BRADSELL’S brilliant victory in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes spearheaded a wonderful week at Royal Ascot that provided Archie and the team with a memorable treble.
Saint Lawrence’s win in the Wokingham Stakes and Rhythm N Hooves’ success in the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Stakes completed the feat and propelled stable jockey Hollie Doyle into the record books. She became the first female rider to win a Group 1 at the Royal Meeting and the first to ride three winners at the five-day festival.
Bradsell, stepping back to five furlongs for the first time after being supplemented for the race by owners Victorious Racing, got the better of warm favourite Highfield Princess in the famous sprint.
Hollie also produced Saint Lawrence with a perfectly timed run to score a high-profile victory on his stable debut, only weeks after arriving at Saxon Gate, while Rhythm N Hooves got up on the line to win the three-year-old sprint feature and two-year-old Army Ethos finished a close second in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes. A full report of all three victories appears in a separate article on this site.
It was Hambleton Racing’s three-year-old Garner who got June off to a flying start with a win for Hollie in a six-furlong Lingfield Park novice stakes while another promising Hambleton runner Chaturanga supplemented his debut win at Redcar with another at Haydock Park later in the month.
Chaturanga defied a penalty to justify his short price in the seven-furlong event under the ever-reliable Luke Morris, demonstrating his potential to stay at least a mile. His dam was a Listed placed winner over further.
Night Of Thunder colt Lightning Leo set himself up for a run in the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot with a debut win over seven furlongs at Yarmouth under Hector Crouch. He didn’t finish in the placings in the big race but remains a colt of considerable potential for owners Al Shaqab Racing and Lone Star Investments.
Another big supporter of the yard, Clipper Logistics, enjoyed juvenile success on the opening day of the Northumberland Plate Festival at Newcastle when Ambushed got the better of a protracted duel with fancied newcomer Ballymount Boy in a six-furlong novice. Wearing cheekpieces for the first time after losing his chance at the start on debut at Goodwood, the son of Soldier’s Call travelled sweetly for Danny Tudhope to enhance his freshman sire’s excellent record.
Also showing progression from first start to second was Ecurie Ama.Zingteam’s colt Noo Point, who had finished fourth in a Catterick maiden but left that form well behind to win a similar race over six furlongs at Chepstow by four lengths on 16th June.
Kodiac filly Creative Style contributed to June’s tally with an All-Weather win at Wolverhampton on her first start for the yard. Hollie conjured a rallying performance in a seven-furlong fillies’ maiden at Wolverhampton for delighted owners The Keg Partnership.
Another three-year-old filly, Cloud Angel, got off the mark at the fifth attempt when she won a Catterick handicap by five lengths for Connor Beasley. The former John and Thady Gosden maiden had hinted that stepping up in trip would suit when third at Salisbury in May and relished every yard of the mile and a half trip.
In the same week Wiseacre made it tenth time lucky with a commanding performance on the Lingfield Polytrack, scooting 12 lengths clear in a mile handicap for Hollie, before stable stalwart Mighty Gurkha won in similar style at Leicester to secure his first success in over two years.
He contributed to an across-the-card double with the progressive He’s A Monster scoring a first turf success in a seven-furlong handicap at Sandown Park. Hector Crouch made all the running on the No Nay Never gelding who took his tally to four wins from only six starts.
There was success in the amateur ranks, too, as Archie’s wife Brodie Hampson recorded her eighth win on the popular mare Luna Magic in a 10-furlong handicap at Chepstow the previous day. Brodie was in winning form again later in the month when Let Her Loose won the Roy Rocket Handicap – named in memory of John Berry’s track specialist – over a mile and a half at Brighton for the same owners Marco Polo.
Brave Emperor was unable to add to his prolific win record in Sweden on 11th June but still ran with huge credit to be third, beaten little more than a length in the Group 3 Stockholms Stora Pris over nine furlongs. Middleham Park Racing’s gelding, who was ridden by regular partner Luke Morris, went on to show up very well in the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot before fading out of contention deep in the stretch. He will be freshened up for more Group Race options in August now.
By Simon Mapletoft
