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Ethical Diamond provided all-conquering trainer Willie Mullins with a third victory in the Sky Bet Ebor at York.
Although better known for his exploits under National Hunt rules, the Closutton handler had previously landed Britain’s richest Flat handicap with Sesenta in 2009 and Absurde in 2023 and fired a three-pronged assault at this year’s renewal.
Ethical Diamond, who was last seen striking Royal Ascot gold in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, was a well backed 5-1 favourite for the £500,000 feature under William Buick, who appeared keen to play his cards as late as possible aboard a horse who has been known to race enthusiastically.
But after again travelling powerfully in the middle of the pack as the field turned for home, the five-year-old got a dream run against the stands’ rail when being delivered with his challenge and picked up well to run out an emphatic two-and-a-half-length winner over Ascending, with Queenstown in third.
Mullins said: “William said he was a copybook ride. He popped off, settled and did everything he wanted him to do.
“He said once he let him go, he quickened up well.
“He won’t go to [the] Melbourne [Cup] as he won’t pass the vets down there in Australia, so we wiped that off straight away. He’s got a screw in his leg from an old injury and that is a straight no-no from them.
“That’s fine, those are the rules and at least we know now and not when they let us get all the way down there.
“I don’t know if he’s an Irish Cesarewitch horse or we let him run in an Irish Leger, we’ll have to see but I’d definitely like to move him up in grade to a Group Two or a Group Three at some stage.
“We’ve just been trying to find the right tactics that suit him but it’s taken me 18 months to do that and now he’s won at Royal Ascot and the Ebor.
“Now that we have a way to ride him, he’d probably win a nice race over hurdles, I think tactics have been the making of him.”
Of landing a major summer prize, Mullins added: “Winning races on the Flat like this gives me exactly the same buzz as winning big races over jumps, for sure. To come here and win races like this, it’s why you do the game.”
Buick said: “He won the Duke of Edinburgh so well and any time Willie asks you to ride a horse, you’re grateful for the call-up – they don’t come over for the fun of it.
William Buick takes the acclaim of the crowd after victory in the Ebor
“I had a good trip from a wide draw. We were never going to fight to get in or do anything spectacular, we accepted it. Willie just said stay out there and let him get in his rhythm and if you get a tail to follow then great.
“I was comfortable throughout the whole race really and he’s got that killer turn of foot which set him apart from the others today.”
It was a one-two-three for Ireland with Henry de Bromhead training the runner-up Ascending and Aidan O’Brien saddling third-placed Queenstown.
De Bromhead said of his runner: “I’d say he just lacked a bit of speed late on, I thought he’d quicken a bit better.
“Seamie gave him a super ride and I thought we were going better than anything but the other lad quickened past him.
“He gave me my first Ascot winner, we’re delighted to be here, we’ve had a really good day and he’s ran an absolute belter.”
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