Bradsell (14-1) won for the second successive year at the meeting dropped back to five furlongs with victory in the King’s Stand Stakes on the opening day of Royal Ascot 2023.
Bradsell had won the six-furlong Coventry Stakes on this day as a juvenile 12 months ago but had not triumphed since. He had finished a well-beaten third behind Little Big Bear in the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock Park last month over the same six furlongs. But dropped back down to the minimum distance, just 30 minutes after stable-mate Army Ethos almost gave trainer Watson a second win in the Coventry Stakes as he finished runner-up behind River Tiber, Bradsell was back in the winner's enclosure. Although he had to survive a lengthy stewards' enquiry after drifting across the runner-up Highfield Princess (7-4 favourite), who was a length adrift at line, late on in the race. Trainer Watson, who saw Dragon Symbol demoted to second behind American raider Campanelle when similar interference occurred in the Commonwealth Cup at the meeting two years ago, could finally celebrate a third Royal Ascot winner as this time the placings remained unaltered. Mick Appleby's Annaf (50-1) was a further length-and-three-quarters adrift in third, with Twilight Calls (20-1) another half-length back in fourth.
But a relieved Watson said: "He's a Coventry winner over a stiff six here and we were always going to go over six, we were never going to go over a mile or anything. The plan all winter was always to come to the Commonwealth trial here and on to the Commonwealth. I thought he showed up best of the horses in the Commonwealth trial, he got a bit tired late so we ran in the Sandy Lane and he ran similar race. I knew it couldn't have been tiredness that day, even in the Coventry last year they could only really take him to the four-and-a-half-furlong pole, then Hollie had to say 'right, I'm getting on with this now'.
"He's got so much speed, this horse. It was an easy decision to pull back to five, it wasn't easy in that we had to pay £35,000 to supplement him! I was feeling slightly iffy yesterday when he was 40-1 in the betting, thinking 'God, we've spent quite a lot of money for a 40-1 shot'. But when he was 12-1 I thought that was alright. Sheikh Nasser was incredibly supportive and said if it's the right race then we will go for it. I'm just delighted."
Of his partnership with Doyle, he added: "We've had 200-odd winners together now, she's been massive for my career and I hope vice versa. What I've always said about Hollie is that she's incredibly consistent, she doesn't make many mistakes and she knows the team, she loves all the horses, she knows how we want them ridden. For a yard like us to have one of the top five jockeys in the country – which she is – to ride our horses is just fantastic."
Winning jockey Doyle, grabbing a fourth Royal Ascot success and a second on Bradsell, added: "Well done to Archie [Watson, trainer] for supplementing him and stepping him back in trip which he's really relished today. He loves this track. All credit to Mick Murphy who rides him every day because he's really turned a corner in the last few weeks. You can tell. It's always a gut-wrenching feeling when you hear the claxon go off. I pulled my stick through to my left hand to straighten him up. He was looking for a bit of company with Highfield Princess who was at his quarters. He's won by three-quarters of a length so hopefully... The way he travelled into it was unbelievable and he quickened up nicely. It was great to be on top of him."
Highfield Princess' trainer John Quinn was philosophical about defeat but felt the interference did hamper his mare. He said: "I'm delighted with how she ran and she definitely got taken off a straight line and it obviously hasn't helped. If you're trying to run in one direction and something is pushing you the other way - well you can't go as quick can you. But I was delighted. Jason felt she was just getting going again. We certainly had a case. She's a six-year-old mare and she's run two fantastic races this season. The only thing I would say, and I'm not making excuses, is that she's better when she just runs and runs and runs."
On Highfield Princess running again in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes over six furlongs on the last day of Royal Ascot this Saturday, he added: "We said if she won or ran well Saturday (Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes) was always likely. We're leaving her down tonight and if she's OK she will run."
Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien landed a record-extending 10th victory in the Group Two Coventry Stakes as River Tiber (11-8 favourite) powered to victory under Ryan Moore.
The Wootton Bassett colt has won both his starts so far in fine style, scoring by 10 lengths on his debut over five-and-a-half furlongs at Navan in April and two-and-a-half furlongs at Naas last month. And sent off the well-backed 11-8 favourite he was always close to the pace on the farside with Givementhebeatboy (7-1), under Frankie Dettori. But it was River Tiber who galloped all the way to the line in the six-furlong juvenile sprint and he held on well from the fast-finishing Army Ethos (20-1), under Hollie Doyle, to score by a neck. Bucanero Fuerte (16-1) was three-quarters-of-a-length back in third with the same distance to Givemethebeatboys, who couldn't quite keep up with the principals.
O'Brien was landing an 82nd winner at the Royal meeting to draw level with Sir Michael Stoute's record total. The Ballydoyle handler said: "Aiden O’Brien: “We brought him back to five. We got a little bit of a shock in the middle of five with him, he came off the bridle over five and he lacked a little bit of sharpness, so we knew then he was going to get six and seven comfortably. You never expect to have any winner here, that’s the truth. It’s a relief and I’m so delighted for everyone because everyone places so much on this week through the whole year.”
He added: “When we started working him he always looked very good. You need the best horse to win the Coventry. He was never disappointing in any of his work and the stronger the work got, the stronger he became. And at the end, the last piece of work he was doing too well, so that was my worry. He’d matured a lot, put on a lot of weight, he just finds it very easy., You could see him through the first part of the race today he was going very easily, Ryan had him in a lovely position.”
Moore, who was landing his 74th Royal Ascot success and his fourth in the Coventry Stakes, added: "It was a tricky to start with, with horses getting upset [in the stalls]. He didn't settle like he usually would in the stalls. We stepped good and travelled lovely – I probably put him to sleep too much, and then had to wake him up to get past Frankie [Dettori on Givemethebeatboys]. He did that and then the other horse [runner-up Army Ethos] attacked in the middle [of the track]. I think we had a bit more to give and we've always loved him. He's got plenty of speed, but I would have thought he's going to be a Dewhurst horse."
Of River Tiber's physique, Moore said: "We got to the start for a 22-runner race and he stood over all of them. He's different class."
Trainer Watson said of his runner-up Army Ethos: "We've almost won two Coventrys in a row, which for a yard like us would have been massive. I couldn't be happier with the horse – he's always had so much class from the moment Oliver [St Lawrence, bloodstock agent] bought him at the Somerville Yearling Sale. The plan was always to go to Ayr and then come straight here. Hollie [Doyle] felt Ryan got a better tow into the race from Frankie's horse [Givemethebeatboys] and she had to do it all herself when they started falling away on our side of the track. For a horse on his second run it was a massive effort and I'm very proud of him."
