Shaquille (9-1) overcame a slow start to shock hot favourite Little Big Bear to land as superb victory in the Commonwealth Cup on day four of Royal Ascot 2023.
Yorkshire trainer Julie Camacho, one of the smaller stables on the Flat, upstaged the powerful Aidan O'Brien yard as her Charm Spirit colt – who had won four of his five previous starts all at a lower level – despite being out the back after breaking slowly from the stalls triumphed in the Group One contest. Little Big Bear, who had won Listed Windsor Castle Stakes at last year's Royal Ascot and also Group Two Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock Park last month, was sent off the well-backed 10-11 favourite. And it appeared all was going to plan under Ryan Moore as he was always handy and moved to the front towards the business end of the six-furlong sprint. But Shaquille, under Oisin Murphy, started to move through the field and stylishly came upsides to challenge the Ballydoyle star. And it was Shaquille who powered away for victory to score by a length-and-a-half from Little Big with the front-running Swingalong (66-1) a further three-quarters-of-a-length back in third.
Malton-based Camacho was delighted to land a first success at Royal Ascot. On the slow start, she said: “I thought, ‘well that’s it, he’s blown his chance’. I’ve just watched it live and would like to go back and watch it properly – he was good, wasn’t he? It’s massive. We never thought we would train a Group One winner, not at Royal Ascot anyway and for Martin it’s massive. He bred him, we’ve got his mother at home, his siblings, dad looks after the stud so I’m sure he was screaming at home.”
Asked whether she was surprised he even got back into contention after that slow start, she added: “I was. When he started to run, I thought, ‘he’s going to be placed’ and that he would run a big race, but then I thought ‘oh my God, he’s going to win’. I’m a bit speechless.”
Jockey Murphy was only riding Shaquille as initial partner James Doyle was needed by Godolphin to be on board Noble Style – who finished ninth. And after a couple of seconds earlier in the week he landed a first Royal Ascot success this year and 11th overall. And on his slow start, he said: "The race is almost over, and you just have to take a deep breath and then try to get onto the back of them (the other runners) smoothly. You just have to hope they've gone too fast and will slow down at the end.
"He's a tough, top-class animal. It's very hard to win any race doing what he did (from the stalls) and so to do it in a Group One and to beat the likes of Little Big Bear is an astounding performance. I've had a fantastic comeback and brilliant support from so many people. To get on the scoresheet today in a Group One is a brilliant feeling. I had three seconds before today so it's nice to win one."I feel sorry for James Doyle as this would have been his mount today. We're best of friends and I owe him one. He told me how to ride the horse, and for just going to the start that was important. James said to trust him, that he would give the feeling that he might run off, but in fact he was very well behaved when I gave him his head.
"He's a very well bred horse by Charm Spirit out of a Galileo mare, and lightly raced. Thank you to the connections for letting me ride him. Sheikh Fahad [his main retainer] will be delighted because I've hit the cross bar a couple of times this week and to win a Group One is a great feeling."
There could be a rematch for the front two in next month's July Cup at Newmarket when they also take on the older sprinters for the first time.
Little Big Bear's trainer O'Brien said: ""He ran very well. Ryan (Moore) was delighted with the run. It was a very good run. He just got beaten by a better horse on the day. I don't know where he'll go. It could be the July Cup or something like that. It was only his second sprint, so we'll see. I think the winner missed the break, but he usually makes the running. I think he's an out-and-out sprinter, so we will train him for the July Cup."
Liverpool FC fan Karl Burke, trainer of the third home Swingalong, was delighted with how well his outsider ran. He said: "It was a fantastic run, Clifford gave her a great ride. I knew the run in France (French 1,000 Guineas) was wrong, she did not stay the mile, but equally she would not have won over six furlongs that day. We were always targeting this race, she has been working real well. She will stay another half furlong so we are thinking of the Prix Maurice de Gheest. We are very happy with her, she is a Group Two winner and Group One placed now."
