Jamie Spencer is left at the gate as Khaadem rides solo
Horse racing: Winning jockey McDonald said he ‘had a bit of a scare’ when riderless horse was on his tail
Royal Ascot racegoers were left rubbing their eyes in disbelief as two horses flashed past the winning post together with one of them having no jockey, writes Dave Wright.
Australian star Nature Strip powered to victory in the King’s Stand Stakes on Tuesday but for a time it was Khaadem who attracted the most attention.
What had happened to his rider? Jamie Spencer was the unfortunate man after he was left sitting on the back gate when Khaadem sat down on his haunches fractionally before the stalls opened.
The six-year-old trained by Charlie Hills was slowly away but quickly weaved his way through the field and moved almost alongside Chris Waller’s Nature Strip as he raced four lengths clear.
Winning jockey James McDonald said: “We had a bit of a scare when I thought one was coming for me and it had no rider on – I thought that was a bit unfair.
“The way Nature Strip quickened up, the way he executed his gallop, was scintillating. He was just idling along and I didn’t think a horse could come with him, so when the horse appeared without the rider, I did get a bit of a fright.”
Nature Strip may now try and follow in the footsteps of fellow Australian sprinter Choisir and Blue Point by completing the big Royal Ascot sprint double in Saturday’s Platinum Jubilee Stakes.
Earlier on the opening afternoon of the five-day meeting, Baaeed showed exactly why he is the world’s highestrated racehorse.
Ridden by Jim Crowley, the 1/6 favourite cruised to victory in the Queen Anne Stakes, finishing a length and three-quarters ahead of Godolphinowned Real World.
Crowley commented: “It doesn’t get any easier than that. Everything went smoothly. Baaeed got a lovely tow into
the race, the ground is beautiful, and I just let him stretch out for the last furlong of the race. It was like clockwork.
“William and Maureen Haggas (trainers) have done an unbelievable job with him and it is a pleasure to get on him and do the steering. This horse is a superstar.”
Godolphin completed a double with 2,000 Guineas winner Coroebus (10/11) landing the St James’ Palace Stakes and 20/1 chance Dubai Future running away with what had looked like a super competitive renewal of the Wolferton Stakes.
Dubai Future’s rider, Danny Tudhope, also won the concluding Copper Horse Handicap on the David O’Mearatrained Get Shirty to complete a 356/1 double.
Hollie Doyle won the Coventry Stakes on 8/1 Bradsell from Archie Watson’s yard, while the Ascot Stakes went to Coltrane (14/1) with young Callum Hutchinson riding for Andrew Balding.
Frankie Dettori has had many memorable days at Royal Ascot and no doubt there will be more to come but sadly, Wednesday will be remembered for the wrong reasons.
In the stalls for the Prince Of Wales’ Stakes, he struggled to remove Lord North’s blindfold and lost several lengths at the start.
The Italian jockey explained that the blindfold got caught in the bridle, resulting in him having to make several attempts to remove it.
Lord North, the 9/2 second-favourite and looking to repeat his win in 2020, did manage to make up some ground but was unable to sustain it and dropped back in the closing stages, finishing last of the five runners.
The 10-furlong contest that offered a staggering £1million in prize money was won by 5/1 chance State Of Rest, trained by Joseph O’Brien in Ireland and ridden by Shane Crosse. They led from the start and on by a length from odds-on favourite Bay Bridge ridden by Ryan Moore.
It was the fourth Group 1 success for the four-year-old, following wins in the United States, Australia and France.
Lord North was not the only horse to encounter difficulties in the stalls on day two of the Royal meeting.
French-trained Sibila Spain played up and was backed out. The starter didn't give him a second chance and the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes went ahead without him. The race was won by Saffron Beach, the 5/2 joint-favourite, ridden by William Buick and trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam. They finished three and a half lengths clear of 40/1 outside Thunder Beauty with Daniel Tudhope aboard.
Earlier, Tudhope had won the Queen Mary Stakes on Dramatised (5/2 favourite) to follow up his double in the final two races on Tuesday and went into the third day as the meeting’s leading jockey. All 14 races on the first two days of the Royal meeting were won by different trainers.