Torcedor Flies the Flag at Royal Ascot

Carrying the Te Akau colours, Torcedor (5 g Fastnet Rock - Magnolia Lane) finished fifth overnight in the £400,000 Ascot Gold Cup (Gr. 1, 4023m) in the United Kingdom.

In a thrilling finish, that saw Big Orange (Duke of Marmalade) 5/1 hold off the favourite and defending champ Order of St George (Galileo) 5/6 by a short head, Torcedor 20/1 forged clear inside the final furlong and crossed the line solidly in fifth for Irish jockey Colm O'Donoghue.

Purchased by Te Akau principal David Ellis for 70,000 Euro (NZ$115,000) at the 2013 Deauville Yearling Sales in France, Torcedor is owned by Sir Patrick Hogan, Sir Peter Vela, Mohammed Moussa, and Laurie Laxon.

“It was good run by a relatively inexperienced horse, racing against the best staying horses in the world, and he's just going to continue to get better,” Ellis said.

“He settled nicely on the inner from barrier one and seemed to travel okay, but wasn't that happy on the very firm ground. They've had heat waves in London, and it's very, very hot.

“I thought he stayed every bit of the trip and maybe next year, with some give in the track, he could be very competitive.

“The immediate reports was that he'd come through the race well. You never really know until the next day, but at this stage he's come through it well.”

Ellis said that Torcedor could return to Royal Ascot for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr. 1, 2400m) on 29 July, and the Irish St Leger (Gr. 1, 2816m) in September at The Curragh.

Torcedor has won four of his fourteen starts, three seconds and a third, and earned $252,000 in prize money.

Trained by Jessica Harrington in Moone, County Kildare, Ireland, Torcedor had won the Coolmore Vintage Crop Stakes (Gr. 3, 2800m) in April at Navan racecourse in Ireland, defeating Order of St George, and contested the [Gold Cup] European equivalent of the Melbourne Cup (Gr. 1, 3200m) having not raced for eight weeks.

Interestingly, his dam, Magnolia Lane (Sadler's Wells), is a sister to British superstar Yeats (Sadler's Wells) who won the Ascot Gold Cup on four consecutive occasions (2006 - 09).

Pictured from right: Jessica Harrington (trainer), Sir Peter Vela (co-owner), Colm O'Donoghue (jockey) and Karyn Fenton-Ellis.