Ascot Raceway: The Explorers Cup series got off to a thrilling start with the six-furlong Ascot Gold Cup where a crowd of 4,000 was treated to as exciting a finish as could have been imagined.
Indian transplant Wellesley Arabian exploded out of the start and held his lead over the first half mile with Waxy and Duroc on his heels. By the five-furlong marker, Duroc pulled ahead of the tiring Arabian but his jockey failed to spot the tandem of Whalebone and Walton on the outside until it was too late to properly react. The two had been in the seventh and sixth positions only a few strides earlier. Both horses breezed by Duroc and the Arabian with the finish straight ahead. The American horse was able to dig and kick by Walton but couldn't overtake Whalebone who won by a neck.
Full results
Whalebone Edges Duroc
English Lightweight champion Tom Belcher made his second defense and ran his record to 7/0/0 with an easy fifteen round decision over Young Gregory. Belcher won every round convincingly as he ably demonstrated the superiority of his scientific method over brute force and brawling. Gregory appeared as though he had been thrown from his horse and trampled afterward.