Villanova Queen completes American takeover with Kensington Palace triumph

With a growing interest in European racing and breeding, the Crager family had achieved much of what they needed to with Villanova Queen after a couple of wins and a Group 3 third behind subsequent Irish Guineas winner Homeless Songs in the spring of last year.

There’s no catalogue black type for the Kensington Palace Fillies’ Handicap, but any victory at Royal Ascot pretty much trumps all that, even more so when achieved in such nail-biting fashion.

Colin Keane had anchored the chestnut with a big white blaze almost at the back of the field on Wednesday but inched as wide as he could straightening off the bend and began to wind the 25-1 shot up for a searing late charge, timed to the millisecond as they led close home.

Villanova Queen is a daughter of Mastercraftsman and ought to be in the best of hands with Jessica Harrington, who trained a certain filly by the same sire named Alpha Centauri to deliver one of the most spectacular performances at this meeting in recent times to take the 2018 Coronation Stakes. 

Although clearly not at that esteemed level, this powerful four-year-old with plenty of character about her ought to make her mark again in a Group race before heading to the paddocks. 

William Crager (fifth from left) among the happy owners of Villanova Queen

Bill Crager, who works in the financial sector in New York and in whose name Villanova Queen runs as part of a regular owning partnership with Paul Hondros, was not on hand for the moment, but his son William was among plenty of family there to lift the trophy.

"We really love racing over here especially," said Crager jnr. "We get treated so very well and this is just incredible. The Harringtons are incredible - they are so good at what they do. 

"We felt hopeful about what the filly could come and do, but I don’t think we could have expected that. And Colin - what a ride! All in all, what an experience. We’re very thankful."

Crager and Hondros, who was also absent, run horses under Staghawk Stables in the United States with Bill Mott and Graham Motion. The latter took on Miss Carol Ann, a homebred Kingman filly who won for Roger Varian at last year’s Newmarket July meeting.

Their purchases have not been particularly extravagant ones, with Villanova Queen, who was bred by Old Carhue Stud and Graeng Bloodstock Ltd and is out of an unraced half-sister to the mud-loving Sussex Stakes winner Here Comes When, costing £60,000 from the Goffs Orby Sale staged at Doncaster in 2020. 

William Crager continued: "We have a few in training with Mrs Harrington in Ireland and a few with Roger Varian in England. We keep a few mares with Baroda Stud.

"Ben McElroy bought this filly at Goffs, he’s a phenomenal agent. She’ll be back at Baroda [in time] and bred to here."

Crimson Advocate's win was also widely celebrated by American-based owners Credit: Mark Cranham

The result was continuing a theme as the winner's enclosure was thronged with Transatlantic accents after the Queen Mary Stakes. The George Weaver-trained Crimson Advocate, who just lasted home under John Velazquez, was the ever first British runner for Jonabell Farm's Kentucky Derby hero Nyquist. 

Bought by Jack Goldthorpe and Ciaran Dunne's Dew Sweepers for $100,000 at Ocala last October, she is now owned by a collection of entities including Jake Ballis' Black Type Thoroughbreds.

"Best win I've ever had," said an emotional Ballis. "After she ran third at Keeneland [first time out in April] we purchased her from the original owners. I have about ten horses with George and I knew going into the race that they liked her, and George was disappointed she was third. 

"The ownership that ran her first time are a pinhooking operation, they buy and race and then sell, so we knew they'd sell. It was right place, right time."

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