Glorious weather and a crowd of 66,000 enlivened Royal Ascot’s final day, and Saturday’s feature, the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, was worthy of the occasion.
Khadeem. Ascot Photo
Khadeem edges fellow longshot Swingalong in Queen Elizabeth II
A duel of longshots came down to the bob of a head, and the camera showed the nose of 16-1 shot Khaadem inches ahead of 13-1 Swingalong’s flared nostrils. It was the fourth winner of the week for the brilliant Irish jockey Oisin Murphy.
“He got a fantastic ride there, off the pace,” trainer Charlie Hills said. “He traveled beautifully and never looked like he was going to be beaten.”
Khaadem, an 8-year-old gelding, is the 6-furlong race’s first back-to-back winner since 1959, when it was called the Cork and Orrery Stakes.
“I thought for the majority of the last two furlongs he would win, and I was able to enjoy it a little bit,” Murphy said. “When the [speed horses] began to slow down late, he came alive.”
Bedtime Story puts them to sleep in Chesham
Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore locked up the trainer and jockey titles with a dazzling display of dominance in the opener. Moore blasted clear by 9½ lengths, the week’s biggest runaway, on favored Bedtime Story ($4.80) in the 7-furlong Chesham Stakes for 2-year-olds.
It’s hard to impress Michael Tabor, a major player for superpower Coolmore for decades. “We expected her to win,” Tabor said, “but you never expect an animal to win like that.”
O’Brien and Moore each won the Chesham for the seventh time, and for the sixth time in the past four days they teamed for a stakes victory.
Age of Gold, the 2-1 second choice, ran seventh for Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby, who went 0-for-6 this week.
Jersey Stakes thriller goes to Haatem
Haatem punctuated a tremendous week for Wathnan Racing as he held off 21-1 shot Kikkuli by a nose in the 7-furlong, Group 3 Jersey Stakes. It was the fourth win for Wathnan and for rider James Doyle, who denied Oisin Murphy his fifth.
“What a horse, he’s an absolute warrior,” Doyle said of the 3-1 winner. “Oisin quite smartly challenged away from me, but Haatem did spot him late and responded well.”
Haatem finished second last out to Rosallion in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas. Aidan O’Brien’s River Tiber, third that day, was eighth as the Jersey’s 9-5 favorite.
Isle of Jura, two breakthroughs in Hardwicke
Isle of Jura. Ascot Photo
Rarely does a 13-1 shot dominate a stakes race by 3¾ lengths, but that’s what Isle of Jura did in the Group 2, 1½-mile Hardwicke. Callum Shepherd had it won more than a furlong out and stood in the saddle before the finish.
It was Shepherd’s first Royal Ascot win in 66 tries and the first in 42 attempts by trainer George Scott.
“It’s amazing,” Shepherd told the Racing Post. “I’ve dreamed about this for so long, and with all the emotions coming out I’m going to struggle to compose myself.”
It was the fifth consecutive win for the 4-year-old gelding. Left far behind was 6-5 favorite Continuous, fifth for O’Brien and Moore. Another no-show was eighth-place Desert Hero, bred by Queen Elizabeth II and owned by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
Missed the Cut, a California shipper trained by John Sadler, was last of nine, ending a dismal week for American-based runners. They went 0-for-7, with the only highlight Gabaldon’s second in the Windsor Castle Stakes.
The undercard
As always, Royal Ascot saved the longest for last. Uxmal, the 2-1 favorite ridden by Dylan McMonagle, took the ultimate marathon, the 2¾-mile Queen Alexandra Stakes. Joseph O’Brien, son of Aidan and brother of Donnacha, became the third member of racing’s first family to train a Royal Ascot winner this week … Hand of God, the 2-1 favorite ridden by William Buick, rallied to take the 1¼-mile Golden Gates Handicap for first-year trainer Harry Charlton … Tom Marquand rode Unequal Love (14-1) to a length victory for William Haggas in the 6-furlong, 25-horse Wokingham Stakes.