Nature Strip is a brilliant winner of the King's Stand
Baaeed - won the Queen Anne

Royal Ascot Tuesday review and replays:


A review of the action and free video replays from day one of Royal Ascot where Nature Strip routed his rivals in the King's Stand Stakes.

Australian star Nature Strip dazzles in King's Stand

Nature Strip lit up Royal Ascot with a dazzling victory in the King's Stand Stakes.

The brilliant Australian sprinter was always cantering down the centre of the track under James McDonald and it was clear a furlong out it was a question of how far he'd win by.

At the line the answer was an unextended four-and-a-half lengths from Twilight Calls (11/1) with Acklam Express (100/1) and Mooneista (16/1) running big races in third and fourth.

15/8 favourite Golden Pal was slowly away and made rapid headway to be in front after a furlong but he was beaten two furlongs out.

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McDonald, riding his second Royal Ascot winner, said: “That was incredible, the team have done a marvellous job. I’m so lucky to be on him and he’s just an absolute freak of a horse. I think he’s silenced a few critics with that performance because it was scintillating. I didn’t know the riderless horse was riderless and I was thinking ‘how has one come with him?’. He was just incredible.

“I saw the American horse charge through, at the two pole I was thinking ‘are you going to come?’, but he had no response. It was the riderless horse who gave me a fright.”

Chris Waller, who trained superstar mare Winx, said: “It means a lot. We don’t get the chance to race against the English, the Irish and even Americans today an awful lot. It’s pretty special to bring a horse all this way and compete against the best in the world and to win the way he did. It was breathtaking, it was a good display and he’s a very good horse. He has been for a long time.

“I guess he’s in the twilight of his career, but he’s learned to be a racehorse now as he was tricky early on. It’s an honour to train him. Going international is very important to showcase our breed in Australia and of course he’s one of the highest-rated horses in the world and it’s stacked up. We’ll see how he is after this and we’ll make a decision later in the week on whether he runs in the Platinum Jubilee (on Saturday). This is definitely in the top five wins I’ve ever had.”

Celebration time for James McDonald and Nature Strip
Celebration time for James McDonald and Nature Strip

Henry Candy said of Twilight Calls: “It was a great run, wasn’t it? I’m absolutely delighted. What can you say about the winner. How many races has he won, how many million has he won – he is just a freak.

“I thought he ran a cracker. Ryan (Moore) said it was a messy start and he lost a length or so. That didn’t help – he would have been a better second that’s all. It would not have made the slightest difference. I would imagine he will go to York – somewhere where they go very quick. He loves this ground. A gorgeous horse isn’t he?”

Baaeed toys with Queen Anne rivals

1/6 favourite Baaeed duly maintained his unbeaten record with a routine win in the Group One Queen Anne Stakes.

Rated alongside Kingman as the best miler since Frankel by Timeform coming into the race, William Haggas' charge tracked Real World through the contest before being produced to lead passing the two furlong marker.

From there the race was over - for all the runner-up stuck well to his task, Baaeed going on to score by one-and-three-quarter lengths.

Betfair and Paddy Power cut the winner to 6/4 from 7/4 for the Juddmonte at York and 4/7 from 4/6 for the Sussex. Sky Bet left him unchanged at 8/13 for the Goodwood feature.

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Winning jockey Jim Crowley told ITV Racing: “It doesn’t get any easier than that, everything went smoothly, he got a lovely tow into the race and I just let him stretch out in the last two furlongs – everything went like clockwork.

“This is the pinnacle of my riding career, you spend your whole life waiting for a horse like this. Everyone says ‘enjoy it’, but there is a lot of pressure, this is why we do it. Sheikh Hamdan will be looking down smiling.”

Trainer Haggas said: “He won nicely, he didn’t really do a lot really. I’ll have to watch it again. He looked like he tracked the right horse, the other horse ran well actually, but I don’t think he was extended fully. You can’t learn anything from that, he travels well and settles well and that’s pretty important if you’re going up in trip.

Baaeed has the measure of Real World in the Queen Anne
Baaeed has the measure of Real World in the Queen Anne

“I’ll speak to Sheikha Hissa and Angus (Gold, racing manager), but I think we are all keen to give it (stepping up in trip) a go and that will be at York and there’s potentially Goodwood (Sussex Stakes) in the meantime. He’s obviously a good miler and he’s bred to get further so I think we’d like to try and I think it would be remiss of us not too. It would be the easy option to stay at a mile.”

Of Real World, trainer Saeed bin Suroor said: “Baaeed is different class, it is the same result as at Newbury in the Lockinge. Real World ran well, he was just beaten by a better horse. He is getting closer, but not close enough!

“I am thinking about a mile and a quarter, maybe the Eclipse in two weeks. I would be keen to run him, but I need to see how he comes back from here. Maybe also the Juddmonte after.”

Palace thriller falls to Coroebus

Coroebus completed the 2000 Guineas-St James's Palace Stakes double - but he was made to work much harder for it on his first run away from Newmarket.

William Buick took the brave man's route along the inside and got the break he needed when front-running outsider Aikhal began to back pedal at the two-furlong pole.

Godolphin's 10/11 favourite seized his chance, but absent was the devastating turn of pace which earned him his Classic glory on the Rowley Mile six weeks ago. Instead, he held on grimly by a head from well-backed outsider Lusail, much to the relief of an animated Buick, who repeatedly beat his chest with his right hand after passing the post.

My Prospero was a short-head back in third, narrowly ahead of luckless German Guineas hero Maljoom - who finished off best of all after getting stopped in his run - and Mighty Ulysses in a dramatic race where only three-quarters of a length covered the first five home.

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Buick said: “You have to enjoy these good horses and I’m privileged to get on these good horses, but at the same time it’s a case of getting the job done “It was one of those races where it was tricky. He had a good draw, but a good draw can turn into a bad draw very quickly.

"He travelled so strong and I just wanted him to drop his head. In the straight I had no option to go when I did and I got a lovely run through. He’s a very good horse. You are supposed to enjoy it but you do want to get the job done.”

Trainer Charllie Appleby said: “We knew coming into today it would be a different style of a race. I just wish the pace had been stronger. On the turn it allowed him to get a breather but his class and determination got us over the line. We’ll have discussions about the future, but the Sussex (Stakes) is there as an option and the Prix Jacques le Marois is another. I’m sure a clash with Baaeed is something that we’d all need to discuss, but Sheikh Mohammed never shies away from a challenge.”

Coroebus holds on in a royal Ascot thriller
Coroebus holds on in a royal Ascot thriller

David Cleary Timeform analysis

The St James's Palace Stakes, centrepiece of day one of Royal Ascot - a cracking race, first and foremost, though with the field well bunched near the rail into the straight and in a heap at the finish, too many too close up to take a high view of the form. Not surprisingly, given such a scenario, luck in running played its part in the outcome. Coroebus, tucked behind the leaders from a tricky draw, got the breaks in the straight; Majloom, dropped in from a wider stall and just about last into the straight, didn't.

It's hard to disagree that Majloom, flying from the back, making up five lengths in less than a furlong, was really unlucky, though Coroebus having quickened through to lead then wasn't doing a lot in front. Between the pair were Lusail, ridden close up and beaten by the winner by a much narrower margin than in the Guineas, and My Prospero, who just lacked pace at a crucial stage. Mighty Ulysses, bringing strong handicap form to the table, was fifth, barely half a length behind the winner.

Coroebus surely won without having to repeat his Guineas form, so Majloom turning the tables isn't a forgone conclusion. That said, the unbeaten Baaeed, impressive in winning the Queen Anne at the start of the afternoon, sets a very high standard for the three-year-olds to try and match.

Future completes Godolphin double

Godolphin doubled up on the day when the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Dubai Future whizzed up in the Wolferton Stakes.

The 20/1 outsider, partnered by Scottish jockey Danny Tudhope, took apart what had looked a competitive LIsted event beforehand, cruising home by three lengths from 11/2 favourite Cadillac - who changed hands for £500,000 on Monday night - and Harrovian.

Even more significantly, the result paid a handsome compliment to tomorrow's Prince of Wales's Stakes jolly Bay Bridge, who slammed Dubai Future by 11 lengths in last month's Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Sandown.

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Bin Suroor said of the winner: “The jockey gave him a very good ride. I just told him to keep him calm nice and relaxed in the race, he was travelling good and he finished his race well. The cheekpieces keep Dubai Future more focused and now we’ll go for the Group Two at Newmarket – the Princess of Wales’s Stakes.”


Tudhope fires in day one double

Get Shirty wins under Tudhope
Get Shirty wins under Tudhope

Tudhope completed a quickfire double in the concluding Copper Horse Stakes aboard the David O’Meara-trained Get Shirty at 16/1.

Already successful at Thirsk and Hamilton this season, the six-year-old burst through against the far rail to beat Chester Cup winner Cleveland, the 2/1 favourite, by a length and a quarter.

O’Meara said: “This is brilliant. He is a horse who has done nothing wrong this year. He is three wins from four starts. He got beat at Ripon by a horse in Rajinsky who was then third in the Chester Cup, so his form was there. Danny has given him a brilliant ride.

“We’ve had some Royal Ascot winners over the years with the likes of Lord Glitters, but they are hard to come by and they are all very much appreciated.”

He added: “You would like to think he would be a stakes horse. The last good horse I had like that was Blue Bajan. I’m not sure he is up to that level yet, though.

“We bought him from France quite cheaply. A couple of runs at the end of last year were not so good, but he has come out this year and had done absolutely nothing wrong and is three from four – it is absolutely brilliant.”

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Doyle delight as Bradsell lands Coventry

Bargain-buy Bradsell blitzed to a cosy victory in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes in the cool hands of Hollie Doyle.

Archie Watson's colt, who stormed to a nine-length debut win at York, came home one-and-a-half lengths clear of Persian Force and Royal Scotsman to give sire Tasleet a hugely significant Royal success in his first season at stud.

The winner went through the sales ring for just 12,000gns as a yearling and was snapped up by owners VIctorious Racing for only £47,000 at April's Breeze-Up sales - but took his career earning to nearly £100,000 with the second win of his fledgling career.

Bradsell and Hollie Doyle win the Coventry
Bradsell and Hollie Doyle win the Coventry

Doyle said: “It was an impressive performance. He got squeezed out of the gates which was frustrating. To begin with I thought I was drawn on the wrong side, but once I got into a handy position on the girths of them I knew the further I went the better. Two (furlongs) down I was pretty confident as they were all sitting ducks so I just thought ‘let’s get on with this’ and he responded pretty well. Off the back performance you’d have to say the world is his oyster.”

Watson added: “I was saying to my fiance Brodie (Hampson) last night when I was looking through the race that anything able to win it by daylight would be a superstar and that is exactly what he has gone and done.

“I’m just delighted, this is the place everyone wants to have winners. We won the Windsor Castle a few years ago with Soldier’s Call and we had a bad old time last year with Dragon Symbol (demoted by stewards) and then we lost the horse, so for us this is massive.”

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Balding on target with Coltrane

Coltrane held off a strong Irish challenge to win the Ascot Stakes.

Andrew Balding's charge tracked the pace but was fleetingly short of room two furlongs as eventual runner-up and 3/1 favourite Bring On The Bight began his run down the centre of the track.

However Callum Hutchinson got into the clear and the 14/1 winner showed tremendous resolution to fend off the market leader and win by half-a-length.

Arcadian Sunrise (9/2) rattled home for third.

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The winning trainer said: “I was happy at every point, Callum gave him a great ride. He was always where he needed to be and he found space, even when the other horse looked like he was going to come to him. I’m very proud of the jockey and of the horse. Five pounds can make a big difference at this trip and Rob (Hornby) was claimed by Ralph Beckett to ride his horse.

“It’s a hot day and it might be a bit too much to ask to come back for the Queen Alexandra (on Saturday). He’s won a Melrose so the Ebor is possible, there’s are plenty of options.”

A delighted winning rider added: “I can’t put it into words! A big thank you to the boss and to the Mariscottis (Coltrane’s owners) for giving me such a great opportunity. The boss has been a great supporter this year and I’ve ridden six winners from 17 rides for him. He’s been great to me, and I’ve been kicking on throughout the year. Hopefully this winner will give me a real kick and the season will keep on progressing.

“This horse is a big yard legend and I’ve ridden him a fair bit at home. People come in and out and he’s the one they get to sit on – he’s just a brilliant horse to have.

“My mum and my nan are here, so they’ll be delighted to see that. Obviously my dad was a jump jockey and rode multiple Grade One winners, so that was something I wanted to do, although he never rode at Royal Ascot.”

Coltrane (left) holds on in the Ascot Stakes
Coltrane (left) holds on in the Ascot Stakes


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