Royal Ascot Wrap – Day 4
First for Lethal Force
Golden Horde (3 c ex Entreat by Pivotal) provided Haras de Grandcamp resident Lethal Force (Dark Angel) with his first elite level winner when winning the Commonwealth Cup (Gr 1, 6f) at Royal Ascot yesterday. Lethal Force was himself a Royal Ascot winner, taking out the 2013 Diamond Jubilee Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) under Adam Kirby when trained by Clive Cox, and it was the same jockey/trainer combination celebrating yesterday after Golden Horde’s victory. Lethal Force stood for €6,000 (approx. AUD$10,000) in 2020.
First for Prince Of Lir
The Michael Bell-trained The Lir Jet (2 c ex Paper Dreams by Green Desert) emulated his sire Prince Of Lir (Kodiac) by taking out the Norfolk Stakes (Gr 2, 5f) at Royal Ascot yesterday, and in the process became the first stakes winner for the Ballyhane Stud resident. The two-year-old colt defeated American raider Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) by a neck with Imperial Force (Camacho) coming home a further three lengths away in third. Purchased for £8,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearlings Sale, The Lir Jet is one of two winners from three to race out of Paper Dreams (Green Desert). His third dam is dual Group 1 runner up Papering (Shaadi). Prince Of Lir stood for €4,000 (approx AUD$6,500) in 2020.
Shrewd investment for Qatar Racing pays off
Sheikh Fahad’s Qatar Racing was rewarded almost instantly for investing in Yarmouth maiden winner The Lir Jet when the colt showed speed, tenacity and acceleration in chasing down Golden Pal to win the Norfolk Stakes. The colt gave trainer Michael Bell his eighth Royal Ascot winner, while it was a fifth victory – and a second for the week – for Oisin Murphy. Bell said: “My son Nick found him from Robson Aguira, who bought him very cheaply and was going to breeze him up. When the breeze-ups were cancelled Robson and Nick came to an arrangement and the horse came to us. Then Sheikh Fahad was watching Yarmouth on telly and sent me a text asking if he was for sale, and the rest is history. A good bit of business for all involved, and very nice for us to have a good winner for a very important owner – it is high profile for us. Any trainer needs good horses and good winners, especially for big operations like Qatar. I am particularly pleased because this is very much Nick’s deal and he must take a huge amount of credit.” Bell said that he would consider the Nunthorpe Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) against the older horses as well as the Prix Morny (Gr 1, 6f) in France as future targets.
14 for Dandy Man
Ballyhane Stud’s Dandy Man (Mozart) recorded his 14th individual stakes winner yesterday with Dandalla’s (2 f ex Chellalla by Elnadim) runaway victory in the Albany Stakes (Gr 3, 6f) at Royal Ascot. Dandy Man, who ran well at the royal meeting without victory from four attempts, now has produced two Royal Ascot winners, with Dandalla joining Extortionist. Dandalla defeated well-backed favourite Sertarhe (Footstepsinthesand) by six lengths with a neck back to Mother Earth (Zoffany) in third. One of two winners from two to race for her dam Chellalla (Elnadim), Dandalla’s fourth dam is blue hen Edinburgh (Charlottown). Dandy Man stood for €15,000 (approx AUD$24,500) at Ballyhane Stud in 2020.
Dandalla much the best in Albany
Newcastle debut winner Dandalla couldn’t have been much more impressive in the Albany Stakes, racing clear to make it two from two. She gave trainer Karl Burke his second Royal Ascot win, four years after his breakthrough with Quiet Reflection (Showcasing) in the Commonwealth Cup (Gr 1, 6f), while it was a first royal meeting victory for jockey Ben Curtis. “It is on every jockey’s to-do list,” said Curtis. “I have been coming down to Royal Ascot for a good while now and not really getting involved, so to finally get a winner is unbelievable.” Burke thinks that she may prove a 1000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) type, even though Dandy Man’s progeny rarely see out a mile. “Dandalla has always been a strong galloper with a turn of foot. She has plenty of stamina on the dam’s side and I think that came into play today and hopefully that will come into play again in the future with maybe the 1000 Guineas. If Dandy Man is going to have a 1000 Guineas winner, it could be her.” The trainer says that he is considering the Prix Morny (Gr 1, 6f) with the filly.
33 for Authorized
Former Darley shuttler Authorized (Montjeu) produced his 33rd individual stakes winner yesterday when Santiago (3 c ex Wadyhatta by Cape Cross) took victory in the Queen’s Vase (Gr 2, 1m 6f) on the penultimate day of the Royal Ascot meeting. Santiago produced a strong staying effort to fend off Berkshire Rocco (Sir Percy) by two and three-quarter lengths with Al Dabaran (Dubawi) a further eight and a half lengths away in third. Santiago hails from a Shadwell family that features Tamayuz (Nayef) and Tantheem (Teofilo), with dam Wadyhatta (Cape Cross) now owned in Ireland. Authorized stood his first season in Turkey in 2020 after being purchased by the Turkish Jockey Club late last year.
Santiago gives Ballydoyle another Queen’s Vase
Aidan O’Brien prepared his seventh Queen’s Vase winner in 13 years when Santiago took out the three-year-old feature yesterday. Santiago joined Kew Gardens (Galileo), Leading Light (Montjeu) and Mahler (Galileo) among O’Brien’s Queen’s Vase victors and, with only four starts under his belt, he looks a promising stayer for the future. O’Brien, though, is unlikely to run him in either the Irish Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) next week or the Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) next month. “He’s a lovely straightforward horse,” he said. “He travelled well and we always thought he would stay well. He’s an easy horse to train and an easy horse to get fit. We’ve been thinking he was an ideal St Leger horse so we’ll look for another run somewhere between now and then really. I’m not sure he’d run in a Derby as he could be a Cup horse for next year – he’ll get better from three to four. We’ve plenty for both Derbys, the Irish Derby would come too quick anyway but we’ll see what the lads want to do. We think he’ll be a horse for the Cup races next year so that is why we thought this race would suit him.” Santiago is now favourite for the longest of the British classics, the St Leger (Gr 1, 1m 6.5f) at Doncaster in September.
Hollie Doyle makes history in Duke of Edinburgh
Hollie Doyle became just the third woman to ride a winner at Royal Ascot when producing arguably the ride of the week so far to deliver 33/1 outsider Scarlet Dragon (Sir Percy) to win the Duke of Edinburgh Handicap (1m 4f). It was also a second winner of the week for trainer Alan King – more usually renowned for his Cheltenham Festival winners – who is having a Royal meeting to remember following his success with Coeur De Lion (Pour Moi) on the opening day. Scarlet Dragon’s most recent victory prior came over hurdles at Cheltenham, and his most recent flat performance was to finish last of five on the all-weather at Wolverhampton in January. However he did have high class form in the book, as a previous winner of the Old Rowley Cup (Handicap, 1m 4f) in 2016, ridden by the then 5lb claiming apprentice, Hollie Doyle. An understandably jubilant Doyle said: “This means a huge amount to me. You walk into Ascot every year with really high hopes, and try to picture in your head what it’s like to ride a winner here, but it is very hard to come across winners, as I have learnt. This today was amazing for me. It is definitely the icing on the cake. For once in my life, I have beaten Tom (Marquand, her boyfriend) to it!”
Art powers clear in Holyroodhouse
The Tim Easterby-trained Art Power (Dark Angel) produced a dominant performance in yesterday’s Palace Of Holyroodhouse Handicap (5f) at Royal Ascot, running away with the opening event on day four by three and a half lengths. Keep Busy (Night Of Thunder) was second with Dancin Inthestreet (Muhaarar) a neck away in third. It was a sixth Royal Ascot win for Easterby and a seventh for winning rider Silvestre De Sousa. “When I went out there, in my mind I was hoping to get a lead but he was so quick off the gates no one could give me a lead so I just rode the race from the front,” De Sousa said. “He’s a very talented horse and I don’t think we’ll see him in a handicap again. I’d like to see him next year in a Group 1 around here.” Art Power has been given a quote of 14-1 for the Nunthorpe Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) at York in August, where he would likely tackle Tuesday’s King’s Stand Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) winner and defending Nunthorpe champion Battaash (Dark Angel). In response to that, Easterby’s son and assistant trainer William said: “I don’t think dad will want to overface him too soon, but I think things like that or the Abbaye could be of interest to him.”