Ascot Stakes (Heritage Handicap)

HENRY de Bromhead secured a first Royal Ascot success as Ascending (20/1) denied fellow Irish challengers Nurburgring and Comfort Zone in a busy finish to the two-and-a-half-mile Ascot Stakes.

Many runners, including the well-fancied Royal runner from Willie Mullins’, Reaching High, endured a troubled passage up the inside rail, but Billy Lee kept Ascending clear of trouble as the duo charted a wider passage.

Ascending hit the front entering the final furlong and had enough in the tank to repel the Joseph O’Brien-trained trio of Nurburgring (16/1), Comfort Zone (33/1) and Leinster (25/1). De Bromhead said: “I am delighted. I wanted to go for the Copper Horse Stakes; I thought we had a great chance, but we didn’t get in and someone put us in this race and we win!

“Ascending is a star. He was bought to go hurdling and ran very well over hurdles, but I think he never really loved it, so I said we’d try going back on the flat. David Roach, who works for me, said, ‘there’s a good one in this lad on the flat’, so we started going that route.

“Chris’s son Andrew [Jones] rode him in some nice amateur races last year. Then we’ve just kept going along this route and it has been incredible. I think we’ll stay on the flat – he seems to love it.”

Smooth

Billy Lee said: “Ascending was going so easily and took me into the race that I was able to keep things smooth. I was lucky to get on him when he won at Dundalk. He won really well and I thought it was a good performance in Cork over his minimum trip. I was confident off that run that, if he did get the trip, he would be very competitive.”

Winning owner Chris Jones, who has tasted success at the Cheltenham Festival, said: “I have never been to Royal Ascot. I have been here three times jumping in the winter with Henry and Arthur Moore. I said to Arthur on the way in, ‘come on, you’re our lucky charm’ and Arthur came in with us and this is what happened. Unbelievable.

“Myself and Henry are friends; he is our trainer, but we were out last night and had great fun, and we will have some fun tonight too!”

Wolferton Stakes (Listed)

HAATEM (8/1) returned to the winner’s enclosure for the first time since last year’s Group 3 Jersey Stakes with a strong performance in the Listed Wolferton Stakes for Wathnan Racing.

Racing over further than a mile for the first time, the Richard Hannon-trained colt enjoyed a smooth passage from midfield under James Doyle and was delivered to challenge approaching the final furlong.

Haatem saw out the three extra furlongs of this 10-furlong distance strongly as he pegged back Galen (13/2), with three quarters of a length between the duo at the line. Fellow Wathnan runner King’s Gambit (4/1 favourite) was the same distance further back in third.

Hannon said: “Haatem is an amazing horse. He has been a pleasure to be a part of, for me, for old connections, new connections, and James loves him.

“He cost 27,000 guineas – there’s a lot of people out there who could afford a share in him – and that’s the best thing about racing, is that these horses are accessible.

“He worked in the week – the best bit of work he’s done all year. Going back to a mile is not out of the question, but he will probably turn up in the Eclipse.”

Doyle said: “He had a nasty enough injury last year. For a couple of runs this season we were thinking he’s not quite there but, he’s such a big boy, it has taken time to really get on his A-game.

“That was a good performance. I made sure he jumped and he over-raced the whole way down the hill, so he can certainly do better than what he’s done today, and he’ll need to if he’s to take on the big boys over a mile and a quarter.”

Copper Horse Stakes

FRENCH Master (5/2 favourite) swooped late to land the concluding Copper Horse Stakes, completing a quickfire double for Wathnan Racing and its retained rider James Doyle.

The John & Thady Gosden-trained colt, who was purchased by Wathnan after scoring at Goodwood last time, was held up in the 14-furlong contest as he raced in first-time blinkers.

Switched widest of all by Doyle in the straight, French Master charged home to win by two and a half lengths from Caballo De Mar (13/2), with Samui (20/1) half a length further back in third. Barnso (14/1) finished fourth for Natalia Lupini.

John Gosden said: “Philippa Cooper [breeder and former owner] had Gregory before, who won the Vase here, a good Cup horse, and I think this horse might go that way. Philippa is an amazing breeder because she breeds horses with stamina, proper middle distance horses, something we don’t see much.”

James Doyle said: “We had to try and find our mutual ground and, whilst French Master didn’t help me out early on, he certainly helped me out from two furlongs out.

“He walked out of the gate, which they can do sometimes with the blinkers on first time. He is a character and the guys do a great job with him because you have to be on his case with him at home every morning.”

Richard Brown of Wathnan Racing said: “It is a lucky race that French Master won last time.

“We were watching it closely because obviously Courage Mon Ami won that race before coming here and really, probably, launching Wathnan. A huge amount of work goes into it, from the guys that work for me, to all the Wathnan team, Qatar… it is very special.”

1st Royal Ascot winner for Jim Goldie

1st Royal Ascot winner Henry de Bromhead

3rd Royal Ascot winner for Colin Keane

3rd Royal Ascot winner for Billy Lee

24th Royal Ascot winner for James Doyle

68th Royal Ascot winner for the Gosdens

92nd Royal Ascot winner for Aidan O’Brien

Attendance

The Royal Ascot day one crowd was 45,551, up 4% compared to 43,791 last year.

Notes from the track

AN enquiry was held to consider interference rounding the first bend in the Copper Horse Stakes, involving Lavender Hill Mob, (Cieren Fallon) and Real Dream (David Probert). Fallon was suspended for two days for careless riding as he allowed his mount to drift right-handed when insufficiently clear.

RULING Court was a big disappointment in the St James’s Palace Stakes, the 2000 Guineas winner was never travelling well and finished third, beaten by over seven lengths.

His trainer Charlie Appleby said: “William [Buick] said he was never really travelling comfortably, and obviously at this level you need to be able to get up and travel on the bridle, give your horse a breather, to try to go through those gears at the business end.

“It’s going back to where we felt we were in the spring - we felt we were a mile and a quarter horse. He won the Guineas, and we were then gung-ho to go to the Derby – I still think it was the right decision not to run on the ground.

“It is never ideal to have to regroup and run somewhere else, but I don’t think that was our undoing today. The horse is fine and one thing we’ll be doing from now on is stepping up in trip. I think it might be a bit soon to say we’ll be jumping on to the Eclipse, but we’ll be working back from the Juddmonte.”

AN enquiry was held to consider interference passing the two-furlong marker in the Wolferton Stakes involving Galen, second, ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle, and three other unplaced runners. Browne McMonagle was suspended for three days for careless riding, as he allowed his mount to drift right-handed without sufficient correction, causing the rider of Ecureuil Secret to take a check, and leaving the others short of racing room.