Snellen denies Pearls And Rubies in Chesham Snellen just held off the late lunge of favourite Pearls And Rubies to provide Champion Hurdle-winning trainer Gavin Cromwell with a second Royal Ascot winner. Sent off at 12-1 having won on her only previous outing at Limerick, she was produced with a well-timed challenge by Gary Carroll. With a furlong to run there were any amount still in with a chance, but Carroll’s mount took a length out of the field. That should have put the race to bed but Snellen began to drift to her left, allowing Pearls And Rubies and Ryan Moore a chance to close the gap. Unfortunately for favourite-backers, though, there was still a head between them when the line came. Golden Mind and 125-1 shot Oddyssey dead-heated for third. Cromwell said: “She’s been nice from the word go and is just progressing all the time. “Her dam won over a mile and a half so I think she’ll stay further. I haven’t thought about Classics, we’ll enjoy today first.”
