Royal Ascot review: Thursday reports, reaction and free video replays
Warm order in Ribblesdale
Warm Heart brought up a hat-trick when storming to an impressive Ribblesdale Stakes success at Royal Ascot.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, the daughter of Galileo arrived at the meeting having won her previous two outings, scooping Listed honours at Newbury last month. This time, she took her form to the next level in the hands of Ryan Moore as she won this Group Two in tremendous fashion.
Moore had Warm Heart close to the pace set by those on the front-end and found himself perfectly placed to strike in the home straight.
Although French raider Crown Princesse and the 5/6 hotpot Al Asifah briefly loomed up dangerously to mount a challenge after the two-furlong pole, there was no passing Warm Heart who just kept finding extra and soon put daylight between herself and her rivals in the closing stages to score at 13/2.
She returned a two-and-a-half-length-winning verdict over runner-up Lumiere Rock, with the mount of Frankie Dettori, Bluestocking, running on for third.
It was a fourth win in the Ribblesdale for both O’Brien and Moore, while it was also Moore’s fourth victory of the week following his treble on the opening day.
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O’Brien said: “She’s lovely. She ran at Newbury over a mile and a quarter and we thought that maybe that was as far as she was going to get. We didn’t know when she got to the front whether she would run out of stamina or if she wouldn’t stay, but obviously we saw she probably doesn’t want to get to the front too early.
“She got the trip very well today, Ryan gave her a beautiful ride so I’m delighted. She’s out of a great mare and usually those fillies with good pedigrees do improve, physically she’s doing great.”
Paying tribute to Moore, O’Brien added: “Ryan is absolutely brilliant. What can I say? How long has he been riding for us? He’s an incredible fella, he’s nearly 40 but every year he’s got better and he’s still getting better. It’s incredible.
“He gets better because he puts so much into it, day in, day out. He makes himself better. He stays with us when he comes over and I think he runs six to 10 miles every morning before he sits on any horse.
“He is so committed, so fit, so focussed. You just ask him a question and everything comes out of him, all the information about the riders, the horse, the ground, everything.
“I think he’s an incredible horseman – he’s very cool under pressure and a total professional. We are so very lucky to have him.”
Waipiro boosts Derby form
Waipiro gave the Derby form a boost when storming to Royal Ascot glory in the Hampton Court Stakes.
Ed Walker’s charge won on his reappearance at Newmarket before chasing home Military Order in the Lingfield Derby Trial and going on to finish a gallant sixth at Epsom itself.
Sent off at 7/1 dropping back to 10 furlongs, jockey Tom Marquand was never in any rush aboard the son of Australia and his patience was rewarded when Oviedo carried a plethora of the challengers right approaching the one-furlong marker – opening up the perfect gap for Waipiro to gallop on through.
And while some were wearily wandering around in the closing stages, Waipiro kept on straight as an arrow as he sprinted clear to a register a two-and-a-quarter-length verdict over Roger Varian’s Exoplanet.
The victory brought up a memorable double on the day for Marquand, who had earlier struck aboard the King and Queen’s Desert Hero, but he was fittingly repaid by the horse he was aboard at Newmarket earlier this year when suffering an arm injury which ruled him out of both the 2000 and 1000 Guineas.
For Walker it was a second success at the Royal meeting following Agrotera’s Sandringham win in 2018.
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Force a 150/1 shocker
There was a 150/1 shocker in the opening Norfolk Stakes on day three of Royal Ascot as Adrian Murray's Valiant Force landed the Group 2 prize.
The Irish raider was largely unconsidered after being beaten on his first two starts, the first of which was a second to His Majesty at the Curragh before he finished fifth last time in the Marble Hill at the same track.
However, he left that form behind under Rossa Ryan on Thursday, taking the initiative on the far side from the well-fancied 7/4 favourite Elite Status who couldn't reel in the winner and finished third.
In between the pair was 66/1 chance Malc for Richard Fahey, meaning the straight forecast paid £3,478.24.
The Betfair SP on the winner was 487/1.
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Not one of the more well-known trainers in Ireland, Murray was walking on air afterwards.
“It’s brilliant, I just cannot believe it. I fell into racing by accident, I’m just speechless,” he said.
“We knew he was a nice horse and we couldn’t believe the price. He was only beaten half a length by His Majesty first time out and he was 150-1 today, it just didn’t make sense! I knew he was much better than that. It’s the stuff of dreams. It’s great for the small man.
“I’ve had some nice jumpers and I love it, I just love racing. ”
Malc’s trainer Richard Fahey was aiming to win the race for the third year in succession and just came up short.
He said: “I’m delighted with him, over the moon. Coming here I thought I had a real nice bunch of two-year-olds, but the way the others had run I couldn’t be confident.
“It’s so tough here, you need everything to go right and for a couple of the others it didn’t go right. Today everything did go right, he sticks his head down and he has a go.
“To be honest we think he’s a six-furlong horse, but at Ascot you almost want a six-furlong horse over five. In the mid-part of the race, I’m not saying that’s where we lost it, but he got a little outpaced and the winner got first run. But I’d have taken second before the race.
“Today was the target so we’ll have to see what we do next.”
Karl Burke said of the beaten favourite: “A furlong out I thought we might catch the leader, but he just couldn’t get there.
“He’s a lovely horse. The Prix Morny was always our target before today. I’ll go and have a word with Sheikh Obaid, but I imagine we’ll step him up to six.
“He’s not the finished article yet, but he’s a lovely horse.”
Docklands express in Britannia
Hayley Turner gained a fourth Royal Ascot success after producing Docklands with a tremendous rattle up the stands rail to collar New Endeavour in the closing strides of the Britannia Handicap.
The field split for the mile event with the far side looking most likely to prevail, as New Endeavour and David Egan looked to have poached a winning lead inside the final furlong.
Yet Turner’s mount, who had gone up a stone in the handicap after the Harry Eustace-trained colt had won on handicap debut on the all-weather at Kempton, powered up the rail to prevail as the 6/1 favourite.
New Endeavour, sent off a 22/1 chance for trainer Roger Varian, won his race in the far side, with Urban Sprawl (50/1) and Thunder Ball (66/1) following him home and filling the minor honours.
Turner said: “I honestly didn’t know until they called the photo whether I had won or not because the two horses were so far apart.
“It’s such a thrill and today a lot of history has been made, so to look back on today is amazing.”
Eustace – brother of Melbourne Cup-winning trainer David Eustace – said: “Terry Henderson of OTI Racing (owners) has been a supporter of mine, and of my brothers in Australia, from the get-go, really, and to be able to repay him with a Royal Ascot winner is very special.
“It’s always a team effort, but it’s a family business as well, but having my brother here from Oz, and my cousin and aunt and uncle – it’s very, very special. You can’t ask for more.”
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Hunter storms the Palace under Spencer
The Richard Hannon-trained Witch Hunter came from the clouds to lift the Buckingham Palace Stakes under a classic ride from Jamie Spencer.
The four-year-old has finished second three times since the turn of the year, but with his only two previous victories coming on the all-weather at Wolverhampton he was a 50/1 shot for another devilishly difficult handicap over the straight seven furlongs.
As is his wont, Spencer played his hand as late as he dared, with Witch Hunter still nearer last than first entering the final furlong.
But not long after the well-fancied Croupier was produced to lead, Spencer and his willing partner came at him fast and late to get up and claim a last-gasp victory.
Hannon said: “Jamie’s given him a lovely ride – I hate the way he rides, why does he keep doing that to us?!
“He gave him a super ride and the horse kind of enjoyed that. When he passes one he gets his momentum. And when they pass him, sometimes he just goes, sod it, I’ll go another day. He’s a very good horse on his day and I don’t care what price he is.
I’m delighted for William (Stobart, owner), he’s a lovely man, and his wife Clare.
“I kind of needed that!”
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