Day one at Royal Ascot
First for Tasleet
Bradsell (2 c ex Russian Punch by Archipenko) kept the great recent record of breeze-up buys going when he struck in the Coventry Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) to become the first black-type winner for his sire Tasleet (Showcasing). Sold for 12,000gns as a yearling, he was subsequently picked up by Archie Watson for £47,000 out of the Goffs sale in April and has now won more than twice that amount in his two starts for the trainer after following up his runaway debut win at York. He became the seventh two-year-old winner at Royal Ascot out of the sale in as many years. The colt crossed the line a length and a half clear under Hollie Doyle to provide his rider with a third Royal Ascot winner, with Persian Force (Mehmas) filling second spot. Royal Scotsman (Gleneagles) was a neck further behind in third. Bradsell is the fourth foal out of the Listed-winning Archipenko (Kingmambo) mare Russian Punch. Tasleet stood the 2022 northern hemisphere breeding season at Nunnery Stud at a fee of £5,000 (approx. AU$8,740).
Bargain buy Bradsell impresses Doyle
Bradsell was having his first start for owners Victorious Racing after they swooped to buy him following his debut romp at York, while Hollie Doyle was having her first ride aboard the juvenile. The winning rider was impressed with the victory and believes the winning connections made a shrewd buy. “It was an impressive performance,” she said. “He got squeezed out of the gates which was frustrating, I thought I was drawn on the wrong side but as soon as I got on the girths of them I knew he would finish strongly. Off the back of that performance the world is his oyster. He was a 12,000 yearling and a £47,000 breeze-up horse, so it just proves anyone can do it.”
Coltrane posts brave success in Ascot Stakes
The Andrew Balding-trained Coltrane (Mastercraftsman) went one better than his Chester Cup (2m 2.5f) second as he produced a tough performance to win the Ascot Stakes (2m 4f). Partnered by five-pound claimer Callum Hutchinson, who was enjoying his first winner at the royal meeting, the five-year-old gelding was ridden in mid-division throughout and was struggling for a gap approaching the closing stages of the race. However, Hutchinson stayed cool and managed to extricate the son of Mastercraftsman (Danehill Dancer) into the clear entering the final two furlongs before determinedly holding off the late challenge of the Willie Mullins-trained favourite Bring On The Night (Gleneagles) under Ryan Moore to win by three-quarters of a length. There was a further three-quarters of a length back to Arcadian Sunrise (Arcadio) in third. “Words can’t describe, this horse is an absolute dream to ride. I can’t thank the boss enough,” an elated Hutchinson said. “I’ve ridden six winners from 17 rides for him. Hopefully this winner can just give me a kick and I can keep progressing. I saw Ryan come upsides me and in the back of my mind I thought ‘this is game over’ but he’s a genuine horse.” Coltrane also holds an entry in Saturday’s Queen Alexandra Stakes (2m 5.5f). The last horse to win both races was Simenon (Marju) in 2012 and Coltrane is a general 8-1 chance with northern hemisphere bookmakers to back up on the weekend.
Dubai Future romps to Wolferton win
Saeed Bin Suroor’s excellent Royal Ascot record continued yesterday when Dubai Future ( 6 g Dubawi – Anjaz by Street Cry ) came home a commanding winner of the Wolferton Stakes (Listed, 1m 2f) under Daniel Tudhope. Having ridden Real World (Dark Angel) to finish a solid second behind Baaeed (Sea The Stars) in the day’s opener, Tudhope had no trouble going one better on the son of Dubawi (Dubai Millennium). Settled one off the rail in fifth place, the six-year-old was always travelling well in the home straight and was sent for home approaching the two-furlong marker, surging clear of his toiling rivals to win by three lengths at the line. Last-time-out Listed winner Cadillac (Lope De Vega) finished second on his debut for Kevin Philippart De Foy having moved from the Jessica Harrington yard, while the John and Thady Gosden-trained Harrovian (Leroidesanimaux) finished well to take third, four and a quarter lengths behind the winner. “He had such a smooth run round, I couldn’t have asked for a better position. He stays further than this and we went a very good gallop,” Tudhope told ITV Racing. “He’s not a bad horse on his day and it all went right today. It’s great.” Now a multiple Listed winner, Dubai Future had finished fourth of five, beaten 11 lengths, behind Bay Bridge (New Bay) on his previous outing in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes (Gr 3, 1m 2f) at Sandown.
Double for Tudhope as Get Shirty scores in finale
Danny Tudhope took an early lead in the race to be crowned leading jockey at the meeting when taking out the concluding Copper Horse Stakes (1m 6f) on the David O’Meara-trained Get Shirty (Teofilo). Sent off a 16-1 chance, the six-year-old beat the gambled on favourite Cleveland (Camelot) by a length and a quarter. Okita Soushi (Galileo) finished a further three-quarters of a length away in third.
Stradivarius faces nine in Gold Cup
Stradivarius (Sea The Stars) will face nine rivals when he bids to regain his crown and earn a record-equalling fourth win in the Ascot Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2m 4f) tomorrow. The popular stayer dominated the meeting’s pinnacle contest between 2018 and 2020 before finishing fourth behind Subjectivist (Teofilo) last year, but he returned with a bang a month ago when a brave winner of the Yorkshire Cup (Gr 2, 1m 6f). The John and Thady Gosden-trained eight-year-old will attempt to become the first horse to regain his title since Kayf Tara (Sadler’s Wells) did so in 2000 as well as emulating the great Yeats (Sadler’s Wells) as a four-time Gold Cup winner. Trueshan (Planteur), Long Distance Cup (Gr 2, 2m) conqueror of Stradivarius for the past two seasons, has been left in by Alan King despite the trainer saying he is unlikely to run, while young pretender Kyprios (Galileo) will be Aidan O’Brien’s sole representative.