Canford Cliffs beat well-backed favourite Goldikova into second place in the Group One Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot. The star of Richard Hannon's stable was coolly ridden to victory by Richard Hughes, who followed the French mare before racing to victory in the final furlong. The 13-time Group One winner was not easy to pass, but Canford pulled a length clear of the six-year-old, ridden by Olivier Peslier. Goldikova defeated another of Hannon's horses, Paco Boy, in the same race a year ago, but Hannon was able to secure revenge this time around. He told Sky Sports: "He's a very good horse. We had to take her on. She's obviously a very good horse too. "We had two good pacemakers in there and we followed her through. "He's got a very high cruising speed but also a great turn of foot. That's the great thing. "He's a very special horse to us." Goldikova's pacemaker Flash Dance and Cape Blanco helped the pace in the early stages, but the two favourites held back. The pair always looked to have the race comfortably won between them, and so it proved as they fought a great battle in the closing stages. Winning jockey Hughes said: "Olivier rode a great race to be fair. He wouldn't kick and I couldn't kick until he kicked. "We did quicken a lot in the last two furlongs, that was the quickest part of the race. "I've said since the first day I rode him he was an amazing horse. "I didn't want to miss the kick and I got lucky that I landed behind Goldikova and I was riding with gentlemen like Ryan Moore and Frankie Dettori who could have made it difficult for me, they didn't and I got right in her slipstream. "He's an amazing horse. The best I've ever ridden."
