'That's a bit special' - Burke blown away by shock Chesham winner Holloway Boy

Saturday: Chesham Stakes, Royal Ascot

Some first day at school this was. Royal Ascot is not usually the sort of place to start your education, but Holloway Boy was a lot cleverer than the market gave him credit for and became the first winning newcomer at the royal meeting in 26 years.

The 40-1 shot led home 80-1 Pearling Path and 33-1 Lakota Sioux in second and third with the tricast paying out at 66,000-1 and Placepot perms going up in smoke. The 2023 Derby favourite Alfred Munnings was only sixth after drifting out to 11-8 before the off.

The fact that the last horse to win on debut at this meeting was Dazzle in the Windsor Castle in 1996 tells you all you need to know about the magnitude of the task.

Add into the equation that supposedly one of Aidan O'Brien's best juveniles was among the opposition, and it was even harder to believe Holloway Boy came up with the right answer.

It turned out the occasion took little out of Holloway Boy as Karl Burke said he was "hardly blowing after the race". And, the race in question was the Chesham, which has been won by Pinatubo and Churchill in the last decade.

Burke said: "To do that first time out is a bit special. He's a lovely horse but has been a slow, backward horse and is a horse for the future.

"We were going to go to Musselburgh a couple of weeks ago but he tweaked a muscle. Nick [White, owner] rang me and said he'd been let down for a box on Saturday, so I said we'd enter the horse and use the tickets for that.

"I looked at the race and after he worked well I thought we'd let him take his chance and give the owners a nice day out. I think I've achieved that!"

You can say that again, Karl.

A delighted Karl Burke after Holloway Boy's shock Chesham winCredit: Edward Whitaker

Burke was not the only one surprised by the outcome; Danny Tudhope was too. He certainly didn't think Holloway Boy would be giving him his fourth winner of the week and his tenth overall at the royal meeting.

He said: "It's a bit of a surprise, to be honest. Holloway Boy is a fine, big, specimen of a horse. Karl just said to go out there and enjoy it. I gave him a nice day out and a nice education.

"We liked him but we didn't think he would go out and do that. It's unbelievable, to be honest. I am speechless."

It was heartache for the connections of the 80-1 runner-up Pearling Path, and rookie trainer John O'Donoghue was understandably gutted.

He said: "I’ve watched the replay back once and I think that’s about all I can stand to watch it. I think with a stronger pace he’d have won.

"He got to the front too soon and then he was idling. I think we’ll probably geld him too. He doesn’t show anything like that at home, but as soon as he came into the ring here today he wanted to be macho."

As for the Derby favourite Alfred Munnings, he proved a bitter disappointment.

Aidan O'Brien said: "He was disappointing. He seemed okay after the race, but we'll get him home and see how he is in a couple of days."

Alfred Munnings was pushed out to 40-1 (from 16-1) for next year’s Derby by Paddy Power, while Holloway Boy was introduced into that market at 33-1 after making a real impression on his first day at school.

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Holloway Boy's 40-1 debut win may have been amazing - but it's been done before

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