Goldikova as the globetrotting French mare clocked up her ninth Group 1 win in the Queen Anne Stakes.

The opening action of the 2010 meeting served up one of the tastiest dishes of the week, with the mile event living up to the billing as Paco Boy charged late to run the 11-8 favourite to a neck.

Former jockey Freddie Head said of his dual Breeders' Cup winner: "This is great for me. It is one of the greatest moments of my life to win at Royal Ascot with a mare like that."

Equiano scorched home in the King's Stand Stakes by a length and a half from Markab (14-1) with Borderlescott third.

Seb Sanders gave David Pipe's Junior one of the rides of the season to make every yard of the running in the marathon two-and-a-half mile Ascot Stakes.