Royal approval given as breeders celebrate Ascot success

Winning breeders at Royal Ascot had to make do with a collective celebratory Zoom call rather than a lunch this year, but there was a royal message of thanks for keeping the show on the road.

There is traditionally an event in July to mark the achievements of those responsible for winners at the summer spectacular, of which the Queen was one after Tactical triumphed in the Windsor Castle Stakes.

Her racing adviser John Warren was one of those invited to participate in a stay-at-home ceremony on Friday for winners of specially commissioned silver strawberry dishes.

"The Queen has asked me to pass on particular thanks to everyone involved in actually making the event happen in these very turbulent times and it was an incredible achievement for all involved, from Her Majesty’s representatives, all of the [Ascot] Authority and in particular Guy [Henderson, chief executive] and his great team that put on this incredible event that was broadcast around the world," he said.

"She couldn’t believe it was going to take place, I think, with all the adversity, so it was an incredible achievement. She knows probably just as well as anyone how hard and difficult it is to achieve great horses who win at Ascot, and she was blessed by producing a cracking two-year-old.

"She has the dam and she sees the horses, follows them all the way through everything; she saw [Tactical's sire] Toronado when he was in training, so for her to tick all the boxes and have a wonderful two-year-old in Tactical winning gave her great pleasure."

Winning breeders show off their House of Garrard silverwareCredit: Ascot

Among others to join in were Electra Niarchos, whose family were behind both Queen Anne hero Circus Maximus and Alpine Star, who took the Coronation Stakes.

"It was very special - everyone knows it's very hard to have any winner at Royal Ascot, never mind two homebreds, so we were very fortunate, and thanks to Aidan [O'Brien] and Jessie [Harrington], they did a fantastic job," she said.

"Alpine Star following in [sibling] Alpha Centauri's footprints is an achievement in itself, and Circus Maximus is now a dual Royal Ascot winner.

"Whether you’re there or not there, it's still winning at Ascot, and I’m thankful to everybody for putting it on."

Such sentiments were echoed by representatives from Darley, Coolmore and Cheveley Park, as well as half a dozen others including Guy Leach (Pyledriver, King Edward VII Stakes), John Tuthill (Art Power, Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap) and Marie McCartan, who was behind the successes of both Battaash and Nando Parrado.

Donal Boylan joked he had enjoyed more lucrative years - he is involved in the aviation industry - but that producing The Lir Jet, by first-season Prince Of Lir, in the Norfolk Stakes had been a tonic.

"I’m not a modest person but I’m a modest breeder, I’ve five mares only," he said. "When one wins you often retrospectively come back and say you have a system, so I’d like to offer to tell more exalted breeders that I knew what I was doing.

"In fact of all my mares this was probably the one that I thought would be least likely to have a black-type sprinter; the pedigree, indeed, would suggest with Singspiel on the dam’s side that The Lir Jet is more a result of his stallion than anything else."

Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum was disappointed not to be able to see Battaash winning again at Royal Ascot this yearCredit: Edward Whitaker

Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell operation proved the dominant force of the five days with supreme sprinter Battaash joined by the likes of Duke of Cambridge Stakes winner Nazeef.

His stud director Richard Lancaster said: "To have six winners in a week and three of them homebred was really special. I suppose the great sadness was that Sheikh Hamdan wasn’t able to be there to enjoy it.

"As you all know, there is one meeting of the year that he really, really enjoys and that’s Royal Ascot."

Darley had two John Gosden-trained winners in Lord North in the Prince of Wales's Stakes and Fanny Logan, who has not been seen since her impressive score in the Hardwicke Stakes, and the stud's Liam O'Rourke revealed: "They're two great horses and I’m delighted to say they’ll both stay in training next year and maybe come back to tackle the same races again. I hope we can be present."

One or two issues with the mute button from several guests aside, Ascot chairman Sir Francis Brooke managed to steer the Zoom ship on a straight course.

Henderson summed up Ascot's gratitude to breeders by adding: "You truly are the foundation stone of the thoroughbred racing industry and it is our real pleasure and privilege for the racecourse to salute your achievements at our own marquee event."

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