Britannia Stakes (Heritage Handicap)
AUSTRALIAN rider Zac Lloyd did not have to wait long to break his Royal Ascot duck as he steered the George Boughey-trained Moonfall (13/2) to victory in the Britannia Stakes. Moonfall, a son of Starman, moved through the mile handicap, picking up nicely to hold off the late challenge from Outback Heat (10/1) by three-quarters of a length. In a finish dominated by those on the stands’ side, the gambled Jamestown (11/2) was third and Lion Of Alba (33/1) fourth.
A multiple Group 1-winning rider in Australia, Lloyd is on a working holiday in the UK.
Lloyd said: “This is unreal. To ride a winner here is very special. Everyone kept telling me, ‘If you think you’re going well, wait another five seconds’. That’s all I was thinking about, and by doing that, it enabled him to be strong in the last 100 or so, and he was holding his competitors quite comfortably.
“I was asked to come over here by George Boughey, but Billy Loughnane is an absolute star. I was under no illusion I was going to take any of his rides, but I can ride light which helps. He was probably my only bullet for the week.
“I wanted to come here not expecting a winner, but hopeful I could make connections.
“Then next year, if I come back, it will grow and the year after that. It is my mum’s birthday as well, so there’s a bit more sentimental value to it. To be here competing and having a winner too is quite breathtaking.”
Boughey said: “It has been the plan for a while to come here. Moonfall had a bit of an interrupted autumn last year, and I hope he’s a horse who can progress.
“I am delighted for Zac. He’s a great mate of Billy’s from when he was down there, and I said to Billy, ‘What’s he doing in the winter?’, and he said, ‘Probably nothing!’ I texted him and said, ‘Come on, come up and see how you get on’.
“I do feel a bit for Billy, because he’s been a big part of this horse and has ridden a lot of work on him, and it’s the first time Zac’s sat on him.”
Hampton Court Stakes (Group 3)
JEFF Smith’s Generic (18/1) paid a handsome compliment to Constitution River, as he recorded a decisive victory in the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes for Andrew Balding. Seven lengths behind the Prix du Jockey Club winner at Chester, Generic was well placed turning in and picked up nicely to complete a double on the day for James Doyle.
The winning distance was a length from 11/8 favourite Endorsement, with Glacius (33/1) taking third on his first start since October. Maho Bay and William Buick were perhaps unlucky not to get a clear run and could be marked up on his fifth place. A son of Kameko, Generic carries the familiar purple colours of Smith, who previously won the Hampton Court Stakes 20 years ago with Snoqualmie Boy. Balding said: “I thought James gave Generic a peach of a ride and was always confident that, when he peeled out, he was going to find something. I am delighted.
“He was very difficult to train last year - he was quite heavy and had a few soundness issues, but he was gelded over the winter and it’s made all the difference. I think we have to let the dust settle now and look at our options, but I think this is the ideal trip and he’s the type of horse who could go travelling, so we’ll look at some nice international races.” Doyle said: “This fellow is super, expertly trained by Andrew and his team. I am always lucky that Andrew puts me on some nice horses and we’ve had a bit of luck together. And Jeff Smith - fantastic, I bet he enjoyed that.
“We rolled down the hill and, when they sorted themselves out, we were in a decent position. I had Ryan just to my outside. The only slight worry was getting a bit of daylight turning in. Ryan had the field quite compact and I had to skip across heels just to get into the clear. Then I was able to keep the guys in and go when I needed to. He was very brave up to the line and is quite an exciting horse for the guys.
Mezcala: it’s a day to remember for Channon
Buckingham Palace Stakes (Handicap)
MEZCALA was produced to perfection by Tom Marquand to take the Buckingham Palace Stakes and give trainer Jack Channon his first Royal Ascot success. Dropping back to seven furlongs, the 9/2 joint-favourite picked his way through the field and burst into contention entering the final furlong, where a late surge took him past Elarak (12/1) to win by a neck, with Great Acclaim (12/1) the same distance back in third. Mezcala was securing his second major handicap of the season, following the Spring Mile at Doncaster for owner/breeders Jon and Julia Aisbitt.
Channon said: “This is the first time Mezcala has had cover this year and, Jesus, he’s got a good turn of foot. It’s brilliant for everyone at West Ilsley. It is a fantastic day.
“Mezcala is a good horse, but Jon and Julia have a good record of breeding these lovely miling horses. It’s been 13 years since West Ilsley had a Royal Ascot winner [Elidor], and they owned and bred the last one too. It is wonderful for them - they’re great breeders and he’s a very good horse.
“Today was the first time he’s had cover and he’s shown the electric turn of foot he has when he gets it. I think he’s definitely stakes class.”
Marquand said: “Me and Billy [Loughnane], first and second, were drawn right up against the stands’ side fence and Billy had the blessing of being able to ride his lad forward. This fellow takes a little while to get going. Jack said to me before, ‘Just make sure you get a clear run’, and I was thinking it might be a tricky job, but he’s done a fantastic job with this horse. Great for them and fantastic for the Aisbitts - they’re wonderful owner-breeders and they will be absolutely thrilled.”
Irish-breds first past the post
COMPARED to the distribution of winners at the Cheltenham Festival, where French-bred tended to dominate, the Royal meeting has been a huge success for horses bred in Ireland.
Of the five Grade 1 winners up to Thursday evening, four were bred in Ireland - Ten Bob Tony, Mission Central, Bow Echo and Ombudsman - three of those by Night Of Thunder. The Gold Cup winner Scandinavia, though Irish-trained, was bred in the USA. Irish-bred also dominated the Group 2 and 3 races over the first three days, with five Group 2 wins and a Group 3.
Justify had a quiet 2025 with his two-year-olds, but now added a Gold Cup at Royal Ascot to wins in the Triple Crown races, 2000 Guineas (Ruling Court), Derby (City Of Troy) and St Leger (Scandinavia). Sixteen of the 21 winners from the first three days were Irish-bred.
Thursday attendance
The crowd figure for day three of Royal Ascot was 69,082, up 5.1% on 65,718 last year.