Royal Ascot Round-up

12 for Night Of Thunder

Darley’s one-time shuttler Night Of Thunder (Dubawi) sired his 12th individual elite-level winner on Tuesday when the Ed Walker-trained Ten Bob Tony (5 g ex Hug by Dark Angel) landed a 50-1 shock win in the Queen Anne Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) at Royal Ascot. Raced by TBT Racing, the five-year-old gelding is a half-brother to five-time winner Allegedly (Wootton Bassett) being out of the winning Dark Angel (Acclamation) mare Hug, herself a half-sister to 2006 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Tie Black (Machiavellian) and Listed winner Besotted (Dutch Art). Night Of Thunder, who shuttled to Darley Australia for one season in 2016, stood the 2026 northern hemisphere breeding season at Kildangan Stud for a fee of €200,000 (approx. AU$327,770).

 

Ten Bob Tony springs major shock in Royal Ascot opener

The Ed Walker-trained Ten Bob Tony shocked plenty of onlookers at Royal Ascot on Tuesday when running out a 50-1 winner of the week-opening Queen Anne Stakes. 

Providing his trainer with a sixth success at the royal meeting, and his jockey with a fourth, the five-year-old gelding was held up at the rear of the nine-runner field for most of the contest.

Asked to improve entering the final two furlongs, Ten Bob Tony produced a sustained run under Shoemark and led inside the closing stages to beat More Thunder (Night Of Thunder) by a half-length. 

There was a further head back to the front-running Opera Ballo (Ghaiyyath) in third place, while OTI Racing’s Docklands (Massaat), who won the race last year, could not manage to fire this time around and finished seventh.

“It’s just an amazing story. He was Simon Sadler’s first ever horse; he’s now got more than 50 in training worldwide, and he just won a Group 3 ten days ago. For him to turn up here and do that… Kieran gave him an absolute peach of a ride and was very, very patient. The miracle happened. 

“We agreed we’d sit last and pass as many as we could in the final furlong. It’s beautiful ground out there – I always think at Ascot you can get away with horses that need a bit of dig on the straight course. I was confident when I walked it that the horse would like it.

‘This horse is just a legend. What’s been the key? He’s just a really solid horse, we rode him cold and, like it can do here at Ascot, it just fell apart in the last furlong. Kieran didn’t commit him too early and saved him for a finish. He’s a super kind horse – just a legend.”

Meanwhile, winning rider Shoemark added: “I’m riding for a great stable, Ed Walker and his team do a superb job and they prepare these horses amazingly and there’s a lot of good ones there. We thought he wanted easy ground but it’s genuine good-to-firm.

“He just travelled into it so easy, I didn’t think we were going over quick either so it didn’t feel like there was a pace collapse, but he really did cruise into it; he’s a pretty smart horse.

“It’s massive, I appreciate the magnitude of Royal Ascot and to win a Group 1 in the first race on the first day certainly takes the pressure off but ultimately it’s extremely special and I feel very fortunate to be a part of that team.”

11 for No Nay Never

Mission Central (3 g ex Thar She Blows by Zoffany) became the 11th Group 1 winner for Coolmore’s outstanding sire when landing the King Charles III Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) at Royal Ascot on Tuesday. Mission Central was a 625,000gns (approx. AU$1.24 million) purchase by M V Magnier and White Birch Farm from Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. Bred by Gigginstown House Stud, he is the first foal out of the unraced Thar She Blows (Zoffany), a sister to Falmouth Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) winner Prosperous Voyage. His third dam Diese (Diesis) won the Prix Corrida (Gr 3, 2100m) and is a half-sister to champion two-year-old and influential sire Xaar (Zafonic), who shuttled to Australia from 2000 to 2005. No Nay Never stands at Coolmore Stud for a 2026 fee of €125,000 (approx. AU$219,000).

Record-extending 12th Coventry Stakes win for O’Brien

Great Barrier Reef (2 c No Nay Never – Gems by Haafhd) maintained his unbeaten record when giving Aidan O’Brien and Wayne Lordan victory in the Coventry Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) at Royal Ascot on Tuesday. The colt, sent off at 6-1, raced away from much of the field on the far side of centre before working into contention as the groups converged. He edged left under pressure but led inside the final 110 yards to beat Adaay Of Scarlet (Memhas) by half-a-length, with Royal Heritage (Blue Point) a neck further away in third. Great Barrier Reef was recording his third win from as many starts, having previously won a Curragh maiden by six lengths before landing the Marble Hill Stakes (Gr 3, 6f) at the same track.  O’Brien said Great Barrier Reef had long been regarded as a smart colt, despite giving little away at home. “He’s a lovely horse, he won his maiden very impressive first time,” O’Brien said. “Second day, before we ran him in a Group race his work was a bit disappointing so we didn’t know what to make of it but he still came out and he won and won well so obviously he’s a horse that hides a bit at home. We worked him last week and Ryan’s horse came out the better of the two so we thought he was the horse. We always thought he was a six-furlong horse that would get seven and could get a mile next year. Wayne gave him a lovely ride, delighted really.” Lordan said Great Barrier Reef benefitted from tracking the pace on his side of the track before finishing strongly. “When he started to roll forward with me he was probably drifting a little bit left looking for a bit of company because I was out there on my own but I always knew he was running forward so I had every chance,” Lordan said. “You never know if you pass the line in front but I hit the line well. Because I was over where I was, I thought David Egan [on Bull Shark] was probably the only pace that I had to follow and I wanted to follow him and keep it simple and from halfway I started coming forward and he kept picking up all the way to the line. He feels like he hit the line well enough to think he can step up in trip.”

J-Mac swoops aboard French raider Map Of Stars

Having been narrowly denied a winner on the day in the King Charles III Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) with Rayevka (Blue Point), trainer Francis Graffard landed a victory on Tuesday’s opening day of Royal Ascot as the James McDonald-steered Map Of Stars (5 g Sea The Stars – Bateel by Dubawi) scored in the Wolferton Stakes (Listed, 1m 2f). The five-year-old gelding came from the rear of the field inside the final two furlongs and swept down the centre of the track, going on to score by half-a-length from Wimbledon Hawkeye (Kameko) and land himself a ballot-free exemption into October’s Caulfield Cup (Gr 1, 2400m). There was a further length and three-quarters back to Dividend (Kodiac) in third place. The win marked a sixth Royal Ascot success for ‘J-Mac’. “He’s an absolutely beautiful horse,” McDonald said. “Very grateful to James [Doyle] who gave me a good rundown on the horse and to Mr Graffard, he’s obviously the Chris Waller of France!  It’s an amazing opportunity to ride for Wathnan. He gave me a fantastic feel, he’s obviously a very good horse and James said that before the race, he said he had a hard choice to make and he said if he turns it on, he will turn it on. I’m a racing purist, I love this carnival. Two races I really love are the Queen Anne and St James’s Palace, unfortunately I didn’t get a ride in them but to ride here at Ascot, have a look at this place, it’s magnificent. It’s so elegant, so much prestige and an absolute huge honour to be here.”

Kizlyar edges out Australian Bloodstock’s Defiantly in Ascot Stakes

Kizlyar (Make Believe) led home a one-two for Joseph O’Brien when winning the Ascot Stakes (2m 4f) at Royal Ascot on Tuesday. The four-year-old gelding, ridden by Joey Sheridan, was sent off at 25-1 and raced prominently and in touch with the leaders early before improving over two furlongs out. He struck the front over a furlong from home and fought on gamely to defeat stablemate and Australian Bloodstock-owned Defiantly (Kameko) by a head, with Tim Toe (Joshua Tree) two and a half lengths away in third. Kizlyar races for the H O S Syndicate and and was bred by His Highness The Aga Khan’s Studs out of the Redoute’s Choice (Danehill) mare Kisanga. He was backing up from a last-start win and gave O’Brien a notable result from a strong hand in the staying handicap. Margaret Heffernan said the result was particularly emotional, given the syndicate had been her late husband’s idea. “Today is special because I lost my husband [Andrew] 12 weeks ago and this was his week and the idea of the syndicate with the grandchildren was really his and he believed in it and he believed in Joseph so much,” Heffernan said. O’Brien said the Ascot Stakes had become the target after Kizlyar missed out on a run during March’s Cheltenham Festival. “He’s off the back of a good win last time,” O’Brien said. “We didn’t get into the Fred Winter, unfortunately! This was obviously the next target for him, and I’m delighted to win such a good race with him. I’m so delighted for Margaret and her family – they lost Dr Andrew Heffernan, Margaret’s husband, a few months ago, and I feel like Kizlyar had a little extra push in the last 100 yards. It looked like Defiantly maybe had outbattled him at one stage, but he battled back hard in the final furlong. He might be one to go abroad with – we’ll see what the handicapper does and go from there.”

Back-to-back wins for Daiquiri Bay as he lands Copper Horse

The Alan King-trained Daiquiri Bay (New Bay) made it two wins from as many starts since being gelded as he again defeated old rival Gamrai (Lope De Vega) in Tuesday’s card-closing Copper Horse Stakes (1m 6f) at Royal Ascot. Ridden by Rossa Ryan, the four-year-old gelding swooped down the outside of his rivals and battled bravely to fend off the John and Thady Gosden-trained runner-up by a head. There was a further length and three-quarters back to the third-placed Paddy The Squire (Golden Horn).