Godolphin have the last laugh

Godolphin’s Laugh Aloud ran out a hugely impressive winner of the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes for James Doyle and John Gosden.

A confident Doyle was happy to track the leaders before letting the daughter of Dubawi stretch her legs, down the long Epsom straight, which she did in exemplary fashion to cross the line five lengths clear of Absolute Blast, ridden by Pat Smullen for rookie trainer Archie Watson.

Pacesetting Tisbutadream stayed on for third.

“She was impressive, when I let her go, she travelled into it so well and scampered up the hill — it felt good, She’s very versatile,” Doyle told Racing UK.

“That was a pretty authoritative performance.

“She’s deserves a crack at a Group One now, she’s going in the right direction and that was pretty authoritative.”

The Godolphin filly looks a banker for Royal Ascot later in the month which resulted in British bookmaker Sky Bet cutting her odds to 3/1 (from 16s) for the Duke of Cambridge Stakes.

Laugh Aloud also holds an entry for the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood in August.

Gosden was equally impressed with her performance and said: “She is a lovely filly that is getting better and stronger with age. She has learnt to settle a bit more in her mind.

“Today we thought there might be pace and I said to James to sit off it and let them fight it out and come with a late run.

“That bodes well if we are going to Ascot for the Duke of Cambridge, which is a stiff mile. I am a great believer of going one step at a time. This was a Group 3 and that is a Group 2. She is as wide as she is tall and is very strong now.”

Meanwhile, Yorkshire-based Ruth Carr saddled the evergreen Sovereign Debt to capture the Group 1 Diomed Stakes, a race named in honour of the first ever Derby winner.

Now an eight-year-old, the handsome grey made light of a 5-pound penalty for his win in the Group 2 Mile at Sandown Park to run out a convincing winner for James Sullivan.

Godolphin’s Folkswood, ridden by William Buick for Charlie Appleby, looked to have every chance entering the final furlong, before he was passed by a quartet of horses led by the winner.

Gabrial, with Frankie Dettori on board, was a neck second in from of the Pat Dobbs-ridden Oh This Is Us and James Doyle’s Kool Kompany.