I wanted to be in the paddock area for the Royal procession to come in. The Queen was in a pink dress. She and the Duke of Edinburgh were in the first carriage. Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles were in the second carriage. There was also a third carriage with other members of the Royal party. The Queen lingered on in the paddock to be there as her three year-old gelding, Instalment, Richard Hughes up, was in the opener, the Jersey Stakes.
Trainer Barry Hills had two runners, both owned by Hamdan Al Maktoum. Infiraad, Richard Hills aboard, was the lukewarm favourite but the race was won by the other Barry Hills trainee, Ouqba. Jockey Tad O’Shea brought Ouqba, a 12-1 chance, from last to first with a tremendous burst. Deposer, Robert Winston up, tried to make it all and almost lasted.
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Soon after the second race, rain began falling. It did not last long. Drops fell now and then and the threat of continuous rain was going away as the runners in the Prince of Wales came on to the track. Tartan Bearer was 13-8. Never On Sunday was 7-2 and 3-1. Vision d’Etat, Olivier Peslier up, was a steady 4-1. Tazeez set a good pace. Tartan Bearer was never worse than fifth. Twice Over lay in the vanguard. Never on Sunday and Vision d’Etat were in the rear as Trincot, a Godolphin runner, trailed the field. Twice Over, on the inside, and Tartan Bearer, on the out, made their runs with a little over 400 metres left. Never On Sunday was making up ground behind Tartan Bearer. Vision d’Etat was full of run and Peslier was looking for a way out. His patience paid off. A seam appeared and that was all that the French horse needed. It was clear that Vision d’Etat was moving the best with 100 metres to run. The margin was one half length. Tartan Bearer had to settle for second in another Group I event. A head away in third was Never On Sunday. A neck away in fourth was the Sir Henry Cecil-trained Twice Over.
The 2000-metre race was run on ‘good to firm’ ground in 2 06.9 seconds. Vision d’Etat’s share of the purse was 255,465 pounds. It was the second victory for Peslier in the Prince of Wales. In 2006, he had won with the incomparable Ouija Board. Vision d’Etat was giving jockey Peslier his thirteenth winner at Royal Ascot.
Trainer Eric Libaud, with the help of a translator, spoke. “This is the best win of my career. I knew it was going to be difficult but I could see the horse was going well. Olivier had told me that the straight at Ascot is long, so I was quietly confident. We will give him a prep race and try the Arc.”
Jockey Peslier talked about the beauty of winning a race at Royal Ascot. “I love the champagne bar, the women, the atmosphere - this is the greatest meeting in the world.”
“The race set up perfect for me. My horse is not lazy and I took my time. He is a typical French horse. When you’re one or two lengths behind, it is not a big problem because he has got a good turn of foot. That was a big help for me.”
Sir Michael Stoute, Tartan Bearer’s trainer, offered no excuses. “We were beaten by the better horse. I cannot find excuses but my horse ran very well.”
At Maisons Laffitte, Christophe Soumillon whose commitment to the Aga Khan gave Peslier the opportunity to ride Vision d’Etat, gained recompense when steering Siyouni to victory in the Prix da Fleche. From Ioritz Mendizabal, the pendulum swing toward Soumillon. When Soumillon could not do it, there was Olivier Peslier.
The 1600-metre Royal Hunt Cup, the next race, went to the well-backed Forgotten Voice, trained by Jeremy Noseda and ridden by John Murtagh. It was Murtagh’s second win and his tally stood at three. Jockey Richard Hughes stands at three. Thursday is Murtagh’s last day at Ascot as he begins serving a suspension the following day.
The fifth race was the Queen Mary Stakes. It was a 1000-metre dash for freshman girls. Amercan trainer Wesley Ward’s Jealous Again was a 13-2 chance. John Velasquez was aboard. The Ascot racecard comment on Jealous Again read, “It is difficult to assess her form but she should not be overlooked.”
Jealous Again hardly worked up a sweat. She won drawing away. It was trainer Ward’s second victory in two days. The bookmakers made a 6-1 offer on John Velasquez ending up leading rider at Royal Ascot.
I spoke to Velasquez. I asked him if Rene Douglas knew that Ward’s horses have won two races at Royal Ascot. “I have not. Thanks for telling me. I will make it a point to call him this evening.”
Moneycantbuymelove, with Jamie Spencer, won the sixth and last race, the Sandringham Stakes. The Michael Bell-trained sophomore filly was the favourite although she could be backed at 9-2. An exultant Jamie Spencer indulged in fist-pumping. Spencer drove to Kempton to ride another winner in a twilight card. Yes, it is a coincidence but it is worth mentioning. In 2006, jockey Peslier won the Prince of Wales with Ouija Board. The Sandringham was won by the Bell-trained Red Evie, ridden by Jamie Spencer. In 2009, Peslier wins the Prince of Wales with Vision d’Etat and Spencer takes the Sandringham with Moneycantbuymelove.
Today’s piece de resistance is the Ascot Gold Cup. It is over 3,000 metres. If Yeats wins the Gold Cup, he would be the only horse to do so. Yeats is the 9-4 favourite. There are nine runners and the Gold Cup post time is 3 45 PM London time. Geordieland is the second favourite. Ryan Moore takes Patkai postward. Veracity and Frankie Dettori represent Godolphin.
John Murtagh will ride Yeats. He won the Gold Cup last year with Yeats. Murtagh spoke about the significance of the race. “This is Royal Ascot. It is going to be huge for us. Ascot is where Yeats shines most brightly. Fast ground, two and a half miles around there, he has to have a big chance. Seamus (Heffernan) rides him in a lot of his work at home and he says he has definitely come forward since Navan.”
Geordieland was second to Yeats in the Gold Cup in 2007 and 2008. This is the third year in a row that the eight year-olds race is Ascot’s showpiece. Geordieland comes off a five-length thrashing of Patkai in Sandown’s Henry II Stakes. Shane Kelly rides.
Geordieland’s trainer Jamie Osborne made a statement. “Everything has gone fine. Nothing has gone wrong-touching all available wood as there is still time I suppose. It’s going to be a fantastic race and it’s great to be a part of it.”
Patkai has shown a fondness for Ascot. He is a genuine stayer. Michael Stoute has chosen to run Patkai in preference to Conduit. My choice is Patkai. He is a progressive type.
Thursday’s racing gets under way with the Norfolk Stakes. Monsieur Chevalier is four for four and will be a warm favourite. Richard Hughes rides. Yogaroo, from Wesley Ward’s camp, is getting some attention after Ward’s two wins in the first two days.
The 2400-metre Ribblesdale Stakes is next. Three year-old fillies hold centre stage. Leocorno, Mooakada and Flying Cloud are the leading contenders.
The Gold Cup is the third event. The fourth is the 1600-metre Britannia Stakes. There are thirty runners. It is for sophomores.
Hampton Court Stakes is the fifth race. It is a 2000-metre race for three year-olds. Freemantle, touched off by Black Bear Island in York’s Dante, is the one to beat. It is a John Murtagh mount.
Thursday’s finale is the King George VI Stakes over 2,400 metres. It is another contest open only to three year-olds. Joseph O’Brien, Aidan’s son, makes his first Royal Ascot appearance. He rides Johann Zoffany. John Oxx-trained Zarinski will be ridden by Niall McCullagh. Zarinski comes off a maiden win at Dundalk and tries handicap company.
There are four bookmakers in the area overlooking the paddock at Ascot. Who did I bump into after the first race on Wednesday? We stood face to face and my brain was refusing to cooperate. “Is this Tom Krish? I am Vivek Jain. How are you? This is my first time here.”
We talked for a minute and Mr Jain confirmed that the 2010 Invitation Cup will be held in Mumbai.
It is very early in the morning on Thursday in London as I finish typing this report. The forecast is for dry weather today. Will Yeats make history? We will find out. I am sure fans in India are watching the Royal Ascot races. It is a spectacle - no two opinions about it. I am indeed fortunate to be there.
