Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore off the mark for Royal Ascot 2024 as Illinois proves too good

The Galileos just keep on galloping. Siremates Illinois and Highbury led home a 1-2 for the 2001 Derby hero and Aidan O'Brien to give the trainer a record-equalling eighth Queens Vase, which puts him alongside Sir Henry Cecil.

Illinois won it in a track-record time, as Ryan Moore got one of his trickiest decisions of the week spot on.

Highbury had been ante-post favourite up until declaration time when Moore's name appeared next to Illinois and he quickly usurped his stablemate at the top of the market as a result. It was to be his 80th royal winner, quickly followed by number 81 in the Prince of Wales's Stakes on Auguste Rodin. He rides this place better than anyone.

When asked about Moore's decision to opt for Illinois, O'Brien said: "We felt any of the three could win. Ryan made the decision to ride Illinois. He is obviously a St Leger-type horse and is going to improve from three to four. We will probably take our time with him and let him have the chance to develop the way he wants to.

"If City Of Troy wasn’t there, he’d probably have been pitched in much steeper and much earlier. Because City Of Troy was there, we were able to lay off these types of horses and give them a chance to mature.

"He’s going to be a mile-and-a-half, mile-and-six horse and he’s going to get better from three to four. He is a bit of a baby mentally still so he might have a little rest now and maybe go to York on the way to the Leger, something like that."

On the prospect of his returning next year as a Gold Cup contender, the trainer added: "I think he might have a little bit more class than a Cup horse. His sister won the Arc, so he’s that type. Ryan said he was caught in a position all the way through the race that he would have preferred not to have been in; he was neither up nor back and he wasn’t getting an easy lead. He had to do it tough. He probably learned a lot today."

Aidan O'Brien receives congratulations after the win of Illinois

Aidan O'Brien is congratulated after Illinois's victoryCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

So too did Highbury, who was having only the third start of his life. O'Brien said of the runner-up: "Highbury is only a baby and we didn’t know what to expect, but obviously he’s a good horse. Wayne [Lordan] said he was very babyish through the race, and will have come on a lot. He’s probably a nice horse as well, probably a Leger-type horse."

Moore said the raw ability is definitely there with Illinois.

"He has plenty of talent," the winning jockey said. "He's still doing a few things wrong. He hung right at Lingfield so we thought it would suit him coming here today, but he hung left with me here. He has a good engine. He'll keep improving and is a real nice staying horse."

Birdman came from a long way back for third, a career-best for a young gelding going places. He lost his unbeaten record, but enhanced his reputation.

Trainer Jessica Harrington said: "I'm delighted with him as he's still very green. I thought he was going to pick up, but maybe the ground was a little bit quick for him. It was a big step forward. He is entered in the Curragh Cup but we could look at a three-year-old-only race, something like the Gordon Stakes."

Birdman just couldn't catch the pair of Galileos. They just keep on galloping.

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