Stewards enquiries: Lee gets Ascot suspension

AN enquiry was held after the Queen Mary Stakes to consider interference approximately a furlong and a half out involving Velozee, unplaced, ridden by Billy Lee; Niewiadoma, ridden by Luke Morris; and More Champagne, ridden by John Velazquez.

Lee was suspended for three days for careless riding as he had angled Velozee right-handed, then continued to edge right-handed when insufficiently clear.

After the Queen’s Vase, an enquiry was held to consider interference entering the first bend involving Ranga Tang, third, ridden by Cieren Fallon; Mr Colonel, unplaced, ridden by Colin Keane; and Point Of Law, placed fourth, ridden by James Doyle.

Fallon was suspended for three days for careless riding, as he had allowed Ranga Tang to drift right-handed.

AFTER his brilliant win in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, Ombudsman is now Timeform’s highest-rated horse in Europe.

The dual Prince of Wales’s winner is rated 134 after Ascot triumph, with Calandagan rated 133. Arc winner Daryz had his rating dropped 1lb to 131.

Ombudsman rates just 3lb behind the highest-rated horse in the world, Hong Kong sprinter Ka Ying Rising (137).

1 - Royal Ascot winner for James Owen and Harry Davies

2 - Royal Ascot winners for Dylan Browne McMonagle

4 - Royal Ascot winners for Billy Loughnane and Colin Keane

7 - All seven winners were by sires that stand or stood in Ireland

7 - Royal Ascot winners for Joseph O’Brien

18 - Royal Ascot winner for William Haggas

40 - Royal Ascot winners for William Buick

72 - Royal Ascot winners for the Gosden stable

94 - Royal Ascot winners for Ryan Moore

99 - Royal Ascot winners for Aidan O’Brien

THERE was discussion that the new rules involving the winning distance of sires for the Windsor Castle and the increased distance to six furlongs might lead to smaller establishments and cheaper horses and sires not having the chance of an Royal Ascot winner.

Last year had 23 runners and this year 25 ran and while the winner was by a classic sire in St Mark’s Basilica, the SPs of the first three were 33/1, 66/1 and 125/1. The third placed Harlequin Sky, by Dubawi Legend, cost Jane Chapple Hyam just 20,000 gns at the Tatts Guineas Breeze-Up.

The crowd figure for day two of Royal Ascot was 42,315, up 1.8% on 41,571 last year.