Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Group 1)

Almeraq (25/1) produced a career-best performance as he downed some established international stars in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes for William Haggas and Tom Marquand.

Top Australian sprinter Joliestar led narrowly heading into the final furlong, but the field was bunched in behind, with Japanese raider Satono Reve, Almeraq and France’s Stolen Kiss all finishing well.

All four forged to the line together in an exhilarating finish, with Almeraq winning on the nod from Satono Reve (5/2). Joliestar (15/8 favourite) went down by a short-neck in third, with Stolen Kiss (33/1) a head further back in fourth.

A Shadwell homebred, Almeraq clipped heels and came down in a Listed race at York last year, in which jockey Jim Crowley was seriously injured. The four-year-old’s only subsequent start before today was a neck success in the Listed Cathedral Stakes at Salisbury last month.

Haggas said: “As you know, Almeraq had a fall at York last year and poor Jim [Crowley] got injured. The horse took a long time to come back and it has been gently, gently this spring. He won nicely at Salisbury, but this is a completely different jump in class and he has managed to cope with it. He is a beautiful horse, we have always loved him. A big, strong, powerful horse, and I think he will get better because he is pretty lightly raced.

“I am thrilled for Shadwell. I have been involved with them for quite some time now, and to have a Group 1 winner for them on the biggest stage is terrific. It is very hard for all of us to win here, everyone is trying to compete, and to win is great.

“Almeraq was pretty shook up after York. It is quite hard to fall in a race like that at speed, and for a young horse going at speed it was difficult, but we gave him a lot of time. There was no need to get him ready for the autumn, and this has proved it and now it is onwards and upwards.

“I thought this ground might be a bit quick for him; he has got big feet on him, but it clearly was not. The straight track here, slow-ground horses can cope with fast ground. I am not saying he is a slow-ground horse, but he was terribly impressive one day on slow ground at Ayr. He has taken his form to a new level and we are absolutely delighted with him.”

My first thought when I thought I had won was for Jim [Crowley

Marquand said: “I am not just saying this for effect, but my first thought when I thought I had won was for Jim [Crowley]. This horse and he both took horror falls at the back end of last year. Jim is fighting for his career, he should be aboard this horse, it is his ride.

“Testament to this lad and his attitude in coming back from a fall like that. The Somerville Lodge team are unbelievable. They have done it before with Tiber Flow when he had a heavy fall and brought him back. I am blessed to be riding for them.

“The horse did an exceptional job today of getting himself up from a crowded position that he was not enjoying all too much, his confidence is still probably building a bit. It probably made him look like he was in trouble a long way out, he was not really, he just did not know how to wedge himself back in.

“He obviously had that run at Salisbury where he was down the inside and that would have done him a lot of good. I think, if anything today, he will realise that it is not all as scary as it might have been at York that day. He is a wonderfully talented horse. Andrew Tinkler rides him every day, who everyone will know him from his jumping days. Fantastic that they have got the horse back to this level.

“I think he is the epitome of Somerville Lodge – they give horses time and have been so patient with him. To have Sheikha Hissa here today is wonderful, and I had not ridden Somerville Lodge a Group One Royal Ascot winner, so that was important.”

Crowley said: “Amazing. It is one of those things. He was in the Haydock Park Sprint Cup on the Saturday but ran instead in the Listed race [at York] on the Sunday. I wish he had run on the Saturday because I would have been on him today!

“We always believed he was a Group 1 horse. It was amazing for William Haggas to get him back because he took just as heavy a fall. To get that horse back from that is amazing. Mixed emotions because I want to be on him. It was a tough watch, I have never experienced anything like that in my life, but I am so pleased for everyone involved.”

Chris Waller said of Joliestar: “I am just delighted that she turned up. She performed very well and fought out a great finish, which was typical of the week. We have seen some great finishes. Unfortunately, that was one of them and we just missed out, but it was just an honour to be here. It was important coming into the race to make sure that she brought her Australian form here and stood it up, and she really did that. We did not win today but she has certainly got her admirers and that is what international racing is all about. I thought we had to ask her a little bit earlier than I would have liked. It would have been nice to have put a length on them, so I knew it was going to be tough the last 400 metres. She was brave, and it was literally just the last 20 or 30 yards. It was a great run.”

3.40pm Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (Group 1)

1 Almeraq (Shadwell Estate Company Ltd) William Haggas 4-9-05 Tom Marquand 25/1

2 Satono Reve (Hajime Satomi) Noriyuki Hori 7-9-05 Ryan Moore 5/2

3 Joliestar (Cambridge Stud) Chris Waller AUS 5-9-02 James McDonald 15/8F

18 ran