Warm Heart (6-1) powered home, under Ryan Moore, for Aidan O'Brien in the Ribblesdale Stakes on day three of Royal Ascot 2023.
The John and Thady Gosden-trained Al Asifah was sent off a hot 4-5 favourite to remain unbeaten on the back of two impressive victories at Haydock Park and Goodwood. But she was put in the shade by O'Brien's daughter of Galileo. The improving filly was bringing up a hat-trick, having only broke her maiden tag on her third career at Leopardstown last month. Warm Heart followed up that first success with a Listed win at Newbury before bypassing the Betfred Oaks at Epsom to wait for a crack at the Ribblesdale. And it proved an astute plan as he stepped up to 1m4f for the first time, she travelled superbly and broke out of the job to take the lead two furlongs out. She powered clear and went on to score by a comfortable two-and-a-half-lengths from fellow Irish raider Lumiere (22-1) – trained by O'Brien's son Joseph – with Bluestocking, and Frankie Dettori, a further length-and-a-quarter back in third. Al Asifah, under Jim Crowley, appears not to stay the 1m4f trip and faded into sixth well beaten
O'Brien, landing a record-extending 84th Royal Ascot winner a third of the week after River Tiber and Paddington on the opening day, said: "Ryan gave her a lovely ride and I'm delighted with her. She ran a very good race at Newbury the last day and we weren't sure whether the trip would be too far for her. Ryan planned to take his time with her today, to find a handy position and wait as long as possible, but she's an improving filly. Ryan is brilliant, an incredible fella. He must be nearly 40, but every year he gets better. He gets better because he puts so much in day in and day out. When he comes over (to Ireland) he stays with us and runs six or seven miles every morning before he sits on a horse. He's so fit, so focussed and so committed, and when you ask him a question all the information comes out about the horse, the ride, the ground. He's an incredible horseman, very cool under pressure and a total professional. We're so lucky to have him.
“She’s lovely. She ran at Newbury over a mile-and-a-quarter and we thought that maybe that was as far as she was going to get. We didn’t know when she got to the front whether she would run out of stamina or if she wouldn’t stay, but obviously we saw she probably doesn’t want to get to the front too early – she got the trip very well today, Ryan gave her a beautiful ride, so I’m delighted. She’s out of a great mare and usually those fillies with good pedigrees do improve, physically she’s doing great.”
Moore, grabbed his 77th Royal Ascot winner – one behind Dettori's overall record, added: "In her previous race they went real hard, while in this race they didn't. She's a very straightforward filly and it all worked out. It's very hard here and you need the little things to work for you. Sometimes the ball bounces for you and sometimes it doesn't. That's racing. She's definitely a better filly today (compared to her previous run at Newbury) – it was up to a mile and a half, but it wasn't strongly run race so we haven't answered the question (of whether she truly stays the longer trip) but she's won a lovely prize today."
