Yesterday’s highlights
This seems to be the week for debutants. On Tuesday, we had Eve Johnson Houghton. Yesterday, it was the welcome turn of Newmarket trainer Marco Botti, who sent out Aljazzi to land the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes with ease. Botti, an Italian, has hit the post a few times here and said: “We have been so close here so many times and it is just nice to finally get one on the board.”
View from afar
It has been a quite a month for owners Ross Sankey and Chris Edwards of Zen Racing. Their filly, Signora Caballo, a bargain 20,000 gns purchase, won a Listed race at York, prompting Phoenix Thoroughbreds to buy a 75 per cent share in her. Yesterday she won the Group Two Queen Mary Stakes in a thrilling finish. Did the pair enjoy their day out at Ascot? No, they were on a pre-planned holiday in Barbados, but did manage to catch the race on television. Ryan Moore has been leading rider at Royal Ascot for seven of the past eight years and was a warm order to prevail again. After a blank first day, his supporters were getting nervous, especially as Frankie Dettori rode a treble. Moore was at his decisive best on Kew Gardens in yesterday’s Queen’s Vase but that was it for the day. Never mind, there are still 18 races to go.
Pimm’s o’clock
The two young ladies pictured below seem determined to enjoy their day. After a spate of drink-related racecourse incidents, Ascot has been keen to avoid such bad publicity. Breathalyser kits at entrances, trouble spotters in all enclosures and sniffer dogs have all been introduced. Happily for all, there were no problems on the first two days.