Royal Ascot

Bringing an end to a three-year winless streak at Royal Ascot for Charlie Appleby, Dubawi's international heavyweight Rebel's Romance landed the required knockout blow in Saturday's G2 Hardwicke Stakes. Always travelling easily behind the genuine pace, the 6-4 favourite took control two out and drew away under William Buick to beat Al Riffa (Wootton Bassett) by 1 3/4 lengths, with Ghostwriter (Invincible Spirit) 1 1/2 lengths away in third. "He's a worldwide superstar--I have a picture of him on my bedside table, he means so much to us," commented Appleby, whose last...

Emulating his full-brother Holloway Boy, Wathnan's Humidity (Ulysses) was in command in Saturday's Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot. Unlike his sibling who took this on debut in 2022, the Andrew Balding-trained chestnut had the benefit of a previous outing having won over six furlongs at Newbury last month and was professional in front from the outset under James Doyle. Tackled by Ballydoyle's Moments Of Joy (Justify) and then Thesecretadversary (St Mark's Basilica) at the business end, the 4-1 shot beat the latter by a length, with Moments Of Joy...

Saturday, Ascot, post time: 15:40, THE QUEEN ELIZABETH II JUBILEE S.-G1, £1,000,000, 4yo/up, 6f 0y Field: Annaf (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}), Elite Status (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Grand Grey (Ire) (Havana Grey {GB}), Iberian (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Inisherin (GB) (Shamardal), James's Delight (Ire) (Invincible Army {Ire}), Jasour (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), Lazzat (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), Run To Freedom (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), Sajir (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), Satono Reve (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), Storm Boy (Aus) (Justify), Topgear (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Flora Of Bermuda (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Great...

ASCOT, UK -- It was a day when so many of those engaged at Royal Ascot were thinking also of a great man gone away in Ireland. Kevin Prendergast would undoubtedly have revelled in the splendid results for some of his fellow Irish trainers on Ascot Heath as they in turn paid tribute to him. And there was even a winner for his old friend Awtaad, the last of the trainer's Classic winners, whose son Ethical Diamond triumphed in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes after another, Ascending, had won Tuesday's...

ASCOT, UK -- Plaudits have rightly been dished out to popular 70-year-old trainer Joe Murphy, who notched his first Group 1 victory in sensational style when Cercene outpointed the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner Zarigana to land the Coronation Stakes. Appropriately enough for a daughter of Derby winner Australia, the filly is owned by Queenslander Shane R Stafford, who is now based in Ireland.  Stafford, who describes himself as "just a boy from the Bush", said as he was about to be called up to collect his trophy from the...

Atoning for the eclipse of the Aykroyds' Derby hope Pride Of Arras, their other prized homebred Amiloc (Postponed) maintained his unbeaten sequence in Friday's G2 King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot. Sent off the 11-8 favourite for the mile-and-a-half "Ascot Derby", the Ralph Beckett-trained Listed Cocked Hat Stakes winner followed Ballydoyle's Galveston (Frankel) before taking over two out and asserting for a 3/4-of-a-length verdict under Rossa Ryan. Zahrann (Night Of Thunder) closed to be second, two lengths ahead of the tiring Galveston. "Rossa said the ground felt quick on...

Last seen running third behind the absent Lake Victoria in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas, Shane Stafford's €50,000 Tattersalls Ireland yearling Cercene (Australia) stepped forward in ultra-game fashion to become the longest-priced winner of Royal Ascot's G1 Coronation Stakes. The 33-1 outsider went forward to track the leaders in fourth after the opening exchanges, as TDN Rising Star Falakeyah (New Bay) raced too freely on the front end, and inched closer once into the home straight. Gaining an edge approaching the furlong pole, she was immediately tackled and headed by...

From four runners at this year's Royal Ascot, Harry Eustace now boasts a pair of Group 1 winners as the filly Time For Sandals (Sands Of Mali) followed on from stablemate Docklands in Friday's G1 Commonwealth Cup. Drawn widest in one, the 25-1 shot who had been edged out by Woodshauna (Wooded) in Chantilly's G3 Prix Texanita last month was forced to stay in the group up the centre racing away from the main pack. Driven clear of her neighbours inside the final furlong by Richard Kingscote, the bargain €35,000...

Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's once-raced Carlisle maiden winner Venetian Sun (Starman) fulfilled the role of spoiler with aplomb and the Karl Burke trainee prevented a Ballydoyle clean sweep of Royal Ascot's juvenile pattern races with a dominant victory in Friday's G3 Albany Stakes. The 240,000gns Book 1 graduate, drawn in the supposedly unfavourable stall one on the track's far side, raced on the wing in midfield through halfway in this straight six-furlong contest. Coming under pressure to reduce arrears approaching the quarter-mile pole, the well-backed 7-1 chance made continued...

Friday, Royal Ascot, post time: 16:20, THE CORONATION STAKES-G1, £725,750, 3yo, f, 7f 213yT Field: Cathedral (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Cercene (Ire) (Australia {GB}), Chantilly Lace (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Duty First (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), Exactly (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), Falakeyah (GB) (New Bay {GB}), Flight (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}), January (Ire) (Kingman {GB}), Kon Tiki (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Simmering (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), Zarigana (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}). TDN Verdict: All connected with Zarigana will be hoping that the blueblood can finally shine at the top level...

Bouncing out of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, Ballydoyle's Trinity College (Dubawi) made all to turn Thursday's G3 Hampton Court Stakes into a procession. Sent off the 5-2 favourite having been fourth in that Chantilly Classic, the son of the 1,000 Guineas heroine Hermosa (Galileo) was placed on the front end from the outset and had plenty left when asked to kick in the straight by Ryan Moore. Surging to the line to record a 3 1/2-length success from the 2,000 Guineas fourth Tornado Alert (Too Darn Hot), he...

Godolphin's seven-year-old gelding Trawlerman (Golden Horn) encountered a giant when runner-up in Royal Ascot's G1 Gold Cup last year and, with old foe Kyprios having departed stage left, kept matters simple and made all for an emphatic seven-length defeat of Coolmore's Illinois (Galileo) in the meeting's 2 1/2-mile feature. His winning time of 4:15.02 was a new track record and eclipsed the benchmark, set by Rite Of Passage 15 years ago, by nearly two seconds. The 85-40 favourite was in front from flagfall and set a modest tempo on the...