An immense week for Godolphin at Ascot
IT COINCIDED WITH MOHAMMAD’S 40 YEARS IN RACING
Royal Ascot 2017 delivered so many immense stories during the best possible week’s racing highlighted by Godolphin’s huge outstanding Tuesday — where unknown trainers — unsold horses — jet setting runners dominated proceedings.
We have had the lot and perhaps most unusually of all we’ve even had that most rare of entities … sunshine, almost too much of it, not an all too common English complaint.
The opening day coincided with the 40-year anniversary of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai’s, very first winner, a filly named Hatta and it is almost uncanny how well all his runners seemed to have read the script and performed their roles to perfection providing Godolphin with a treble.
First blood of the meeting in the prestigious Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes went to his Ribchester and retained Godolphin rider William Buick, the combination being firmly on top at the finish over Mutakayyef. And so Royal Ascot exploded into life like an erupting volcano pouring joy across the tumultuous crowds.
The Group 1 St James Palace provided another cause for a Royal Blue celebration as Barney Roy confirmed his top class status with James Doyle aboard. Thunder Snow continued his tough campaign with a solid 3rd place just a head behind Aiden O’Brien’s forward ridden Lancaster Bomber.
Race favourite Churchill was in most minds a bit disappointing though personally I feel jockey-ship was key here with Doyle getting first run on the winner having sat just off the front pace and allowing the long striding Barney Roy to use himself comfortably. It’s not often I would criticise Ryan Moore but when he got to Doyle’s heels he appeared insistent on trying to pass on the outside despite seeing Barney Roy drifting slightly that way, maybe he had no horse under him anyway but that move would definitely have disappointed the horse.
More success
The day closed with yet another Godolphin winner, this time in the Windsor Castle Listed 2 year old race over the minimum trip of five furlongs. Charlie Appleby provided the first and second here with William Buick opting for Sound and Silence who duelled through the last furlong to pass his stable mate Roussel.
Shaikh Mohammad savoured even more success on Day 3 with Derby 5th Benbatl appreciating a drop in trip and class to bag a confidence giving win in the Group 3 Hampton Court. All kudos to Saeed Bin Surour for his deft handling of this colt. The Dubai team were not finished yet and must have been delighted to see their Roger Charlton trained Atty Perse improve again with a decisive win over First Nation who is also team Godolphins — Charlie Appleby trains. Another lovely pair for the future. Rare Rhythm won the Duke of Edinburg Stakes to give Godolphin a total of six winners.
In his TV interview Shaikh Mohammad spoke of his love of the sport and that day 40 years ago in Brighton watching Hatta win, “from that day at Brighton we moved forward. In life there is no winning post, you have to keep going otherwise the rest will catch up with you”.
There was no doubt who was the absolute star of the show on Day 2, that accolade belonged to the Highland Reel the globe trotting athlete of Aiden O’Brien’s who in the last twelve months alone has raced in no fewer than five countries. His performance at Epsom three weeks earlier was astounding, having spent ten hours in transit travelling from Ireland after plane fuelling issues he arrived at the racetrack just 50 minutes before the start of the Coronation Cup yet went out there and trounced them all to win like a true pro and much to every ones delight he did it again here taking the Prince of Wales to add yet another Group 1 to his expanding CV.
Day 3 was Ladies and Gold Cup day which saw the hero of the hour coming in the shape of the Big Orange.