Sent to post just six days after a smooth debut win at Yarmouth, Ardad made a mockery of his long odds, instead giving off the kind of air of an odds-on shot with this highly impressive success to close the opening day. Held up behind the leaders on the far side early by Robert Havlin, the bay tracked the leader Big City Dreamin (Iqbaal) and his owner's positively-ridden recent acquisition Mister Trader (Ire) (Hellvelyn {GB}) through and was full of running passing the two-furlong marker. Sweeping to the front soon after, he sprinted clear to put daylight between him and the outsider Savannah's Dream, who held off Ballydoyle's Pedestal in a photo. “He won fair and square the last day and put the race to bed quite easily, so it was just a piece of work for him at Yarmouth,” Havlin commented. “He was by far the best there and he handled this testing ground well. What I like about him is he has pace but raced behind the bridle the whole way. I started to wonder whether I'd gone too soon, but he hit the line strong so he could go up to six.” Trainer John Gosden is unaccustomed to celebrating 20-1 winners at Royal Ascot, but gave clear indication afterwards that he rated his charge highly. “I didn't know how he would handle the ground, but I did enter him in the race before he ever worked which is something I've never done before in my life,” he explained. “He won in an easy way at Yarmouth and deserved his place here. He is a very talented horse with lots of speed and someone just told me he clocked a faster time than the King's Stand. He came through the breeze-up sales and so I spent much time unwinding his mind and he's done really well. He's just a mellow horse now and has shown a lot of class. We were lucky that the pace was over that side and, as Bernard Van Cutsem once said, that was the plan. He might go six for the [G2] July S. [at Newmarket July 7].” The dam, who also has a yearling filly by Society Rock (Ire), now boasts a Royal Ascot black-type success from her first foal. She is a half-sister to the MSW and MGSP sprinter Ruby Rocket (Ire) (Indian Rocket {GB}) from the family of the evergreen Irish G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp-winning Maarek (GB) (Pivotal (GB)) and the speedy sire Anita's Prince (Ire).
WINDSOR CASTLE S.-Listed, £80,000, ASC, 6-14, 2yo, 5fT, 1:02.56, sf.
1–#ARDAD (IRE), 129, c, 2, by Kodiac (GB)
1st Dam: Good Clodora (Ire), by Red Clubs (Ire)
2nd Dam: Geht Schnell, by Fairy King
3rd Dam: Anita's Princess, by Miami Springs (Ire)
(£170,000 2yo '16 GOFBRE). O-Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah; B-Tally Ho Stud (IRE); T-John Gosden; J-Robert Havlin. £45,368. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $71,521.[bullet ad=”itm-g2-g3″][bullet ad=”blandford-bloodstock-purchased-by-2″]2–Savannah's Dream (GB), 124, f, 2, Showcasing (GB)–Grandmas Dream (GB), by Kyllachy (GB). (£38,000 Ylg '15 DNSIL; £42,000 2yo '16 GOFBRE). O-Roger Peel. £17,200.
3–Pedestal (Ire), 129, c, 2, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Ashley Hall, by Maria's Mon. (220,000gns Ylg '15 TATOCT). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith. £8,608.
Margins: 3 1/4, NO, HF. Odds: 20.00, 100.00, 14.00.
Also Ran: Full Intention (GB), Callender (Ire), Pretty Vacant (GB), Yulong Baobei (Ire), Just An Idea (Ire), Top Score (GB), Leontes (GB), Stringybark Creek (GB), Battaash (Ire), Bolt Phantom, Fayez (Ire), Tomily (Ire), Big City Dreamin, Drafted, Ambiguity (Ire), Big Lachie (GB), Mister Trader (GB), Copper Knight (Ire), Kananee. Scratched: Bective (Ire), Ready to Roc (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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