ascot day 1
American flyer Lady Aurelia shows them all a clean pair of heels for the second year running
Lady Aurelia, Ribchester and Barney Roy star
THIS LADY IS A FAST WORKER
LADY AURELIA was the brightest star on the opening day of the Royal meeting, with a blistering win in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes.
The 7/2 shot gave her backers not a moment’s worry as she picked up off a strong pace to win as she liked – just 100th of a second outside the track record.
The only sad man watching that performance was Frankie Dettori who should have been on board but was forced out of the meeting with the arm injury be picked up days earlier.
American trainer Wesley Ward is a dab hand at winning Royal Ascot prizes and he was delighted with Lady Aurelia’s performance.
He said: “That was awesome. Lady Aurelia is a very special filly.
“You never know what will happen in these races. This is a Group One with some of the fastest horses in the world, and to duplicate what she did last year, she is a once in a lifetime horse.
“She loves it over here.We look forward to a really big summer and then the Breeders’Cup.The owners are so excited. It is wonderful for American racing.
“All the team have done a fantastic job with her and she really is something special.”
Top American pilot JohnValasquez rode his third Royal Ascot winner in the race but Ward was thinking of Frankie.
He added:“I feel so bad for my Frankie. I feel really happy for John so if you watching Frankie, you’re with us.
“She has immense talent and immense speed.Hopefully,with the experience she has now, she should get better and better.”
Ward suggested that a tilt at the G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes at York in August is next on the agenda for the US-bred filly, for which she is an even money favourite.
He said: “This is a once in a lifetime horse and I need to sit down with the owners but I would like to go the Nunthorpe Stakes atYork with her next.
“We’ll get her home just like we have on the other times and hopefully she can run like she did today. She is very exciting.”
Ward also hinted that the filly could remain in training as a four-year-old, adding:“The owners are sportsmen and sportswoman and I would say that as long as she keeps sound, she will carry on racing.”
BARNEY THE BOY IN ST JAMES’ PALACE
Barney Roy turned the tables on his 2,000 Guineas conqueror Churchill with an impressive victory in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
James Doyle rode the Godolphin owned 5/2 shot, who has clearly improved since Newmarket.Churchill (1/2 favourite) could do no better than fourth, as Barney Roy beat Lancaster Bomber and another Godolphin runner, Thunder Snow, by one length and a head.
Winning trainer Richard Hannon said: “We felt he was unlucky in the Guineas when stumbling in the dip and if he was unlucky there he would win this, and so it proved. We have massive respect for Churchill, and I don’t think he has run his true race,but we were there to take advantage.
“I was frustrated after the Guineas
because he was a little inexperienced – that was what beat him. He nodded going into the dip,lost his stride,and I thought he had broken down. To his credit he quickened up against horses that were already quickening, while Churchill got a lovely run, which was well executed by them. I felt that a flatter track here, without any undulations, would play to his strengths. James came down and rode him around a right-hand bend at Kempton last week,and he worked brilliantly on Sunday,and it’s all paid off.
“I’m sure our horse will get further - he’s in the Eclipse Stakes [10 furlongs] and the Arc [12 furlongs] – he takes time to pick up and he’s very relaxed, but a horse having just his fourth race, and to beat a Guineas winner,is very good.
“We’ll take him home,see how he is,and talk to Sheikh Mohammed.He’s done nothing wrong over a mile, so don’t get me wrong,but he will get further.
“You don’t get another crack at the Guineas, but the season rolls on and he’ll have a few chances along the way. We brought him here as a fresh horse,so didn’t go to the Irish Guineas or anywhere else. That was what Sheikh Mohammed wanted, and he was dead right.
“It means everything to win this – we’ve had a lot of good milers through our hands, horses like Toronado, Olympic Glory and Sky Lantern,and when they leave there is a big hole in the yard, so we are frantically searching for the next one.We thought we had one, and after the Guineas we knew we had one – we just had to get the best out of him.”
RIBCHESTER BREAKS TRACK RECORD IN QUEEN ANNE
Trainer Richard Fahey described Ribchester as the best horse he has trained after the Godolphin-owned colt landed the G1 Queen Anne Stakes in a track record time of 1m 36.60s
Settled in fifth in the early stages of the mile contest by William Buick under a stern gallop set by Ribchester’s pacemaker Toscanini,the four-year-old son of Iffraaj ran on resolutely when hitting the front over a furlong out to fend off the challenge of William Haggas’ Mutakayyef (5/1), who was a length and a quarter behind in second, with a neck back to Aidan O’Brien’s Deauville (12/1) in third.
The 11/10 favourite found plenty under pressure to register his third success at Group One level, whilst simultaneously providing Fahey with his sixth success at the Royal Meeting.
Fahey said: “I’m just delighted he has won.You can never be confident but everything dropped into place there. He has huge gears and he is never in trouble. He gets the trip and that makes him a good horse.
“It wasn’t really the plan to go that quick withToscanini and I did tell Paul Hanagan to bounce out this time.He more or less took off and probably didn’t lead Ribchester far enough.
“Ribchester is just an exceptional horse. He has to be the best horse I have ever trained. He broke the track record here today and that’s not being disrespectful to the others, he is just exceptional.
“It was a good pressure coming into the race as he was the right horse to have the
pressure on.I was quietly confident that he would win as everything was good with him before the race.
“He gets lonely out in front sometimes and he just went walkabouts.
“William doesn’t feel that the tank is empty with him and that he is getting stronger the whole time.Mentally,he is also getting better which is a great attitude to have in a racehorse – he is starting to think he is good.”
Fahey suggested a tilt at the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood is next on the agenda for the colt, who is now 6/5 with Paddy Power for the race.
He added:“The Sussex Stakes is where he has to go really. The Prix Jacques Le Marois which he won last year is only ten days after the Sussex so we can’t go to both. I was always hoping that he would stay further but at the moment, I don’t need to go further.”
SPENCER SCORES ON ASCOT DEBUT
Newmarket trainer Richard Spencer won with his very first Royal Ascot runner when Rajasinghe landed the Coventry Stakes in course-record time.
The Choisir colt beat Headway by a head in a thrilling finish,with Murillo a further neck back in third.
It was only Spencer’s ninth winner under Rules. He said of Rajasinghe:“Words can’t describe how I feel, but he’s a top horse and we’ve liked him from day one.We sent him to Newcastle for his debut and thought he would take a lot of beating, and he wasn’t cooked for that run.
“He’s going to stay further – my assistant Johnny Bailey has been asking that they extend Warren Hill and Long Hill because every day he rides him the horse just tanks. He’s great natured,and tough.
“We have 23 horses at home, and a lovely bunch of owners at a great location.I cannot thank Phil Cunningham enough for giving me the opportunity.Two years ago I broke my back in a hunter chase fall at Warwick,so from that to be standing here is just amazing.
“I’d like to thank people who have helped me along the way. I was a stable lad with Peter Bowen at 16 and learned a lot there, and then worked for Barry Hills, becoming his assistant. I stayed there for seven years, which says it was a good job, eventually working for Barry’s son Charlie. The lads there were amazing – people like Kevin Mooney were so helpful – and then I went to Michael Bell’s to complete my training.”
SOUNDS OF JOY FOR GODOLPHIN
Sound And Silence completed a 124/1 treble for Godolphin on the first day of Royal Ascot when winning the Windsor Castle Stakes by a neck from stable-mate Roussel at odds of 16/1.The pair are both trained by Charlie Appleby.
William Buick was aboard Sound And Silence,a son of Exceed And Excel.Buick also rode Ribchester to win the Queen Anne Stakes earlier in the day. It was a 34/1 double for the jockey.
Buick said:“I came there to win my race and he’s a real fast horse – five furlongs is his absolute maximum – and he probably had to dig deep into the basement in the last 50 yards, which he really did for me.The second horse is going to improve a lot – it’s only his second run.They are two nice horses, two fast two-year-olds, and it was a great result for Charlie. It’s obviously lovely to win but in the Godolphin silks and for Charlie, it’s particularly special.
“We’ve always thought a lot of Sound And Silence at home.He showed up early as a real natural horse and a lovely mover. He won very well at Newmarket first time and he wasn’t really tuned to win first time – he did it through quality – and it confused me when he got beat at Sandown. But a fast-run race today really suited him.”
HOBSON’S CHOICE IS MELBOURNE
Thomas Hobson will target the Melbourne Cup after winning the Ascot Stakes for trainer Willie Mullins and jockey Ryan Moore.
It is the third time the pair have teamed up to take the marathon 2m 3f contest.
The seven-year-old Halling gelding was the 4/1 favourite and beat Endless Acres, trained by Charlie Fellowes, by six lengths.
“Melbourne is the endgame,” said Mullins,Ireland’s champion jumps trainer. “We got around with firm ground today. Maybe he’s more mature, maybe he will take running on firm ground, but it opens up more opportunities for us, including Melbourne. He didn’t enjoy ground like this as a young horse,but maybe he’s more mature.
“The Melbourne Cup would be the first thing on my mind. To me, that performance is good enough to go there,but there is probably another race or two to go before then.
“It’s fantastic to have a winner at a festival like this – it’s magic.”
Moore said: “I felt it was a strong pace and let Thomas Hobson warm in to it. At Swinley Bottom they were slowing down every step of the way and it was about giving him a clear run at that stage. He has won very easily.
”Turning in I was thinking just get a clear run and he’ll win from here. Like all Willie’s horses, he stays very well and is very fit.”