Mostahdaf (10-1) ran out a superb winner of the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes on day two of Royal Ascot 2023 as he put some of the race's big guns in the shade.
The John and Thady Gosden-trained five-year-old son of Frankel flew home, under Jim Crowley, to land a brilliant four-length success over 2-1 favourite Luxembourg. It was a first Group One success for the Shadwell Estate-owned Mostahdaf, who had been last of 20 in the Qatar Prix de l'Arc De Triomphe last October and down the field in the Dubai Sheema Classic in Meydan on his only start this year. But now, after his biggest career success, all the top middle distance contests for the rest of the season are open with the Juddmonte International at York in August the likely next target.
It seemed all was going to plan for Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg, who led under Ryan Moore as he had done in winning the Group One Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown last season and the Group One Tattersalls Stakes at the Curragh last month. But while the Ballydoyle star was being pestered up front by American raider, 100-1 outsider Classic Causeway, on the turn for home in the 1m2f contest, Mostahdaf moved through on the outside and swept past to open up a big lead. He moved clear on the run to the line to score comfortably with Luxembourg staying on for second ahead of fellow big guns – Charlie Appleby's 2021 Derby hero Adayar, under Liverpool FC fan William Buick, who finished third and the Sir Michael Stoute-trained QIPCO Champion Stakes winner Bay Bridge, who was fifth behind My Prospero.
