Royal briefing – day four
Henderson savours Royal Ascot victory
OTI Racing’s Terry Henderson was enjoying one of the biggest wins of his racing career on Thursday as the Harry Eustace-trained Docklands (Massaat) landed the Britannia Stakes (1m) at Royal Ascot.
Ridden by Hayley Turner, the three-year-old colt produced a smart turn of foot to gun down long-time leader New Endeavour (New Bay), who had recently been picked up by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, to score by a half-length.
“It’s up there,” Henderson told Racing.com when asked where the win rated in his career.
“We all come over here… It’s a Mecca for horse racing. We forget about prize-money, forget about a lot of things we worry about in Australia.
“To win at Royal Ascot for our guys, the team back home and for Harry Eustace as well… just sensational.”
Henderson revealed a decision on the future of Docklands was likely to be made shortly, with the half brother to Group-performed Harbour Views (Le Havre), who was also owned by OTI, having been rumoured for a potential crack at the $10 million Golden Eagle (1500m).
“He is a half–brother to Harbour Views. Matty Williams will be watching back in Warrnambool and hoping he will get to train this one day… which I don’t think you’ll get to train Matt,” Henderson said.
“We haven’t got any plans yet. It would be lovely for Harry [Eustace] to take one down there [to Australia].
“He is clearly a pretty good horse. We will have to fight off some agents, who will be looking for him to do some other things than what we probably want him to do like go to Hong Kong. Our owners will probably stay and run the journey with Harry.”
34 for Wootton Bassett
Having finished runner-up in the Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) just 20 days earlier on his first start back from 224 days off the track, the Roger Varian-trained King Of Steel (3 c ex Eldacar by Verglas) displayed his abundance of talent to easily land yesterday’s King Edward VII Stakes (Gr 2, 1m 4f) at Royal Ascot. Providing Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) with his 34th individual stakes winner, the colt travelled keenly throughout the opening half of the contest but, after settling under his rider Kevin Stott, he moved into the lead entering the final two furlongs and quickened readily clear of his rivals to beat Continuous (Heart’s Cry) by three and a half lengths. The Ralph Beckett-trained Artistic Star (Galileo) finished third, beaten six lengths by the winner. A US$200,000 purchase for his owners Amo Racing at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, King Of Steel is the third foal out of the winning Verglas (Highest Honor) mare Eldacar, herself a sister to Group-placed winner Miss Crissy. Wootton Bassett will stand the upcoming southern hemisphere breeding season at Jerrys Plains for a fee of $93,500 (inc GST).
Porta Fortuna another winner for Dettori
The Donnacha O’Brien-trained Porta Fortuna (2 f Caravaggio – Too Precious by Holy Roman Emperor) became the 80th Royal Ascot winner for jockey Frankie Dettori, and third this week, and first for his young trainer when scoring in yesterday’s Albany Stakes (Gr 3, 6f). The daughter of Caravaggio (Scat Daddy), who shuttled to Jerry Plains for one season, came down the middle of the track under her rider and kept on strongly at the finish to deny Donnacha’s father Aidan O’Brien’s Matrika (No Nay Never) by a length, with the same distance further back to Soprano (Starspangledbanner) in third. “It means a lot [to train a first Royal Ascot winner],” Donnacha O’Brien said. “She is a very smart filly, and big congratulations to all the owners, they spotted her potential early and bought into her and the plan was to come here and it is great that it has come off. She travelled really well, she is a very good filly, she quickened smartly, but she kept going to the line well. She is just a very smart filly. She is quite a scopey filly – she is owned by a bunch of American owners so the Breeders’ Cup will be a target, whether she will stay that far or not we will see. We will see how she comes out of the race, then we will make a plan.”
O’Briens run riot as Okita Soushi lands Duke of Edinburgh
It was a day to remember for the O’Brien family at Ascot yesterday as brothers Joseph and Donnacha landed two of the opening three races on the card. Following in the footsteps of Donnacha, who gained his maiden Royal Ascot winner when Porta Fortuna won the Albany Stakes, Joseph doubled his tally to two when Okita Soushi (Galileo) stayed on dourly to take out the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (1m 4f). Ridden by Ryan Moore, the five-year-old entire, who is the first foal out of the 2014 Thousand Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Amicus (Fastnet Rock), made relentless headway down the outside of the 18-runner field and battled bravely to beat HMS President (Excelebration) by a neck. The Saaeed bin Suroor-trained Live Your Dream (Ifraaj) finished third, a further length and three-quarters behind the front pair. “He has stamina and he’s brave – these Galileos have a will to win, which this one has,” Moore said. “[The O’Brien’s] are an amazing family and I am lucky enough to have ridden for all three of them [Aidan, Joseph and Donnacha]. Aidan’s achievements will probably never be matched, but the two boys are doing really well.” Joseph O’Brien’s other winner at the royal meeting came last year when 2021 Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) hero State Of Rest (Starspangledbanner) landed the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Gr 1, 1m 2f).
Dettori strikes again as Coppice scores cosily in Sandringham
Frankie Dettori got to within one win of current Royal Ascot top jockey Ryan Moore in the standings for this year’s royal meeting after he rode the John and Thady Gosden-trained Coppice (Kingman) to victory in yesterday’s Sandringham Stakes (1m). Having struck in the opening race aboard Porta Fortuna, Dettori was all-action at the two-furlong pole to get his mount challenging for the lead before a hands-and-heels ride was all that was required to see the filly come home a length in front of the runner-up Breege (Starspangledbanner). The Rebecca Menzies-trained Balalaika (No Nay Never) finished third, a further three-quarters of a length behind the second. “That was a good effort and the Juddmonte [owners] team are here… and all the stud people, so to get a winner for them is amazing. They have been great supporters of me going back to the filly Enable and other good horses, so to get a winner on the board I’m very pleased,” Dettori said. “At one point we thought this was a Guineas filly, but she didn’t come to hand until too late, so we put her in this race thinking she would be competitive and she was.”
Watson and Doyle strike again in concluding contest
Tuesday’s King’s Stand Stakes (Gr 1, 5f)-winning combination of trainer Archie Watson and jockey Hollie Doyle struck again at this year’s Royal Ascot as they took out the final race on yesterday’s card, the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes (5f) with Rhythm N Hooves (Pearl Secret). The gelded three-year-old son of Pearl Secret (Compton Place) came with a withering late effort to narrowly get the better of Kerdos (Profitable) by a neck, with a further three and a half lengths back to Conquistador (U S Navy Flag) in third place.