Cover image courtesy of Royal Ascot
G1 Prince Of Wales S., (1 mile, 2 furlongs) 2000m - 1.25am AEST (4.25pm local)
Prizemoney: £1,000,000 (AU$1,907,796)
Granted the ideal conditions of fast ground and a true pace to run at, Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}–Rhododendron {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) carved a landmark 400th group 1 success for Aidan O'Brien as he became the first Derby hero to come back and win at Royal Ascot since Royal Palace (GB) in 1968. Unique in his achievement in that he was augmenting his Blue Riband triumph with this feature prize in its current guise as a Group 1, Ballydoyle's ground-breaking colt put any doubts that he was yesterday's horse following his defeat in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup firmly behind him.
Travelling in ideal flow in fourth behind the two pacemakers and outsider Royal Rhyme (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), the 13-8 favourite moved to the front two out where it was the French raiders Horizon Dore (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}) and Zarakem (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) who emerged as threats and not the slow-starting and ultimately disappointing Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}). It was the 33-1 shot Zarakem who got closest in the dying strides, but the winner was never going to allow them less than the 3/4-of-a-length margin that was called at the line. Zarakem denied Horizon Dore, who met notable trouble in running, the runner-up spot by a length as Inspiral wound up sixth with John Gosden citing lack of stamina as the issue.
“He gets to the front and he waits and then goes again–he has a personality, like all the good ones do,” Aidan O'Brien said after welcoming back a fifth winner of this race, before turning attention to a potential tilt at the dirt in the States. “He can do anything now. He cruises on the dirt and we see now he is very happy to be ridden forward. I got the instructions wrong before, as he was too far back. It's up to the lads what they want to do, but we'd be more confident now we've worked him out and can keep it very straightforward. It's his high cruise that's important.”
Auguste Rodin now has won eight of his 13 starts and this was his sixth Group 1 victory.
G2 Queen's Vase, (1 mile, 6 furlongs) 2800m - 12.05am AEST (3.05pm local)
Prizemoney: £265,000 (AU$505,566)
Franking the form of the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial, Ballydoyle's Illinois (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}–Danedrop {Ire}, by Danehill) relished the extra trip of Wednesday's G2 Queen's Vase to bring up Royal Ascot win number 80 for Ryan Moore. Always content on the front end, Ballydoyle's 7-4 favourite veered left in the straight when in command but found the line 1 1/4 lengths ahead of stablemate Highbury (Fr) (Galileo {Ire}), with compatriot Birdman (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire}) 3/4 of a length away in third.
3-year-old colt Illinois now has two wins from five starts and this was his first stakes success. He was previously third in Group 1 company in France at two. His sire now has 376 stakes winners.
G2 Queen Mary S., (5 furlongs) 1000m - 11:30pm AEST (2.30pm local)
Prizemoney: £150,000 (AU$286,169)
Wathnan Racing struck the woodwork more than once during Tuesday's opening day of Royal Ascot and made a belated breakthrough in Wednesday's opener for 2-year-olds, the G2 Queen Mary Stakes, with £190,000 (AU$381,000) Goffs Breeze-Up acquisition and once-raced Nottingham maiden winner Leovanni (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}–Kassandra {Ire}, by Dandy Man {Ire}).
The Karl Burke trainee broke smartly and raced to the fore in the smaller far-side group throughout the five-furlong dash. Shaken up to gain an overall advantage soon after passing the quarter-mile marker, the 22-1 chance refused to buckle once in front and was driven out inside the final furlong to prevail by 1 3/4 lengths from Irish raider Mighty Eriu (Ire) (Inns Of Court {Ire}). The winner's Yorkshire compatriot Maw Lam (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) finished a neck further adrift in the third.
“She's got a fantastic mind, not just for a 2-year-old, but for a breeze-up 2-year-old she's unbelievable,” said Burke, who won this contest in 2022 with subsequent GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint runner-up Dramatised (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}). “I am sure she'll stay six furlongs as she's so relaxed and that will be a great help to her going forward.”
Leovanni is now unbeaten in two starts and became the ninth stakes winner for her sire. She is out of a half-sister to Listed winner Majestic Myles (Ire) (Majestic Missile {Ire}) and to the dam of G3 Amethyst Stakes victor Power Under Me (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}).
G2 Duke Of Cambridge S., (old mile) 1550m - 12:45am AEST (3.45pm local)
Prizemoney: £225,000 (AU$429,254)
David Howden's 4-year-old filly Running Lion (GB) (Roaring Lion–Bella Nouf {GB}, by Dansili {GB}), last of eight in Epsom's G3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes earlier this month, halted a six-race losing streak with a dominant performance in Wednesday's G2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Last term's Listed Pretty Polly Stakes winner kept wide of the peloton initially and drifted inwards to assume control after the opening exchanges. Holding sway thereafter, she was nudged along in early straight to poach a decisive buffer approaching the final furlong and kept on strongly under a drive to withstand the late challenge of stablemate Laurel (GB) (Kingman {GB}) by two lengths. William Haggas trainee Doom (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) fared best of the remainder and was another two lengths back in third. Running Lion's triumph provided the Gosden stable with a record fifth renewal of this 10-furlong contest.
“I knew Running Lion had it in her and what a way to do it,” said owner-breeder David Howden. “She gets her head down, she changes her legs and she digs in. Her sire Roaring Lion ran the same way, with his head down, and it's wonderful to see. I bred her, she's by Roaring Lion who tragically died, so it just couldn't be more special. For Oisin [Murphy] to do it on Roaring Lion's filly is as good as it gets.”
Running Lion has won five of her 12 starts, and is the leading performer from her ill-fated sire's only crop. She is the second black-type scorer for winning mare Bella Nouf (GB) (Dansili {GB}), whose first is G3 Sweet Solera victrix Majestic Glory (GB) (Frankel {GB}).
Listed Windsor Castle S., (5 furlongs) 1000m - 3.15am AEST (6.15pm local)
Prizemoney: £110,000 (AU$209,857)
Kevin Ryan trainee 2-year-old colt Ain't Nobody (Ire) (Sands Of Mali {Fr}–Burmese Waltz {GB}, by Showcasing {GB}) became his first-crop sire's fourth individual winner when notching a decisive debut victory over Carlisle's stiff five furlongs at the end of last month and registered a first black-type success for the Ballyhane Stud resident in Wednesday's Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Ain’t Nobody is unbeaten in two starts and was a £30,000 (AU$60,000) purchase at the Goffs Doncaster Premier Yearling Sale. He is the first named foal out of a winning mare and his fourth dam is Listed winner Napoli (GB) (Baillamont {USA}), dam of G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Domedriver (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}).
