Royal Ascot
‘He's a horse that could suit The Everest’ – O’Brien lands King Charles III Stakes with Mission Central as Overpass runs a brave third
By Daniel Harrold
@ANZ_News
Ballydoyle maestro Aidan O’Brien could have his sights set on landing a whopping payday in October’s The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m) with Mission Central (No Nay Never) after the three-year-old touched down with victory in Tuesday’s King Charles III Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) at Royal Ascot.
Bjorn Baker’s admirable seven-year-old Overpass (Vancouver) produced another consistent effort for his connections Darby Racing as he finished third, having been up with the pace throughout.
In winning Tuesday’s Group 1 sprint for the first time in his illustrious career, O’Brien was adding to a solid day all round as he sent out two winners on the opening day’s seven-race card.
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Ridden by Ryan Moore, who was also winning the race for the first time, Mission Central was held up towards the rear of the near-capacity 26-strong field.
Still with plenty to do approaching the final furlong, the gelding produced a smart turn of foot inside the closing stages to join French raider Rayevka (Blue Point) on the line, forcing a photo-finish in which he was called the winner by a head.
Francis Graffard’s Rayevka was only narrowly denied having led inside the final furlong, while there was a further three-quarters of a length back to Overpass in the third-place position.
“Incredible ride. All the team around him, such a big team of people, I'm so grateful for them,” O’Brien said.
“What can I say? He's a very fast horse, he's unbeaten this year, progressed with every run.
“They went hard, which suited him. In all his races he's very forward because they don't go very fast, and he's an awful lot of speed.
“Ryan gave him a great ride, he obviously knew they were going really hard, but really motivated him inside the final furlong. I'm delighted for everyone."
O’Brien mentioned a potential crack at Randwick’s The Everest with Mission Central, whose two starts prior to Tuesday’s victory have seen him land back-to-back Listed contests.
“He's a horse that could suit The Everest at the end of the year, so a very exciting horse really,” the trainer added.
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Attention turned to Coolmore Australia principal Tom Magnier, who said: "Very impressive what he did today. We have a slot in The Everest, it's a great race and it's a race we'd love to win.
“It would be great to think about it but obviously it's up to Aidan, see how the horse pulls up but it would definitely be a race that you could put on the radar for him."
Moore admitted he wasn’t 100 per cent sure on whether he had won crossing the line, but was delighted when the verdict came through on the tannoy.
"I thought I'd won but it's always hard when you're so wide and so far apart,” the rider said.
“Aidan can do anything can't he? He's a progressive horse. They went hard, he got into a nice rhythm and he just landed there, it worked out beautifully.
“I'm lucky to ride for Ballydoyle and Coolmore and everything they run this week is going to have a chance."
As for Overpass, it was another considerably solid effort from the gelded son of Vancouver (Medaglia D’Oro). With over $12.5 million in prize-money accumulated before Tuesday’s third placing, he added a ninth placing to his career record alongside ten wins – from 37 starts.
"You've got to be so proud of him, he's run absolutely amazing," Baker told ANZ. "It is so hard to win these races when you look at the competition you're up against.
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"I couldn't really see him! I've got glasses but I needed binoculars! This whole experience is fantastic.
"I just said he's not quite a champion in terms of Australia, but he's our champion, and he delivered for us again. It's absolutely special to be here, and I personally want to get back competing, but he did us very proud.
"When you're from Woodville in New Zealand like me and you're training in Sydney and living the dream, we always look at the positive. We beat 23 others!”
Baker revealed he would love to come back over to Royal Ascot for another crack at his fellow training competitors in the future.
"He's a war horse to travel over,” he added. “We were always a little bit worried about the rise [at the finish], and maybe that was the difference between winning and losing.
“He didn't quite nail the gate like we thought he would today, I'm pretty confident often we get that right back home, but look, I've been beaten by two of the best trainers in the world.
“Tell you what, I want to beat them next time! In Australia we love an underdog and we'll have a try. Trust me, I haven't bought this hat for nothing!"
Overpass’ regular rider Josh Parr also reiterated Baker’s comments on the slightly slower than usual start from his mount, but was proud of his effort.
“He showed a really good spirit here today to go through those two leaders and he looked the winner there at one point,” Parr told ANZ.
“He didn't get the best break to be honest, he usually flies the barriers. Then we were just dictated to by the leader and that could very well have been the difference, but I'm very happy with his performance.
“I cannot speak highly enough of this experience. I'm so honoured to be here as a jockey and competing at Royal Ascot. We didn't get the victory that I was so desperately after, but it's been a great performance and thanks for having me.”
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Francis Graffard also cut a happy man post-race and received a warm congratulatory handshake from Baker following the contest, with Baker also making a B-Line to offer congratulations to O’Brien in an excellent show of sportsmanship from the Kiwi native.
“She has an amazing turn of foot over that distance, when she came, she really came strongly – I thought it was in the bag for us. But on the post, I knew we were beaten unfortunately. She finished very strongly,” Graffard said.
“Dropping back in distance was key for me. In Dubai, she showed that six furlongs was too long for her, so five furlongs on fast ground, that was a race for her. She was in top form, she proved it today on the track – you can’t be frustrated. It’s a fantastic run and hopefully we will be able to win a Group 1 this year.”
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Ding-dong battle sees 2,000 Guineas form upheld as Bow Echo narrowly denies Gstaad in St James’s Palace classic
Billed as a rematch between the English 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) quinella Bow Echo (Night Of Thunder) and Gstaad (Starspangledbanner), Tuesday’s feature Group 1 lived up to the hype as the George Boughey-trained runner narrowly held out the challenge of Aidan O’Brien’s resolute runner-up in a St James’s Palace Stakes for the ages.
Bow Echo had proven dominant at Newmarket in the 2,000 Guineas, stamping home a two and three-quarter lengths success over Gstaad to take his career record to four wins from as many starts.
However, since that contest, Gstaad had returned to his native Ireland and proved just as dominant in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) – defeating Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder) by three lengths.
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Lining up as the slight odds-on favourite for Tuesday’s Group 1, Bow Echo had a little trouble upon leaving the stalls, being hampered and finding himself towards the rear of the six-runner field.
Rider Billy Loughnane soon got his mount back in amongst rivals though and, approaching the final two furlongs, sat cruising aboard Bow Echo, seemingly waiting to pounce and clear away from the then leader and eventual third Talk Of New York (Wootton Bassett).
Sent on by his jockey, the George Boughey-trained colt soon hit the front but was made to work hard in the closing stages by the rallying Gstaad on his inside, eventually prevailing by a short-head after a photo-finish.
There was a further length and three-quarters back to Talk Of New York in third.
"I think that was the first time he's got into a proper battle," Boughey, who was landing his fourth win at Royal Ascot and first outside handicap company at the meeting, said.
"I’ve only watched it once but it was quite a scrap early doors, he was almost keen at one point, William's horse [Talk Of New York] came past and I think we'll see a better horse now that he's been in a scrap like that.
"He's done everything we've hoped; it's fine margins in this game and luckily he was on the right side of it.
"I think Billy said that the Amo [Racing] horse [Power Blue] was starting to come in his lap and he didn't want to break his stride and, I think, at Billy's own admission, he might have committed a bit sooner than he'd hoped.
"This is very much as far as this horse wants to go, I've thought that for a while and I think being able to ride him a little bit colder in a straightforward, evenly run race, hopefully we can see him continue to progress.
"It's a dream to be training horses like this, to be trusted with them and to do it with Billy makes it even more special; he's like a younger brother, he's like a friend, we chat the whole time, and to be able to have that affinity with a jockey is amazing.
"I've been lucky to have a lot of good riders ride for me but he's an exceptional talent, both on the horse, off the horse, he's meticulous in his planning and I think it's showing on the track. To be able to provide him with an unbeaten Guineas winner to come and win at Royal Ascot is as good as it gets.
"Plan A was to hopefully win the Guineas and come here and to go to Goodwood for the Sussex [Stakes]. He's taking his racing very well, he was ready to go a couple of weeks ago. He'll have had a race today, he'll know that but it's very much all systems go for Goodwood."
Loughnane was registering his third success at the royal meeting, having had a double in 2024.
"The first furlong was crucial, and I got squeezed out early," Loughnane said. "There were five of us in a line and I slightly lost my position and he got lit up. It was then trying to manage. The Amo Racing horse came back in our lap and it meant I had to move probably sooner than ideal, but his guts got him through. He's very determined to win this horse, with a great turn of foot and fantastic ability.
"You kind of have to adapt, and it was a case of getting him back relaxed and breathing again and in his rhythm, and once he found that, he was powerful. I felt a little bit of pressure coming here today on an unbeaten Guineas winner, but thankfully we managed to get the job done.
"He travelled very powerfully and has a great turn of foot. Gstaad and Ryan probably had a more economical route than we did, so we wasted a lot of ground, but he's a very talented horse and was tough towards the business end.
"Obviously there's pressure riding a horse like him, but it's pressure you want and I'm very privileged to be in a position to partner him, and I can't wait for the next couple of races to come up. It's a pinch yourself moment, and I can't thank George and the owners enough for having faith in me."
O'Brien was delighted with the effort from runner-up Gstaad, who managed to claw back nearly all of the two and three-quarter lengths deficit from the 2,000 Guineas.
"Delighted. Ryan gave him a great ride," O'Brien said. "It was a bit rough early for him but great ride. Obviously he gets it [the trip] very well and we're delighted.
"He's come forward and we're looking forward to him. We knew he was coming forward all the time and he is, it was just a little bit rough early for him and Ryan was back a little bit further than he wanted to be but as you saw, going to the line he was closing and closing but we were over the moon with him.
"I'll see what the lads want to do [re the Sussex] but we always thought he was a horse that was going to get further and I'd say he will if we ever need to step up, but he does get a mile well."
Meanwhile, Charlie Appleby, trainer of the third-placed Talk Of New York, was also excited for the future with his colt, who was taking on Group 1 company for the first time in his five-start career.
“I feel we’ve got a nice horse that is going to progress with his career," the Godolphin head trainer said. "He still showed signs of inexperience there, in the paddock he just got a bit warm – that didn’t really concern me, it’s a warm day with a hood on, sometimes that can do that to those horses.
"It was a bit rough for the first furlong or two and he just ran as though he got a bit frightened in amongst it, just latched on a bit keen there. We’re not too far off them.”
Bow Echo’s win also marked a notable double on the day for Darley’s former shuttler Night Of Thunder (Dubawi), with Ten Bob Tony having landed the card-opening Queen Anne Stakes (Gr 1, 1m).
