Moore wins Ascot Jockeys' crown Ryan Moore foiled Johnny Murtagh's Lazarus-like comeback to steal the top jockey crown in the very last race of the 2010 Royal Ascot meeting. Murtagh endured a torrid start to the week with the likes of Rip Van Winkle, Steinbeck and Fencing Master all running well below-par in the first three days. Moore had enjoyed a little more success with Strawberrydaiquiri striking in Wednesday's Windsor Forest Stakes, while Rainfall also triumphed on the same day. He was still in the hunt by virtue of a raft of place rides entering the final day but Murtagh was right on his heels as the pair set out in pursuit of Richard Hughes and Frankie Dettori, who had each bagged three winners. Moore was quickly off the mark on the final day though, steering Harbinger to a bloodless success in the Hardwicke Stakes, the second race of the day. That win put him into the lead but Murtagh, who opened his scoring courtesy of Lillie Langtry in the Coronation Stakes and Mikhail Glinka in the Queen's Vase on Friday, soon knocked him off the top. The Irish rider, who has won the title four times before, first struck on O'Brien's Australian import Starspangledbanner in the Golden Jubilee Stakes. He then went on to complete another double as the Jeremy Noseda-trained Laddies Poker Two landed a huge gamble in the Wokingham on her first start for 610 days. Moore then endured a narrow defeat on hot favourite Imposing in the Duke of Edinburgh Handicap, ensuring the contest went all the way to the wire in the closing Queen Alexandra Stakes. With Murtagh aboard Willie Mullins' Deutschland and Moore on Bergo for his trainer father Gary, all eyes were on the pair at the top of the straight. However, it was 10-1 shot Bergo who answered the call for Moore, pulling ahead of Aajel in the closing stages to present the rider with the coveted title. "It doesn't mean a lot to me personally but I am delighted to ride a winner for my dad," said Moore. "This is the biggest week in racing and it is very competitive and hard to win. "The traditions here are nice and everyone is dressed up. It isn't my kind of thing but people enjoy it."
