Triple Time landed a shock 33-1 win in the opener to Royal Ascot 2023, the Queen Anne Stakes, and denied Frankie Dettori a winner on his final week at the meeting.
The Charlie Appleby-trained Modern Games, under jockey and Liverpool FC fan William Buick, was sent off the 7-4 favourite on the back of his success in the Al-Shaqab Lockinge Stakes success at Newbury last month, while Dettori's mount, the John and Thady Gosden-trained Inspiral, was a well-backed 11-4 second favourite. But Kevin Ryan's outsider Triple Time, under Neil Callan, dominated the Group One mile opener, leading almost from start to finish before holding on by a neck from the last year's impressive Coronation Stakes heroine Inspiral and Dettori. Light Infantry (14-1) was a further two-and-a-quarter lengths back in third with Modern Games – who had sat just off the pace in fourth – finishing a further three-quarters-of-a-length adrift in the same position he held throughout. Triple Time – who had won three times at Haydock Park in 2022 including in the Group Three Superior Mile last September – was landing a first success at the top level and provided his North Yorkshire-based trainer with an ninth Royal Ascot winner.
On the Frankel colt's victory, Ryan said: "“He was in great shape coming into the race. We’ve always had great faith in the horse; Sheikh Mohammed Obaid has been very patient. Unfortunately he got a bit of stomach cramp just before the Lockinge and we had to take him out, and he’s only had one ordinary run; that was in France (October 1 2022) on deep ground, and apart from that and when he came back from his little injury at Haydock when he was only 80% fit – we had to run him because we were running out of time – now hopefully we will have a full season with him now, and he’s got his Group One, which is great. I’m delighted for all my team, and my family. Omar, who looks after him, has done a magnificent job with him, and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid has been a big, big supporter of ours. He’s so patient, and I’m delighted to have a big one for him, especially here.
“He’s up there [with the best he’s ever had] – he’s very good. He’s not a keen horse but he’s got a massive stride, and he’s not the type of horse you can break that stride – he has to use it and as long as you can get him to control it over the first two, the rest of the race, after he’s gone three furlongs, is straightforward. He’s very tough. We knew we had him as good as we could get him without a run and it’s paid off.
“He was alright within half an hour at Newbury – the vets didn’t take any chances and took him to the hospital. In case it was proper colic the vet had to give him a sedative straightaway, which was absolutely the right thing to do. Horses give you grey hairs sometimes! We’ve still got some very important horses to run, but it’s lovely to get it on the first day and we can enjoy the rest of the week. It shows the well-being of the horses, as well, which is always a good sign.”
Jockey Callan, landing a sixth Royal Ascot winner but a first Group One at the meeting, said: "“He’s a little bit sensitive in his mouth, and I actually felt him going down [to the start]... I had been up in the spring to ride him work, and the plan was to go to Doncaster. The ground was really soft and when I galloped him I said to Kevin, ‘If the ultimate goal is the Lockinge, if you go to Doncaster on heavy ground you just might empty him, because he’s not 100% fit.’ Kevin is the decision-maker, but thank God he swerved that. The plan then was to go straight to the Lockinge, and then he rocked up at the Lockinge – I don’t know what happened before the race, he just wasn’t 100%. Kevin took the cautious route to send him straight to the veterinary clinic; he went to the clinic and was fine, so I don’t know what happened. So Kevin took him home, nothing wrong with him, fine, and he just built him into Ascot. When I saw him the paddock, I thought, ‘Whoah, if he’s ever primed today, he’s primed today.’ One thing Kevin has always said is that this is the best horse he has ever trained. That’s quite a big call to make, because he’s had a lot of good horses, Kevin, but he believed in this horse, and Omar, who rides him every day, said to me going out of the chute, just ride him like his dad (Frankel).
“He wasn’t really keen, he’s just a bit sensitive in his mouth and was throwing his head up a bit. The more rein I was giving him, the more he was racing on his own because I didn’t anticipate them going like that, so I just stayed on my own and let him relax. Once he relaxed into his rhythm we went over and joined them for a bit of company, and when I got to the two and a half-pole I let him roll and I really thought it was going to have to be a good one to get past him, because he was fighting to the line for me. I am obviously very happy. I wear my heart on my sleeve. It’s just me, the way I am. But look at this (gesturing to the crowd) – it’s just amazing."
All the principals could meet again later in the season possibly in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
Of the runner-up, who was making her first start since finishing sixth in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day over course and distance in October, joint-trainer John Gosden said: "There were a lot of good horses behind her, so we're happy. We'll now look at races like the Sussex Stakes and Prix Jacques Le Marois which she won in Deauville last year. The main thing is she's back on song."
Inspiral had again been slowly way and on that tardiness, Gosden added: “A little bit, but that’s her style, she doesn’t want to break on the lead, she’s not one of those. But she did everything right, came to win her race, got in front and just got caught on the line. But a very nice run for the first run back this year. I’m very pleased with her. She will come on for the race again, it’s not often you come to a Group One and say they’ll come on for the race. She’s back to her best and ran a lovely race, I couldn’t be more pleased with her.”
Dettori said: “Super run – I got there, and then Neil got me back. It was a super run.”
Jumps trainer Nicky Henderson and Liverpool FC fan, jockey William Buick, teamed up to win the Ascot Stakes with talented dual-purpose mare Ahorsewithnoname.
Henderson, who was winning his second Ascot Stakes after Veiled in 2011, said: "It's lovely, that's her last run. I don't know when her time runs out, she's in foal to Cracksman and that was always the plan. We had 90 days to run her and it seems to have done her a bit of good! I couldn't run her on the ground last year, but that rain helped. The first year she was going to go on to hurdling and I didn't want to risk her whereas now this was going to be her last race anyway. We had nothing to lose. This is her last race unless the Galway Hurdle comes into her 90 days, which it doesn't."
He added: "There was less pressure today, and I don't just say that because it's a Flat race - after all it's Royal Ascot for goodness sake and a big day in anyone's life. But it's not the Champion Hurdle with the pressure you get in that. Any race at Cheltenham is very special and any race at Royal Ascot is the same. We love having a go here. William gave her a beautiful ride, she had a dream run and the rain last night helped her."
Royal Champion (16-1) was an aptly named winner at Ascot as he stayed on well to win the Listed Wolferton Stakes. Roger Varian's five-year-old came through to beat Aidan O'Brien's Bolshoi Ballet (7-1) by a length-and-a-quarter to give jockey Jack Mitchell a first winner at Royal Ascot. One-time Epsom Derby favourite Bolshoi Ballet stayed on well but couldn't provide Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien a treble on the day, setting for the runner-up spot, while 3-1 favourite Buckaroo stayed on well to finish third three-quarters-of-a-length further adrift.
Varian said: "It's nice to get one on the board the first day and great to have one for Sheikh Obaid, who is a big supporter. He's a bit in and out this horse, but I always knew he had a big one in him. Good to soft ground is his ideal conditions, any quicker or much softer and he doesn't seem to want to know. I'm delighted for Jack, he's a huge part of our team."
Mitchell said: "That's my first Royal Ascot winner and I seem to have been coming here a long time! It's unbelievable. I can't thank Sheikh Mohammed Obaid and Roger Varian enough for keeping me on this horse. He's delivered and given me a great day."
