ROYAL ASCOT 2020 – DAY 5
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- 22 June 2020
FELLOWES AND BUICK BOTH GAIN SECOND WINNER OF ROYAL ASCOT 2020 AS CHIEFOFCHIEFS LANDS SILVER WOKINGHAM HANDICAP
Chiefofchiefs
The fifth and final day of Royal Ascot behind closed doors commenced with the Silver Wokingham Handicap, a consolation race for those horses who missed the cut for the Wokingham itself later in the afternoon. It was seven-year-old Chiefofchiefs who came out on top, handing a second winner of the week to both trainer Charlie Fellowes and jockey William Buick. Delivered to challenge entering the final furlong, Chiefofchiefs kept on strongly to come out on top by a length and a quarter from Burmese Waltz. The winner was actually making his first start over six furlongs today, having previously won over distances of up to 10 furlongs.
Charlie Fellowes said: “I am absolutely furious with myself! That is the worst training performance you will see here all week. It has taken me – how old is he, seven? – to finally get his trip right. I have called this horse every name under the sun, thinking he was a monkey, thinking he wasn’t putting it all in, and it’s actually all my fault. Hey, all is well that ends well.”
“I am over the moon for various reasons. Number one, Chiefofchiefs is owned by a family who have a couple of mares just short of Norwich (Ayers family from Wymondham), and they are the most lovely family, and I know how much this will mean to them. They will be devastated that they are not here, but they are not a Sheikh, and it has been hard, I would have thought, over the past few months, paying training fees and not being able to run the horse, and it is people like them that we really, really need in this sport, so for them to breed a Royal Ascot winner will mean the world for them. They have been good supporters of mine.”
“I am over the moon for the lads who have worked so hard. It has been tough – the last few months have been really hard – and to come here, on the biggest stage and for our lads to deliver two winners is remarkable. It has been a good week.”
“We put a visor on Chiefofchiefs out in Dubai, and another person who needs a huge amount of credit is Richard Mullen, who rode him out in Dubai. He immediately said to bring him back in trip. I thought he’d run well on his last start in Dubai, but the ground was much quicker than normal and he likes to get his toe in a bit. He just didn’t finish quite as well, and I thought, do you know what, we can come back to six. If you look at his Ascot form, it is very good – he has run very well over a mile here, and in the Balmoral Handicap last year he was almost last off the bridle and didn’t get home. This track suits him; it suits a lot of my horses, it is the way we train him, but it is a nice track for horses to be suited by!
“For me, Royal Ascot has always been the pinnacle. When I set up training this was always the dream, and I am very lucky to be living the dream. Three winners in two years – a lot of trainers go a lot longer than that without having winners. I am very, very lucky, we have got a beautiful yard. I can’t really complain much at the moment, to be honest! I have got to admit, I had a bit on this horse today, because I thought he would love the conditions. He was 50/1 last night; I thought he was massively overpriced.”
William Buick said: “Charlie was quite confident beforehand that the drop in trip would suit Chiefofchiefs. When you drop back in trip, this is a good track to do it at. It is a stiff six furlongs, a stiff, straight track. In the ground, the trip takes a bit of getting and the race was run at a fast pace which suited him. We got some nice cover and the race panned out well for Chiefochiefs. He has some smart form in the book when you go back a fair way and he did not disgrace himself at the Dubai Carnival either – it’s great for him to win here.”
“He managed to keep tabs on the horses in front of him without doing too much – to be honest it was all quite smooth for him. It is drying all the time, just riding a bit tacky, which you would expect, but certainly better than it was yesterday and the day before.”
1 Chiefofchiefs [drawn 15] Charlie Fellowes 7-9-04 William Buick 20/1
2 Burmese Waltz [24] Archie Watson 4-9-02 Danny Tudhope 22/1
3 Nahaarr [21] William Haggas 4-9-02 James Doyle 4/1
4 Louie De Palma [12] Clive Cox 8-9-04 Adam Kirby 25/1
2nd Royal Ascot win for trainer Charlie Fellowes
25th Royal Ascot win for jockey William Buick
19 ran
Non-Runners: 22 Gunmetal (Self Certificate, infected foot); 2 Open Wide (Going), 16 Pass The Vino (Going), 19 Sir Maximilian (Vet’s Certificate, infection)
Swindler was withdrawn. Price at time of withdrawal 9/2. Rule 4 applies to all bets – deduction 15p in the pound.
Distances: 1¼l, hd, ¾l
Time: 1m 13.91s
7/2 Fav: Blue Mist (9th)
Tote Win: £16.45 Places: £5.50, £6.35, £1.70 Exacta: £329.90
Click here for audio interviews with Charlie Fellowes and William Buick:
http://www.lloydbell.co.uk/access2/index.php?a=UmFjZW5ld3M=&b=31597
USA ON THE BOARD AS WESLEY WARD-TRAINED CAMPANELLE TAKES QUEEN MARY STAKES
Campanelle
American trainer Wesley Ward sent out his 11th Royal Ascot winner when Campanelle took the G2 Queen Mary Stakes under Frankie Dettori. The daughter of Kodiac came out on top by three-quarters of a length from Sacred after a sustained duel in the closing stages. It was a fourth Queen Mary Stakes for Ward following Jealous Again (2009), Acapulco (2015) and Lady Aurelia (2016). Like Lady Aurelia, Campanelle won in the colours of Stonestreet Stables. Earlier in the week, Ward had been responsible for two runners-up in Golden Pal (G2 Norfolk Stakes) and Kimari (G1 Commonwealth Cup).
Speaking from Keeneland, Kentucky, Ward said: “We are going crazy here! I am in the stable yard with all my boys. I have Charlie O’Connor from Coolmore with me – they had the favourite and he is cheering for me, so don’t tell the boss whatever you do!
“She is something and in think that we are going to be heading to the Prix Morny now. I will talk it over with Barbara Banke and the team. We are all real excited – I had all the stables lads here at the barn and they are all jumping up and down.
“I was fine with stall one for this particular filly. She tends to drift out a little bit in the mornings, so I was fine with that. I talked it over with Frankie – I told him to come of the gate with his stick in his right hand and he did. The Frankie Dettori that we all love, that’s the reason why he is the greatest, and I can’t thank him enough.
“Barbara has won the Prix Morny with Lady Aurelia in the past and hopefully the sanctions will be lifted, where she can go over and enjoy the wonderful racing. I can thank the team enough, especially Ben McElroy, who bought the filly specifically for this race and it all came true. In horseracing, that hardly ever happens and Ben did a wonderful job of picking the filly out for Barbara.
“We can’t thank Kieren Fallon enough. He was on this filly every day leading into the race and she couldn’t have been in better hands. Frankie talked him into coming to work for us, so we appreciate that as well. It’s sad not to be there to celebrate and enjoy this with my family. They love to come over each and every year but it’s another Royal Ascot winner and they are all so special.
“There is nothing like Royal Ascot. We didn’t have a winner last year and we had a streak going. We’ve been trying our best, I can’t thank everyone enough for giving me such a talented filly from where started at Stonestreet Stables. It is amazing and Frankie Dettori rode such a brilliant race as he always does. I have got my assistant Blake Heap there and we’ve got a wonderful team assembled in Florida – words just can’t describe it right now.
“The first day the horses didn’t perform in the Windsor Castle and I was scratching my head thinking this could be a rough year. Then we had two seconds yesterday [Kimari, Commonwealth Cup & Golden Pal, Norfolk] where I knew at least they were going to run well.
“I had such high expectations for Campanelle and she came through. She won on a tropical climate in Gulfstream down on the grass there, which was the first maiden race on turf. She then shipped from Miami through to Amsterdam and all the way to Newmarket. To run right back in the biggest two-year-old filly race at Ascot and for her to come through proves what a really good filly she is.
“This is the biggest meeting. We are starting to already plan for what we’re going to buy in a couple of months’ time to try and get the cream of the crop to bring our strongest team to come next year. Golden Pal will go for the Nunthorpe, he is more of a five-furlong horse. Campanelle is more a stride horse who is suited to six furlongs and will go for the Prix Morny.”
Frankie Dettori said: “I fancied my filly [Kimari] in the Commonwealth Cup yesterday – she was second, the ground was too sticky – then Wesley was shouting at me because I didn’t ride his Uncle Mo horse [Golden Pal, second under Andrea Atzeni] in the Norfolk, but I was already committed for Mark Johnston [Eye Of Heaven]. I had him on the phone screaming at me for half an hour yesterday, so I am glad I managed to win this race for him. He is a friend of mine, but he doesn’t forgive things! I have just had him on the phone and he is delighted.
“It wouldn’t be the same without having a Wesley Ward runner in the two-year-old races here. He is a great supporter of English racing, as are his owners as well. Barbara [Banke, owner of Campanelle] is a big supporter of mine – remember Lady Aurelia – and it adds spice to the international nature of Royal Ascot. May it long continue, this association with Royal Ascot, because we need these kind of horses.
“It is a nonsense, what people are saying about track bias. It is completely the same everywhere. If you look at the result on the straight track, all the best horses have been winning. If you put the best horses on the other side, they would have won on the other side. I think everyone is trying to look for an angle, but riding the ground, it feels exactly the same, and winning on this filly [from stall one] proves it.
“Wesley told me Campanelle had a tendency to lean right, so he was very happy to have the right rail next to me, but she went straight as a gun barrel and she won really well. Wesley leaves tactics up to me, but she was in the stalls for a very long time and she lost a bit of concentration. She jumped a little bit slow but they went so fast, and I was able to be on the flank of the field and find my own pace. I had plenty of horse left at the two-furlong marker and, in fairness, she quickened up really well. She has got a very sensible racing head. She did everything I asked of her and it was a good performance.
“I go to Florida in January to see Wesley from time to time, and already in January he starts hassling me about riding his horses at Royal Ascot. He loves the two-year-old races, he is a big supporter and I am so pleased he managed to win one, because it just gives him the incentive to come back again next year.”
1.15pm Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2)
1 Campanelle [1] Wesley Ward 2-9-00 Frankie Dettori 9/2
2 Sacred [5] William Haggas 2-9-00 James Doyle 5/1
3 Caroline Dale [13] David Loughnane 2-9-00 David Egan 100/1
11th Royal Ascot win for trainer Wesley Ward
71st Royal Ascot win for jockey Frankie Dettori
Click here for audio interviews with Wesley Ward and Frankie Dettori:
http://www.lloydbell.co.uk/access2/index.php?a=UmFjZW5ld3M=&b=31598
150/1 SHOCKER IN COVENTRY STAKES AS NANDO PARRADO COMES OUT ON TOP
Nando Parrado
Nando Parrado became the longest priced winner in the modern era at Royal Ascot when defying odds of 150/1 to take the G2 Coventry Stakes. The two-year-old Kodiac colt had finished fifth on debut at Newmarket on June 4 and there was no hint of a fluke about his victory today. Always in a prominent position, Nando Parrado took the lead just inside the final two furlongs and saw off all challengers to score by a length from Qaader.
Clive Cox said: “Not a shock at all! He is a lovely horse. He was drawn one at Newmarket, and on the day it turned out to be a little bit of a tough ask. When you looked at the form from Newmarket, there was a little bias to either rail that day. He was first in the stalls that day on a really windy day and stood there like a saint. He was a bit slowly away, and had been so good at everything that he had done at home, and then had to run a little bit forwards – we were hoping he was going to come across a bit, but he used a bit of petrol to do that and then he didn’t come down the hill and it was game over. But you have only got to look at the horse – he has got a real stamp of class about him, and he has clearly shown that today.
“Fair play to Paul and Marie McCarten, who own him. We were a little bit deflated at Newmarket, he ran well but I think on the day, as Adam said, he did not handle the track. He had a nice introduction, but we were expecting a bit more on the day to be fair.
“The price was a shock. Nando Parrado is a proper horse and we loved him from the start. This was always the plan, it was just a sideways step on his first run. He came home and thrived from there, and then when the rain came earlier in the week, I knew he would be better on good or slower ground than quicker ground. I am just delighted, but there was a little bit of wavering from the owner. We actually took him out the other morning, because he wasn’t sure he could really go for the Coventry, and I persuaded him to put him back in there. Paul McCartan’s a great guy and I am really pleased to train a winner for him and Marie. He thought after Newmarket, could we really turn up and take the right step, and I am grateful – I have a great team at home. Jerry McGrath rides this horse at home every day, and he has made all the right steps since he came back from Newmarket.
“I did back him! So we are very happy… I don’t know what price I got yet. When I saw the price, it was a little bit of an insult to our thoughts on him, so I am delighted.
“Listen, it is all about having winners at Royal Ascot, and to have two like this is so, so special.
“I always thought he would be a horse for the autumn rather than the height of summer, to be honest with you, so that is what I’d be aiming for. We will plan our way from here but we won’t be rushing him. I would say he will be a miler next year. I would say he would be more of a Dewhurst horse than a Middle Park horse later in the season.”
Adam Kirby said: “Nando Parrado has a very good trainer. He galloped with a very smart horse five weeks ago. His work was above average – a very strong piece of work and he finished his work very well. When he went to Newmarket [finished fifth], we thought we were going there with a live chance, but he didn’t handle the track or ground. He didn’t come down the hill, but we have got different ground today and he was a lot more streetwise – he toughed it out really well.
“It is a surprise because we’ve brought some very nice horses here in the past for this particular race and it takes a serious horse to win it. I am delighted to win it. We have fired a lot of live bullets in the race and I am very pleased to have the race won now.
“He could be well a Guineas horse. I can see him getting a mile very easily. He has got a decent mind, is very relaxed and there is no reason he can’t get a mile. It is no fluke he won today on the front end and toughed it out, I am pleased for him.”
1.50pm Coventry Stakes (Group 2)
1 Nando Parrado [drawn 6] Clive Cox 2-9-01 Adam Kirby 150/1
2 Qaader [4] Mark Johnston 2-9-01 Jim Crowley 3/1
3 Saeiqa [3] John Gosden 2-9-01 Martin Dwyer 25/1
9th Royal Ascot win for trainer Clive Cox
9th Royal Ascot win for jockey Adam Kirby
15 ran
Non-Runners: 9 Mehmo (Going)
Distances: 1l, 1¼l
Time: 1m 15.21s
5/2 Fav Admiral Nelson (8th)
Win: £117.10 Places: £20.35, £1.75, £7.20 Exacta: £733.50
Click here for audio interviews Clive Cox and Adam Kirby:
http://www.lloydbell.co.uk/access2/index.php?a=UmFjZW5ld3M=&b=31599
ALPINE STAR CONTINUES FAMILY TRADITION IN G1 CORONATION STAKES
Alpine Star
Alpine Star emulated her half-sister Alpha Centauri (the winner in 2018) when storming to victory in the G1 Coronation Stakes.
The three-year-old Sea The Moon filly, homebred by the Niarchos Family, was making her first start of 2020 and was off the bridle from some way out. Responding gamely to Frankie Dettori, Alpine Star took up the running entering the final furlong and kept on strongly for a four and a quarter length victory over American challenger Sharing (Graham Motion/Oisin Murphy), who stayed on well from off the pace.
Speaking from her base in County Kildare, Jessica Harrington said: “It is absolutely amazing because I am sitting here, I can’t go racing, and watching it on the telly is very hard. I could not believe it because she was the only horse in the field that hadn’t had a run this year, but she is amazing. She is a half-sister to a complete superstar, Alpha Centauri, who gave me my first Royal Ascot winner. She was just amazing today, she did it so easy.
“She is very laidback and nothing like Alpha Centauri, who was a great big, very imposing filly. This filly is not very big, she is not a great colour – a little bit of a mealy chestnut. If you saw her trotting around in the string, you wouldn’t pick her out, but she has the most wonderful attitude.
“Frankie was probably squeezing her along before she turned in but every time you give her a squeeze, she will come for you. You are definitely very nervous when you are watching it the whole way from Ireland and it’s unbelievable.
“It is sad for Shane (Foley) that he isn’t allowed to come over and ride, but we are in very strange times. It is a very strange Ascot and I am absolutely thrilled to have a winner there. I only sent over three horses and I am delighted with how they all ran. It is a strange year and something that we will probably never forget.
“This was the plan and I don’t know about the next plan. I will talk to Maria [Niarchos-Gouaze], Electra [Niarchos] and Alan [Cooper] and then we will see what happens.”
Richie Galway, Harrington’s son-in-law was present at Ascot. He said: “It has been tough, obviously, and Jessie’s had a bunch of really lovely three-year-old fillies that she has been waiting to unleash, and had continually to reassess her plans. It has worked out brilliantly for Alpine Star. She initially might have gone to France for the Guineas, but when that wasn’t feasible, Royal Ascot is such a huge week for the Niarchos family that that was obviously the next plan. It’s just fantastic that it has worked out so well.
“Alpine Star is a straightforward filly. Jessie sends anything that she runs at Ascot to stay with her great pal Nicky Henderson in Lambourn, he has been hugely helpful and he is going to claim credit for this! They have a fairly tried and tested routine, and the filly is straightforward – she’s very relaxed, very easy to handle, travels very well, so from that point of view the only logistical issue is that unfortunately Jessie, Emma, Kate and the Niarchos family – and Shane; Frankie Dettori, what a sub to have, and amazing that he hasn’t won a Coronation Stakes before, brilliant to get him – but the amount of work that Shane Foley has done on the filly at home has made today possible. It is a shame for the owners and for Jessie and the rest of the team that they cannot be here, but listen, they’ll celebrate it like they are [here].
“I don’t know whether she will go to the Oaks. Today was plan A. Frankie Dettori’s feedback, which we will take into account, is that he feels she will stretch to 10 furlongs but whether she will stretch to 12, I am not sure. She is a very relaxed filly; she hits a little flat spot, she battles, she sticks her neck out and she tries. I think probably she is at her best when ground is good. While she will mature, I am not sure if she really wants good to firm ground; they were perfect conditions for her today. But we will leave plans to the maestro.
“I get to stay away from the mother-in-law and sister-in-law for 14 days now [in quarantine]; we will get two weeks’ gardening done when I get back. Again, it’s awkward and a pain, but we are just delighted with the efforts everyone has made to get racing up and running, and we are happy to adhere to any protocols and gladly do it.”
Frankie Dettori was winning his first Coronation Stakes, meaning Newmarket’s July Cup is now the only British G1 race he has not won.
Dettori, enjoying a 29.25/1 day five double, said: “I really fancied Alpine Star. I didn’t want to jinx it, so I kept quiet. Jessie approached me about 10 days ago when she knew that Shane (Foley) couldn’t fly here. I kept it quiet and knew she was an exciting ride. I asked John Gosden for permission to ride the filly and he said yes.
“Everything went to plan in the race. I had a decent draw. I hit a flat spot and I got the split on the fence and then the rest was history.
“I am delighted for the Niarchos family. This was my first ride for Jessie. Shane Foley rang me this morning to discuss the ride, it has been a team effort and I am delighted for everyone.
“It has taken 30 years to win all the Group Ones, but I can say that I have really conquered Royal Ascot now – I am delighted for all the people concerned.
“This was missing, Royal Ascot means a lot to me, the Coronation, I have been riding here for 30 years, but for some reason I have never managed to get on the right horse. Jessica and the Niarchos family offered me this ride a while back.
“I was very excited about the ride, I had a good draw, a good split, the filly was beautifully prepared by Jessica, she showed a good turn of foot, and I am thrilled, thrilled. She will definitely get the mile and a quarter, she did all her best work at the end, the mile and a half? I really don’t know, I will leave to Maria Niarchos and Jessie to talk about.
“I would say at the moment the mile and quarter be her best distance, but I will leave that to Jessie. She is a wonderful filly, and she won in good style by four lengths, so you have to say she is up there with the best fillies around at the moment.
“When I started on Tuesday with a second in the Queen Anne, I thought ‘Oh it could be one of those weeks’.
“But as the week’s gone things got better, today was a big tick off my boxes, of my career to win the Coronation. We start on Tuesday and think, ‘Oh, it is going to be a long five days’, but it goes like a flash. The racing has been second to none and I hope the people at home have really enjoyed it because it has been tremendous racing this week.”
Oisin Murphy, who partnered the second-placed Sharing, commented: “Sharing is a champion on really fast turf and she didn’t get her conditions. Everyone should be very proud and hopefully it persuades Graham Motion to have more horses here next year – it was a massive performance. She was the best juvenile filly on turf in America last year and is a huge, physical filly.”
2.25pm Coronation Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series)
1 Alpine Star [2] Jessica Harrington IRE 3-9-00 Frankie Dettori 9/2
2 Sharing [7] Graham Motion USA 2-9-00 Oisin Murphy 16/5
3 Quadrilateral [4] Roger Charlton 3-9-00 Jason Watson 2/1 Fav
7 ran
Distances: 4¼, 1¾l
Time: 1m 42.21s
Tote Win: £5.60 Places: £1.70, £1.45, £1.15 Exacta: £17.70
2nd Royal Ascot win for trainer Jessica Harrington
72nd Royal Ascot win for jockey Frankie Dettori
Click here for audio interviews with Richie Galway and Frankie Dettori:
http://www.lloydbell.co.uk/access2/index.php?a=UmFjZW5ld3M=&b=31600
PALACE PIER MAINTAINS UNBEATEN RECORD TO TAKE ST JAMES’S PALACE STAKES
Palace Pier (nearside)
There was no stopping Frankie Dettori on day five of Royal Ascot as the jockey brought up a 150.25/1 treble when partnering Palace Pier to victory in the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes.
Trained by John Gosden for owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, three-year-old Kingman colt Palace Pier is now unbeaten in four starts. It looked a three way battle between Palace Pier, Pinatubo and Wichita inside the final furlong and it was Palace Pier who found most, lengthening well to score by a length from Pinatubo, with Wichita another head away in third.
Dettori is now on six winners for the week and has enjoyed 73 Royal Ascot winners in total, equalling the record of the late Pat Eddery. He said: “What a day! We always thought a lot of Palace Pier, but he got a bit sleepy on us in the mornings and we were scratching our heads. John [Gosden] did a great job, and he thought, let’s start him off in a handicap at Newcastle to see whether he would wake up, and he did. We threw him in at the deep end today, but in the back of our minds we knew that there was a good horse in that big body, and we just were not sure how much of a good horse he was. Today was no fluke.
“I went wide, he went round the field, he galloped out good, and the Guineas form stood up. I am pleased he showed me today what I thought potentially he was going to be.”
On being asked what it meant to equal Pat Eddery’s total of 73 Royal Ascot winners, Dettori replied: “I sat next to Pat for 15 years; he was one of my heroes, I used to nickname him ‘God’ and to equal him gives me great satisfaction, God bless him.
“Palace Pier is so laidback that he could probably reach a mile and a quarter, but a mile at the moment is pretty much what he wants. When you have got a good horse, he is easy to place and I am sure John will have a good plan for him. He is a Group One-winning son of Kingman and we can think of the future with excitement.
“I woke up this morning thinking I had some great rides. I really fancied Wesley Ward’s filly [Campanelle], I fancied Jessica’s [Alpine Star]. This fellow [Palace Pier] was in the deep end but I thought that he could have a chance. Then I am riding the Irish sprinter [Sceptical, in the G1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes] – he is in great form. He is taking on Group One animals but he’s coming into this race extremely fit and on an upward curve. I have got great faith in the horse. It is been an unbelievable day and an unbelievable Royal Ascot. To come out of here with six ones is not easy.”
John Gosden said: “The race panned out well. Frankie said he wanted to ride Palace Pier a little cold. He settled him off the pace. He knew there would be a searching pace and I think Ryan Moore was happy with how the race turned out on Wichita. It got a little rough and Frankie avoided all of that. He swept round the outside and I think that he demonstrated superior stamina, which he also showed at Newcastle, when he was really strong in the last furlong.
“It is no fluke. He is a really talented horse and he will go for the Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville, which his father Kingman won.
“Pinatubo is a horse that is so fast that the quick mile in the Sussex will suit. I know Charlie has wanted to run him there and I’m sure that is where he is going and I hope he does it like we did with Too Darn Hot.
“I think it would have been madness to put a horse into a 2000 Guineas with no experience of that kind of level of competition.
“When you get a little injury, not a big one, but enough to finish his season. If you go to a Dewhurst or Jean-Luc Lagardere that’s fine as you’ve had the experience, but you can’t go into a Guineas off a novice event.
“Palace Pier is a lovely horse and we knew he would really like the track. Consequently, we were keen to bring him here after Newcastle. Luckily that race fitted in and it set him up for this. This is a very stiff mile at Ascot and the ground is dead, just riding slow so it suited him and he showed his stamina. I think Palace Pier’s two wins were very impressive last year, but he sustained a little tibia injury so he couldn’t run in the Greenham.
“I like the straight mile at Newcastle, it is a proper fair test unlike some All-Weather courses which are turning. The straight mile at Newcastle does not lie.
“It is fantastic that we are here, perhaps a bit of a miracle, as we only started racing on June 1. Ascot has put on a fantastic biosecure environment for us, out in the open air all masked up, it has been very well run. It is great to get the meeting off.
“For all of my staff who worked incredibly hard through the whole of lockdown. We were in every day training the horses. We are lucky we are out on the Heath because you can’t leave the horses in the boxes. If they get too fresh, they are going to hurt themselves, so they have to exercise.
“We are out on the Heath with everyone else, every day, socially distanced, and the horses are fit and well. It is testament to the staff more than anything to do with the trainer.”
Trainer Charlie Appleby said of runner-up Pinatubo: “I am disappointed to get beaten again, but we saw the Pinatubo we saw last year, for sure. From the three to the two there I thought, it’s just a matter of pressing the button again. Will [Buick] just said that on that ground, in the last 100 yards the tank was emptying out, but he is so courageous, he has held on for second still.
“Like always, we will get him back, speak to the connections. The Sussex Stakes is an easy mile, we have seen what he can do round Goodwood, he is able to handle the track, so that is always an option.
“He is still a class animal – we are not going to write him off just yet. When he walks in you can see that he has given it everything. When he turned into today, I thought we were back in the days of old. It is sticky and testing out there – it’s not bad ground, just a bit sticky.”
3.00pm St James’s Palace Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series)
1 Palace Pier [drawn 6] John Gosden 3-9-00 Frankie Dettori 4/1
2 Pinatubo [2] Charlie Appleby 3-9-00 William Buick 11/8 Fav
3 Wichita [7] Aidan O’Brien 3-9-00 Ryan Moore 9/4
55th Royal Ascot win for trainer John Gosden
73rd Royal Ascot win for jockey Frankie Dettori
7 ran
Distances: 1, hd
Time: 1m 42.38s
Win: £5.20 Places: £1.85, £1.01, £1.55 Exacta: £12.40
Click here for audio interviews with John Gosden and Frankie Dettori:
http://www.lloydbell.co.uk/access2/index.php?a=UmFjZW5ld3M=&b=31601
HELLO YOUMZAIN DIGS DEEP TO GIVE KEVIN STOTT FIRST ROYAL ASCOT SUCCESS IN DIAMOND JUBILEE STAKES
Hello Youmzain (right)
Hello Youmzain landed the second G1 sprint of his career when taking the Diamond Jubilee Stakes, handing jockey Kevin Stott a first Royal Ascot winner. The four-year-old Kodiac colt, who is owned by Haras d’Etreham and Cambridge Stud and trained by Kevin Ryan, landed the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup in 2019 and was also third at the 2019 Royal Meeting in the G1 Commonwealth Cup. Today, Hello Youmzain blasted from the stalls and took the 10-strong field along. He was headed by 2/1 favourite Sceptical entering the final furlong but rallied to regain the lead and held off the late challenge of Dream Of Dreams by a head.
Adam Ryan, son of Kevin Ryan, said: “Hello Youmzain has done it the hard way. He jumped well and Kevin [Stott] did the right thing, let him find his stride and where he was happy, and when it came to the business end, he battled on hard. He is a very game, very tough horse, and especially to do that on his first run of the season was very impressive.
“He did well over the winter; he strengthened up and matured again. We had him as well as we could have done at home – his work has been very good. We always thought this year he’d be more of the finished article, and he looked fantastic today. Credit to the team.
“It’s fantastic, particularly given the times we have gone through. For everyone in racing, to get it back and win on the biggest stage of all is fantastic. As well, for Kevin Stott – we knew him when he first came across and he did his apprenticeship with us. He is an absolute credit to his family and gave Hello Youmzain a brilliant ride. I am delighted for him to have his first Group One winner for us.
“We will see how he comes back from this, but he’s a Group One sprinter and he will be tackling all of them. The July Cup is an obvious choice for his next run. He has a lot of natural speed as well, so I don’t think we’ll rule out dropping him down to five. He’ll probably get an entry in the Nunthorpe as well.”
Regarding jockey bookings, Adam said: “The owners have been great. It was very important for us to get a winner for them, and for his stud career, and they left it to us and we’ve got ultimate faith in Kevin [Stott]. In my opinion, he is one of the most up-and-coming young jockeys out there and has just proved it on the biggest stage.
“Nicolas de Chambure in France and Brendan Lindsay of Cambridge Stud in New Zealand are Hello Youmzain’s owners now, and obviously he will be retired to stud for them, so it was very important for us – he’s now won a Group Two as a two-year-old and two Group Ones as a three and four-year-old, so it’s very important for all involved.”
Speaking from Cambridge Stud in New Zealand, owners Brendan and Jo Lindsay said: “This is the most amazing thing ever for us. We were so nervous, and we have been out for dinner tonight with some friends, and they are back home watching the race back home.
“I think it feels like half of New Zealand is up watching the race tonight the amount of phone calls and messages we have had! I don’t know if any New Zealander has won a Group One at Royal Ascot before, it is just amazing.
“Thanks to Hubie de Burgh [agent] and thanks very much to Nicolas de Chambure, our partner in France. He will go to France first when he goes to stud and he will probably be here in June, July and August next year.
“It is really emotional, not a bad training effort either from Kevin Ryan. My goodness they deserve congratulations too.”
Kevin Stott said: “Unbelievable. Listen, fair play to the horse – he dug very deep when I needed him. All credit to him more than me. I am blessed to be put back on him with the change of ownership and I can’t describe in words how thankful I am that they put me back on him. It means everything. Kevin gave me a lot of confidence going out riding him, I have ridden him a handful of times before and Kevin said ‘Ride him like the best horse in the race’. Like I say he dug deep when I needed him, I am very delighted.
“I am pretty sure [Dad] is very delighted, my mum watching and my brothers as well. It is a dream come true. I am very happy. So much credit to the horse going into this without a run he is a very big horse, he has dug deep when I needed him, all credit to the horse.”
Kevin Stott after winning the Diamond Jubilee Stakes
3.35pm Diamond Jubilee Stakes (Group 1) (British Champions Series)
1 Hello Youmzain [drawn 2] Kevin Ryan 6-9-03 Kevin Stott 4/1
2 Dream Of Dreams [9] Sir Michael Stoute 6-9-03 Ryan Moore 8/1
3 Sceptical [6] Denis Hogan IRE 4-9-03 Frankie Dettoti 2/1 Fav
6th Royal Ascot win for trainer Kevin Ryan
1st Royal Ascot win for jockey Kevin Stott
10 ran
Distances: hd, nk
Time: 1m 13.42s
Tote Win: £5.85 Places: £2, £2.25, £1.50 Exacta: £45.60
Click here for audio interviews with Adam Ryan and Kevin Stott:
http://www.lloydbell.co.uk/access2/index.php?a=UmFjZW5ld3M=&b=31602
HEY JONESY HANDS RYAN AND STOTT 94/1 SPRINT DOUBLE WITH WOKINGHAM SUCCESS
Trainer Kevin Ryan and jockey Kevin Stott recorded a quickfire 94/1 sprint double when Hey Jonesy (18/1) landed Wokingham Heritage Handicap, following on from Hello Youmzain’s victory in the preceding G1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes. Taking the lead after the first furlong, Hey Jonesy held on gamely to score by the minimum distance of a nose from the fast-finishing Summerghand.
Adam Ryan, son of Kevin Ryan, said: “It has been a great 30 minutes. For whatever reason, in the last six months we haven’t been able to find the key to Hey Jonesy. He came back safe and sound on Tuesday (22nd of 23 in the Buckingham Palace Handicap) and we had to figure something out to spark a bit of a bounce-back for him. The blinkers seemed to work, and Kevin was very positive on him.
“Even from the replay, I wasn’t sure if he had won. He has always been a tough horse when gets there. He had some high-class form and we just had to recapture that – he has certainly done that today.
“All the credit has to go to the staff. Without any racing it has been tough for everyone. There are no complaints, everyone has worked hard and the horses have been running brilliantly. This is down to them – it is a real big, team effort.
“We have been setting off at 4.00am to get down here at the moment. The logistics have been fairly tricky, but thankfully it has worked. I have only come down today, so I’ve picked the right day. We will enjoy the drive home and I am sure my dad is delighted.
“We have always had full faith in Kevin Stott. He is a very talented jockey, who is getting better and better. He is very strong in the saddle and that puts a lot of confidence in the horses. The owners are happy to have him there, he is an integral part of the team and thankfully the results are paying off for him.”
Kevin Stott said: “I never rode a winner at Ascot, let alone Royal Ascot, before today. Getting jocked off Hello Youmzain after winning two Group Twos on him – it obviously happens in racing quite a bit; James Doyle is amazing, such a good rider – it hurt, but it was the owner’s decision. Sometimes that happens, but I was very fortunate to get back on him. The owners said to Kevin he could choose the jockeys and he put me back on him. I am so delighted; to have my first Royal Ascot winner and then to have another one.
“It is very emotional. It means so much, and to my family at home in Denmark as well watching it. They aren’t here, I can’t fly out to see them, they can’t fly over here – it means a lot that they are watching at home.
“It has been absolutely amazing. I don’t know what to say really – I can’t find the words. An hour ago I didn’t think this would ever happen, and now I’m standing here with two Royal Ascot winners, things that you could never dream of. My first Group One as well. I am speechless.
“As a two-year-old we had such high expectations of Hey Jonesy; he ran such a good race in the sales race at York when he was by himself on the far side. He lost his way a bit as a three-year-old, even though he finished a very nice fifth here in the Commonwealth Cup. We tried him over a few different trips and stuff. He ran here on Tuesday; he just wasn’t happy. He just needed a bit of encouraging, which the blinkers did. I am so delighted for the owners, who have been so patient with him. I can’t describe it.
“I’m 25, 26 in July. I was born in Denmark, raised in Denmark, Mum is Danish and Dad English. I went to school over there. I said to Dad when I was 16 that I wanted to ride horses, and within a week he had flown me over here and dropped me off at Kevin Ryan’s yard, and I have been there ever since really. I have been in England nine years. My family at home are all horsey people; my Dad used to ride a lot in Scandinavia and went to India, Africa, places like that. One brother trains, the other rides around Scandinavia.
“We all appreciate the NHS staff so much, for us to donate all our riding fees today, it is literally just one day’s work of a month, the NHS staff are so amazing. They do some much more than just look after us so for us to donate all our riding fees and helping out to the true heroes.”
4.10pmWokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap)
1 Hey Jonesy [drawn 10] Kevin Ryan 5-9-03 Kevin Stott 18/1
2 Summerghand [14] David O’Meara 6-9-05 James Doyle 15/2
3 Spanish City [19] Roger Varian 7-9-02 Andrea Atzeni 16/1
4 Gulliver [20] David O’Meara 6-9-06 Ryan Moore 12/1
7th Royal Ascot win for trainer Kevin Ryan
2nd Royal Ascot win for jockey Kevin Stott
22 ran
Non-Runners: 12 Bella Fever (Going), 5 Mubakker (Going)
Distances: nse, 1, ½
Time: 1m 13.49s
5/1 Fav Bielsa (19th)
Win: £18.70 Places: £7.40, £2.60, £6.65 Exacta: £172.10
Click here for audio interviews with Adam Ryan and Kevin Stott:
http://www.lloydbell.co.uk/access2/index.php?a=UmFjZW5ld3M=&b=31604
WHO DARES WINS TAKES CONCLUDING QUEEN ALEXANDRA STAKES TO GIVE TOM MARQUAND FIRST ROYAL ASCOT SUCCESS
Who Dares Wins (far side)
Who Dares Wins landed the final race of Royal Ascot 2020, the marathon Queen Alexandra Stakes over an extended two miles and five furlongs. It was a second winner at the Royal Meeting for a horse owned by a Henry Ponsonby syndicate and a third for trainer Alan King.
Jockey Tom Marquand was enjoying his first Royal Ascot success – a day after his girlfriend Hollie Doyle rode her first Royal Ascot winner on Scarlet Dragon (also owned by a Henry Ponsonby syndicate) in the Duke of Edinburgh Handicap. Returned the Evens favourite, Who Dares Wins hit the front entering the final furlong and stayed on well to defeat The Grand Visir by a neck.
Tom Marquand said: “Obviously, we [he and Hollie Doyle] always have a joke about competitiveness. But in all honesty watching her riding the winner the other day when I was in behind, just made me think that I want it even more. I am delighted for her, it is phenomenal.
“For Henry to have us both on board on both horses in the same week, and both for Alan King as well – it is incredible. Henry has supported us both. I rode Who Dares Wins first when I was a 5lb claimer – he has been an incredible horse all the way through.
“Similarly, Scarlet Dragon was the horse I lost my claim on, then Hollie rode him for numerous wins too. It is fairytale end to the week really.
“We are extremely fortunate to getting on horses like this, especially this lad. He has won a Grade 2 over hurdles, a Northumberland Plate. You don’t come across them very often, and when you do, it is hard to keep them. We are just in a very fortunate position to keep the rides on them.
“In all honesty, the week was looking pretty tough. Coming into the week, I had my best book of rides and I have been very fortunate that I’ve been here every year since I was an apprentice for five years.
“I was coming in every day thinking this could be it, but obviously I just needed to get that winner on the board. Me and Hollie drove down together today. Obviously, we’ll enjoy it tonight. It has been a great week and it’s a fantastic way to end Royal Ascot.”
Henry Ponsonby said: “Raise a glass to Alan King and his staff! He [Alan king] doesn’t like going to racecourses that do not have bars! We also had a fourth on Thursday trained by with Eve Johnson Houghton, HMS President. We have had an unbelievable week! Alan fully deserves it. I think he has trained me more Flat winners for me than jumpers in the 15 years I have had horses with him.”
4.40pm Queen Alexandra Stakes
1 Who Dares Wins [drawn 3] Alan King 8-9-02 Tom Marquand Evens Fav
2 The Grand Visir [9] Ian Williams 6-9-02 Richard Kingscote 11/4
3 Mukha Magic [6] Gay Kelleway 4-9-01 Ben Curtis 40/1
9 ran
Non-Runners: 4 Imphal (Self Certificate, bad scope); 6 Mekong (Self Certificate, off colour)
Distances: nk, 2¼
Time: 4m 59.88s
Tote Win: £1.95 Places: £1.01, £2, £10.35 Exacta: £4.60
Click here for an audio interview with Tom Marquand:
http://www.lloydbell.co.uk/access2/index.php?a=UmFjZW5ld3M=&b=31606
DETTORI, GOSDEN AND HAMDAN AL MAKTOUM TAKE LEADING JOCKEY, TRAINER AND OWNER TITLES
A superb final day treble on Campanelle, Alpine Star and Palace Pier saw Frankie Dettori pip Jim Crowley in the race to be crowned top jockey at this year’s Royal Ascot. Both jockeys recorded six wins over the meeting, with Dettori taking the honours on countback thanks to four second places.
Dettori, recording a seventh Royal Ascot leading jockey award, said: “What a day! I woke up this morning thinking I had some great rides. I really fancied Wesley Ward’s filly [Campanelle] and I fancied Jessica Harrington’s [Alpine Star]. Palace Pier was in at the deep end but I thought that if things dropped right, he could have a chance.
“It has been an unbelievable day and an unbelievable Royal Ascot. To come out of here with six wins is not easy. You can sit back and say what you want, this will win and that will win, but you still have to go out there and do it. I’ve had some great ammunition with all different owners and trainers, and it’s been a successful and fun week for me.”
On being asked what it meant to equal Pat Eddery’s total of 73 Royal Ascot winners, Dettori replied: “I sat next to Pat for 15 years; he was one of my heroes, I used to nickname him ‘God’ and to equal him gives me great satisfaction, God bless him.”
John Gosden claimed a second Royal Ascot leading trainer title, following on from 2012, with six wins during the meeting. All of his successes came in Group races, including G1 victories for Stradivarius in the Gold Cup, Lord North in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes and Palace Pier in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Gosden said: “I thought we had a good, solid team and I loved the way they were coming up to their races. The only thing that threw me off-cue was the rain. A few of them hated the ground, but we did have a good team. I don’t think we’ve been unlucky in anything. Terebellum [second] had every chance in the Queen Anne. I had no bad luck stories. It’s been good, clean racing. It’s a wonderful achievement for British racing and Ascot and it is a great testament to how we can all act together. We’ve done it safely, behind closed doors and bio-secure. We do have the advantage of also being in open, massive spaces. We have to be very proud of ourselves.
“I was hopeful for three winners, maybe four. Six is way beyond expectations. Full marks to my staff throughout lockdown. They have all come in and no-one has missed anything. They had the option to stay at home and be furloughed but none of them did. They wanted to come in and be with the horses – it’s all down to the staff.
“It’s wonderful for the staff, it’s not easy during lockdown and not knowing what you are training for. We were lucky that we are out in the open air training on Newmarket Heath, we are far luckier than people in high-rise cities. We have nothing to complain about, the horses came fresh and well into the three weeks of racing we’ve had. Full marks to the staff doing a great job with the horses.
“It’s a great credit to our owners and staff. It’s not easy to win one race here let alone six. It’s not easy aiming horses at a moving target in terms of the dates, but it’s great to have some winners this week.”
Asked for his highlight of the week, Gosden pinpointed Stradivarius’ scintillating third successive victory in the Gold Cup. He commented: “The old boy Stradivarius was a bit of an exhibitionist in the pre-parade ring then he came into the parade ring and he was a cool dude. He ran his race with that coolness.
“I promise you he is a better horse on fast ground. OK he won his race, but he is a much better horse on fast ground. To do it in that ground and cruise was brilliant. He has beaten Vazirabad, Order Of St George, Torcedor and Big Orange. He has taken on big horses and he is just a small little horse.”
Coolmore had claimed the leading owner title for all three years since the award’s inception but the partnership’s domination was broken by Hamdan Al Maktoum, who enjoyed a superb Royal Ascot with six victories over the five days. His tally included a sensational sprinting display from Battaash in the G1 King’s Stand Stakes.
Angus Gold, racing manager to Hamdan Al Maktoum, said: “It was fantastic to see Battaash come back and do that for a third year running, having had his bottom smacked the last two times. It was lovely to see him go and do it and do it decisively. I am sure that everyone will agree that, on the formbook, he should have won like that but it is always nice to go and see them do it.
“It has been such a bizarre year for everybody. Every year, we try and get horses for Ascot – like everybody does. Normally, you will get three or four run well and quite a lot run badly. What has been so extraordinary this year is, almost without exception, they have all run well. Even the horses that haven’t won have run well.
“We went into it thinking we didn’t have any runners in either Guineas and I thought that we didn’t have horses for the St James’s Palace, Coronation or King Edward VII. I was thinking that we were down on quality for the three-year-olds. The two-year-old we had going into the winter was Molatham and we decided not to run him in the Guineas, but to come down in trip for the Jersey in case he didn’t see out the trip because we felt he didn’t stay at Newmarket last autumn. That was obviously very satisfactory to see him come and do it.
“Then to see the Dubawi horse [Khaloosy] of Roger’s win the Britannia Stakes like that was a lovely surprise. He had been working like a nice horse but I didn’t expect him to go and win like that.
“It has been a great week for Jim Crowley and I am sorry that he got chinned by Lanfranco at the end, just for his sake. I can’t feel too sorry for him as he had the pleasure of riding six winners and I am sure that he would have settled for that at the start of the week. He just had a bit of bad luck on Mohaather, which was the only one that really got away, but we all learned to accept that.
“I am thrilled for Sheikh Hamdan and just sorry for him – he puts so much in the game – that, like all the owners, he couldn’t be here to enjoy it.”
Royal Ascot Leading Jockey Award – final standings
| Jockey | Wins | 2nd | 3rd |
| Frankie Dettori | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Jim Crowley | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| Ryan Moore | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| James Doyle | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Oisin Murphy | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| William Buick | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Adam Kirby | 2 | ||
| Kevin Stott | 2 | ||
| Andrea Atzeni | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Tom Marquand | 1 | 2 |
Royal Ascot Leading Trainer Award – final standings
| Trainer | Wins | 2nd | 3rd |
| John Gosden | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| Aidan O’Brien IRE | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Roger Varian | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Alan King | 3 | 1 | |
| Clive Cox | 2 | ||
| Charlie Fellowes | 2 | ||
| Kevin Ryan | 2 | ||
| Mark Johnston | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Andrew Balding | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Wesley Ward USA | 1 | 2 |
Royal Ascot Leading Owner Award – final standings
| Owner | Wins | 2nd | 3rd |
| Hamdan Al Maktoum | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Coolmore | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Henry Ponsonby Racing | 2 | ||
| Godolphin | 1 | 2 | 5 |
