Cover image courtesy of Royal Ascot
G1 King Charles III Stakes
Noor Elaine Farm's multiple pattern-race winner Asfoora (Flying Artie) who placed twice in elite-level sprints in Australia, benefitted from a Oisin Murphy masterclass and pounced late to secure a sixth renewal for Australia in Tuesday's G1 King Charles III S., the rebranded King's Stand S., at Royal Ascot.
The Henry Dwyer-trained mare broke smartly and accepted a tow from Regional (GB) (Territories {Ire}), racing second in the smaller stands' side group, as GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint hero Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) blitzed ahead on the far side. Drifting out of Regional's slipstream for a clear passage passing halfway, the 5-1 chance powered forward to eyeball Big Evs with 100 yards remaining and drew off late to prevail by a length as Regional overtook Big Evs for second in the dying strides.
“I am really struggling for words, funnily enough,” admitted the winning trainer after striking gold with his first runner at the Royal meeting. “We have come a long way from Ballarat, but it's been an amazing experience from start to finish. We've been so well looked after and we're so grateful for that. Chenelle, who looks after this horse the whole time, has sacrificed a lot to be here, so I'm thrilled for her. It was a bit of an audacious plan."
"This time last year, or probably two years ago, I thought we were restricted in Australia and needed a few options over here. We couldn't travel her at that stage because she wasn't mentally sound enough. We took her to Perth last year for a race called the Quokka, an iconic Australian race, and it was more the travel that we wanted her to experience to see if she could come over here. She did it great, it was the making of her and here we are."
"We got a bit of stick from home for bringing her over because she wasn't seen as one of our better sprinters, but we were just so confident that she was really textbook wheelhouse five furlongs and she's proven that today. We just didn't have the races for her in Australia and she's proved she's up to it and I'm thrilled for everyone involved.”
Reflecting on a Northern Hemisphere debut fourth in last month's G2 Temple S. at Haydock, Dwyer continued, “We needed a lead-up run at Haydock, so she came over early. With the changing of seasons we wanted to be here before it was too cold in Australia and too warm over here. We came over in the nice interchange period and we needn't have worried. She settled in brilliantly and the proof was in the pudding today."
"I was incredibly lucky to have a couple of Group 1 winners in my first year, but it's been a bit of a dry spell since then in terms of Group 1s. This mare really deserved one, she's had so much go against her in the Group 1s she has run in in Australia. To get a Group 1 at home is great, but to get one at Royal Ascot is just amazing. We've got so many people here sharing it with us, but there is another group of 40 or 50 of my owners from home that would saw their left leg off to have a runner at Royal Ascot. It is an amazing experience.”
An ebullient Oisin Murphy was delighted with his 12th Royal Ascot winner and said, “I am thrilled for connections. It's very brave to come from Australia with a very good horse, taking in all the travel, and perform on the big day. I wasn't focusing on Big Evs, I was focusing on Regional, who gave me a perfect tow to halfway. She lugged a little bit right under pressure, looking for company, but how good was she at the line? It is hard to win Group 1 races and the King Charles III is a massive race, so I'm delighted. Royal Ascot day one, to win a Group 1, brilliant.”
G1 St James's Palace Stakes
There were three Guineas heroes lined up for Tuesday's G1 St James's Palace S. and ultimately it was the winner of the Irish Classic in Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) who came away from Royal Ascot with the bragging rights.
If his Curragh victory was a case of consolation following his second to Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) at Newmarket, this was all about affirmation as the well-supported 5-2 second favourite readily reversed the 2,000 Guineas form and put the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Metropolitan (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) in his place.
In the event, it was the Poulains also-ran Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) who really put it up to the Richard Hannon-trained homebred but Sean Levey was able to conjure the magic to reel in that Ballydoyle blueblood inside the final 100 yards. At the line, there was a neck between, with three lengths separating them and Metropolitan as the 6-4 favourite Notable Speech over-raced and wound up a below-par seventh.
“He had to be good today and he travelled so well, picked up strong and was very tenacious to the line,” Levey said. “This horse really has to have something to aim at, I think he showed that at The Curragh. I just hope that one day they go a really good gallop, so that we get to see him really show his true potential. At the moment, he's just showing how versatile he really is. I hoped he would be that horse I've been waiting for all my career. Boy, he was good today.”
G1 Queen Anne Stakes
Royal Ascot Tuesday got underway with an admirably professional Queen Anne display from Nurlan Bizakov's Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel) as he finally plundered his Group 1 on the biggest stage.
Runner-up in the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury last month, the grey tracked that race's winner Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) throughout the early stages but whereas he wasn't able to get to him previously this time he was already rolling by with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining. Out in the clear under Silvestre De Sousa chased by Docklands (GB) (Massaat {Ire}), the 100-30 favourite had 2 1/4 lengths to spare over that rival at the line, with Maljoom (Ire) (Caravaggio) 2 3/4 lengths away in third. The race is a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile in the autumn.
“He seems to have found another level of form this year,” trainer Roger Varian said. “His run in the Lockinge last time was outstanding and you only have to look at him in the paddock to see how physically mature he is–he's a bull of a horse. He's a fine horse, very consistent and seems to be thriving.”
Bizakov was revelling in the moment. “Now Charyn has booked my box in my stallion yard! I've been dreaming about this, but I never thought it would happen,” he said. “It is a big day. You wouldn't be confident in a Group 1 race, but Charyn would be my shortest-priced runner in Group 1 company and he delivered, so it's amazing.”
Harry Eustace said of OTI Racing's Docklands, who had won the Britannia H. at this meeting 12 months ago, “He just keeps turning up for us. He loves this track and dropping in with plenty of runners is what he really needs. He hasn't had that yet this year. The plan was to always work back from Australia at the end of the year.”
G2 Coventry Stakes
Having secured a maiden pattern-race win in Germany earlier in the campaign, fledgling jockey Billy Loughnane registered a career high when steering the twice-raced maiden and Brian Meehan trainee Rashabar (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), racing in the famed Robert Sangster silks, to a narrow victory in Tuesday's G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot.
The 80-1 outsider, who placed in maidens at Newbury and Chester prior to this black-type bow, broke smartly and raced in a leading wave of three at the head of the smaller far-side group. Last to come off the bridle when shaken up passing the quarter-mile marker, he came under increased urging thereafter and was driven out to prevail by a nose from Wathan Racing's fast-finishing Electrolyte (Ire) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}), the duo split by the width of the track. Fellow Wathnan Racing entry Columnist (GB) (Ardad {Ire}) was a head away in third as two lengths covered the first eight home.
“This feels amazing and, dare I say, it was not a huge surprise,” admitted Brian Meehan. “You can try and keep a lid on things now, but we'll draw breath in an hour or so and take some pleasure out of it. It's just very special. He's felt very good since Chester and everything has gone really well with him throughout. When a horse runs around Chester, it's like having two runs and they learn so much, especially for a 2-year-old who had only run once. He has been training so well at home and the team have done a tremendous job. We got to 48 hours ago and we thought we were in good shape. [Agent] Shashi Righton looks after Billy as well, so we get to use Billy when we can. He's a great kid, he has a lovely way about him and is wonderful with people. The world is his oyster as far as the horse business is concerned.”
Manton Thoroughbreds manager Sam Sangster, who was on the docket when Rashabar was knocked down for €120,000 as an Arqana August yearling, commented, “It was amazing, an unbelievable amount of pride with that horse crossing the line and I'm in tears behind my sunglasses. Brian [Meehan] believed in the horse from day one and we came here with, I really did feel, a big chance. The owners are big supporters of mine and I'm blown away. There was a reason I set the syndicate up 10 years ago, to keep the colours going. We have a lot of runners and it's been fantastic in the last couple of years. We had Isaac Shelby last year and this fellow this year. I am a bit lost for words and emotional, especially when you talk about the colours and my old man.”
