After earning a classic placing in her previous start in France, Al Shaqab Racing's Qemah would not be denied June 17 as she powered home in the final furlong of the £226,840 ($325,000) Coronation Stakes (Eng-I) to score a 1 3/4-length victory over Kentucky-bred Nemoralia.
Trained by Jean-Claude Rouget, Qemah finished third—just a length back—in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (Fr-I) (French Guineas) going 1,600 meters (about a mile) on May 15 at Deauville. The Irish-bred daughter of Danehill Dancer, who opened the year with a group III win at Chantilly, finished well under Gregory Benoist to win Friday's mile race for 3-year-old fillies.
"I was very confident for this race after the French Guineas because I prefer her with a turn. She's a top-class filly. She was very nervous in Deauville and I don't think she ran the race she had to do. Today she ran the race and won easily," said Rouget, who also won the Coronation last year with Ervedya. "To me, to do the double in this race is a childhood dream. Today is done and I hope to get some more wins here as, for me, Ascot has the best racing in the world."
Terry Allan, James Lovat, and Charles Pigram's Nemoralia earned her third grade I/group I placing as the daughter of More Than Ready finished second in last year's Frizette Stakes (gr. I) and third in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (gr. I) for trainer Jeremy Noseda, who liked Nemoralia's race Friday on the soft ground.
"I'm delighted with her run. We took a chance on the ground and she ran great, so I can't complain," Noseda said. "The conditions were what they were, and she gave it her best shot to finish second. There'll be days for her on fast ground. We'll get her home and then make a decision about where we go from there."
In other races Friday at Ascot:
* Quiet Reflection, sent off the 7-4 favorite locally, defeated males in the Commonwealth Cup (Eng-I) for 3-year-olds going six furlongs. The daughter of Showcasing secured her fourth group stakes win and first at the highest level.
Trained by part owner Karl Burke and ridden to victory by Dougie Costello—both secured their first wins at the group I level—Quiet Reflection scored by one length over Kachy, by Kyllachy.
"I'm pretty emotional, but it's fantastic and I'm absolutely delighted," said Burke after earning his first win at Royal Ascot. "It's a big relief as well. When you see your contemporaries and lads you grew up with like Richard Fahey and Kevin Ryan having winners at the big meetings, you're itching to have one. We've had a few near-misses and it's great to get there.
"She's a very good filly. It wasn't the plan to be stuck in the middle like that and I was just praying it wasn't going to be a rough race, but she's got a good turn of foot and it's got her out of trouble."
• In the Albany Stakes (Eng-III) Brave Anna scored a narrow victory over Bletchley to secure her first group stakes win. Campaigned by her breeder Mrs. E. M. Stockwell, Brave Anna, by War Front , was bred in Kentucky.
U.S.-based trainer Wesley Ward watched Create a Dream, by Oasis Dream, finish fourth in the six-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies. A Kentucky homebred for St. Elias Stables, Create a Dream entered off an April 27 maiden win in her debut going five furlongs at Ascot.
