'I thought all winter we would win the Duke of Edinburgh - but not with him!'

Friday: Duke of Edinburgh Stakes, Royal Ascot

A long-range masterplan came to glorious fruition when Candleford impressively stormed six lengths clear under Tom Marquand to win the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes.

Trainer William Haggas had meticulously laid out Candleford for one of Flat racing’s most fiercely competitive 1m4f handicaps since the gelding landed an all-weather Kempton event last November, but even he was surprised at the manner in which the 11-2 shot trounced his rivals.

"He loves going right-handed and he loves this ground," said Haggas, before joking: "I thought all winter we would win the Duke of Edinburgh – but not with him! I didn’t think he’d ever get in.

"I would also like to mention Alison Samuel. She rides him every day, tells everyone about him every day and she'll be in tears for a week."

Candleford, owned and bred by professional golfer and former cricketer Craig Kieswetter, certainly looked a Group horse in a handicap when sprinting away from 17 rivals in the final furlong.

He had moved up stylishly on to the quarters of Ajero over a furlong out and, when Marquand asked him to lengthen his stride Candleford took off.

Kieswetter said: “It’s a great feeling. William made the point of talking about how hard it is to have a winner here so it’s an incredible achievement.

“He was our first homebred winner and is now our first homebred Royal Ascot winner, so that’s very cool. I think I’d much rather have winners here [than as a sportsman] and there’s more champagne too!”

Marquand, who was getting off the mark for the week at Royal Ascot, said: “It’s such a good feeling to get a winner here as it can start to feel a long week when you don’t, although with the book of rides I had I was always confident I would.”

He added: “That was a great performance. William always says to try not to make ground as they’re swinging in here, but he was really taking me into the race.

“He quickened so well and I ended up there a bit too early but it only felt like I was keeping him up to his work at the end. I didn’t expect him to win like that.

“It was his first run of the season and a bold thing for the trainer to do. William saved him for the race and when William has a plan it usually comes off.”

Tom Marquand: 'He trounced them. He is clearly improving fast'Credit: Edward Whitaker

Ajero ran a super race to finish second for Kim Bailey, seizing command from longtime leader Longbourn over two furlongs out and merely unfortunate to encounter a rival who looks sure to make his mark in much stronger company in due course.

Contact took third for David and Nicola Barron, with the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Brilliant Light fourth.

Hopes of a royal winner were dashed when the heavily backed Just Fine failed to fire.

Watched by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Sir Michael Stoute-trained four-year-old was backed into 4-1 joint-favourite. Settled in midfield by Ryan Moore, he could never get into a challenging position up the home straight and finished eighth.

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