Byrnes and Berry in Ascot Domination Domination finished with a wet sail to claim the Ascot Stakes for Charles Byrnes and Fran Berry. The versatile seven-year-old has won on the Flat, over hurdles and over fences during the last couple of years, showing a preference for fast ground on a number of occasions. Berry sensibly played the waiting game in this stamina-sapping two-and-a-half-mile contest and still had only a couple of rivals behind him as he prepared to round the sweeping bend of home. He was brought wide to challenge in the straight and began to make up ground hand over fist inside the final two furlongs. Domination (12-1) swept to the lead passing the furlong marker and galloped all the way to the line to take top honours by two and a half lengths from Another Cocktail. Sizzler and Sohar were third and fourth respectively. Berry said: "I had to ride him like that more by accident than design, he walked out of the stalls and they went quick.That made my mind up for me." Byrnes said: "He's my first ever runner (at Royal Ascot). He probably should have run in this last year. Fran spoke to me about this race two years ago but I didn't take any notice but he (Berry) went and won it last year anyway (on Well Sharp for Jonjo O'Neill). "He was slow away and lost two or three lengths and Fran decided to let it all happen in front of him "It was a fantastic ride, he just had one crack at them. "He's in the Queen Alexandra on Saturday, but maybe Goodwood next."
