Sylvester Kirk praises staff following 'wonderful' treble in the sun at Ascot

On a fine afternoon at Ascot the sun shone brightest on Sylvester Kirk, and on Sunday the trainer paid tribute to staff at his Lambourn stables following his landmark treble.

A first victory since September 2016 for the ultra-consistent Salouen in the Listed Buckhounds Stakes would doubtless have left Kirk smiling, but he was beaming after Bubble And Squeak and She Believes followed up later on Saturday's card.

"It was a wonderful day," said Kirk, for whom the treble doubled his tally for 2019. "Having three winners on any day, no matter what races they are, is fantastic but for it to happen on a Saturday at Ascot during a televised meeting was lovely.

"The staff were all back to work this morning, although they had a few drinks last night when they got back home. I think there were a few sore heads!

"They hung around for an hour after work just chatting in the sun and watching the horses pick the grass, it was lovely. It just gives everyone around the yard a boost. They put the effort in and it's great for them to be rewarded."

Kirk confirmed stable star Salouen to be in rude health following his victory under Oisin Murphy and added a return to Epsom for the Investec Coronation Cup, in which the son of Canford Cliffs finished second to Cracksman last season, is next on the agenda.

The trainer said: "It was nice for him to get his head in front and nice to see he's retained his vigour from last year. He's back in this morning and looks really fresh and is clean as a whistle.

"The Coronation Cup will be the plan. Hopefully we get soft ground like last year as that will help his chances. After that we'll sit back and take stock and see where to head."

Bookmakers reacted by cutting the five-year-old into a general 14-1 (from 28) for the Coronation Cup. Enable is the 4-5 favourite for the Group 1 on May 31.

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