Angel and Kings have their say as curtain comes down on a Royal Ascot full of surprises

Despite a week of Royal Ascot shocks, Khaadem at 80-1 in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes would not have been many people's idea of the winner, nor of the identity of the latest Group 1 victor for Yeomanstown Stud's Dark Angel.

However, the seven-year-old gelding was both of those things, making the breakthrough at the highest level on his ninth attempt.

Trained by Charlie Hills for Jim and Fitri Hay, Khaadem is the 14th individual Group/Grade 1 winner sired by Dark Angel and had been fourth in the race to Hello Youmzain three years ago.

He was bred by Yeomanstown out of the Footstepsinthesand mare White Daffodil and is a full-brother to Log Out Island, who won Redcar's Two-Year-Old Trophy and was runner-up the Norfolk Stakes. Log Out Island was also placed in three other Group 2 races as a juvenile for Godolphin - the Mill Reef, Flying Childers and Railway Stakes. 

Khaadem was sold by his breeders to Shadwell for 750,000gns at Book 1 in 2017 and was third to Calyx on his debut. Successful on his next two starts as a juvenile, he won the Listed Carnarvon Stakes and the Stewards' Cup at three. 

His three other black-type wins before Saturday's unexpected success came in the Group 2 King George Stakes and Group 3 Palace House Stakes, both last season, and the Listed Scarbrough Stakes. He was acquired by his current owners before the start of last season.

His dam has produced three winners from six runners by Dark Angel, with Yeomanstown utilising the services of their in-house sire for the speedily bred daughter of Footstepsinthesand. Twice a winner for Joseph Murphy, she was purchased as a three-year-old by the White Daffodil Partnership for €28,000 at the Goffs November Mares Sale.

White Daffodil is a half-sister to Lady Links, who also won the Carnarvon Stakes, and is the dam of Oh So Sharp Stakes winner Selinka, who produced the dual Group 3 winner Hit The Bid, by Exceed And Excel, and Ruthin, a stakes winner at Keeneland.

Khaadem's second dam Sparky's Song is a half-sister to stallion Bold Edge, who won the Prix Maurice de Gheest and the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes when it was the Group 2 Cork and Orrery Stakes.

He is the second winner of the race sired by Dark Angel after Lethal Force, who also sired his own Royal Ascot Group 1 winner in Golden Horde, and the third son of Dark Angel to win a Group 1 sprint at the summer extravaganza, with the other being Battaash, also for the Hills yard.

King comes of age

Age Of Kings was one of a quintet of yearlings sold for seven figures at the 2021 Tattersalls October Book 1 Sale, when purchased by MV Magnier and White Birch Farm for 1,100,000gns from Corduff Stud.

Age Of Kings wins the Jersey Stakes for Aidan O'Brien and Wayne LordanCredit: Edward Whitaker

The son of Kingman obviously impressed as a yearling and his victory over Zoology in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes on Saturday began the journey towards fulfilling that promise for the Coolmore partners, Westerberg and Peter Brant of White Birch.

Bred by Farmleigh Bloodstock, his pedigree is a mixture of Jim Bolger genius and the Wertheimer brothers. Age Of Kings is the first foal out of Turret Rocks, who was bred and trained by Bolger. Racing in the green and blue silks of June Judd, she was a high-class juvenile, winning the Park Hill Stakes and finishing second to Ballydoyle in the Prix Marcel Boussac.

Fourth in the Irish Oaks, she was kept in training at four and won the Group 3 Blue Wind Stakes and was third in the Pretty Polly. As a five-year-old she was successful in the Group 3 Meld Stakes and the Listed Victor McCalmont Memorial Stakes.

Her two-year-old colt is from the first crop of Too Darn Hot and was purchased by David Redvers for 600,000gns at Book 1 last year.

Turret Rocks is a half-sister to Beyond Thankful, by Whipper, who was second in the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes for his breeder and trainer Bolger before his sale to Australia, where he won the Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup for Chris Waller.

His third dam Gold Bust is a half-sister to the Coronation Stakes winner Gold Splash and to Born Gold, dam of the outstanding Goldikova, whose 14 Group 1 victories included the 2010 Queen Anne Stakes, and of the Prix Vermeille winner Galikova.

It is the second year in succession that Kingman, Juddmonte's St James's Palace Stakes winner of 2014, has sired the Jersey Stakes victor after the success of Noble Truth for Godolphin. He was the second winner of the week by Kingman, who also sired Friday's Sandringham Stakes winner Coppice, a Juddmonte homebred full-sister to Coventry Stakes winner Calyx.

Age Of Kings was the third winner of the meeting out of a Fastnet Rock mare and, interestingly, his dam was bred on the reverse of the Galileo-Fastnet Rock cross that produced this week's Ribblesdale winner Warm Heart and Okita Soushi, who won the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes.

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