Frankie who? 'Balls-of-steel' ride wins the day for Rossa Ryan on Going The Distance

No wonder Rossa Ryan was so pleased. Taking over from a legend is hard – remember all those Manchester United managers who have followed Sir Alex Ferguson.

For Fergie, think Frankie. Dettori was the go-to jockey for Hong Kong-based owner Marc Chan and won numerous top races for him on stars such as Kinross and Angel Bleu.

The Italian is not riding at the meeting this year but is at Ascot as a – very – interested observer, which can only pile the pressure on any jockey taking his place in the distinctive lilac and yellow colours.

But Ryan is a man with confidence born of riding nearly 800 winners in the last eight seasons, including three at Royal Ascot. And he took that total to four with a come-from-behind effort his predecessor would have been proud of on Chan's Going The Distance in the King George V Handicap.

He was not at all fazed as he dodged trouble on the inside by coming wide on the 9-1 shot, hitting the front inside the final furlong to win by half a length and the same.

Ryan, riding his first winner of the 2024 meeting after being beaten a head in the Royal Hunt Cup on Wednesday, admitted: "It's hard starting to get on some of the horses that Frankie was riding and trying to do something with them.

"So to get them a Royal Ascot winner is brilliant, especially as I was a bit sick going home last night after just getting touched off in the Hunt Cup. It's amazing what 24 hours can do."

Reflecting on his ride, he said: “They went a good gallop down the bend, so I was confident that they would come back. I just wanted to be close enough to be there with a firing chance.

"When I sat into him turning in, he came alive underneath me. There was a wall of horses on the inside, so I switched out and finished out well. He had a little look around in front, so hopefully there will be more to come."

Ralph Beckett was delighted with Ryan and said: "He was foot perfect on this fellow, he really was. It was a balls-of-steel ride and it worked out really well."

The trainer, also on the mark with Doha on Wednesday, added: "This was a bit of a plot. When he won at Kempton, I think he was our only winner in April, and got 4lb or 5lb for winning there, so it all fitted together like a glove."

Joseph O'Brien was happy with runner-up Neski Sherelski and said: "I’m very proud of the horse – it was frustrating not to win but he ran great".

Joint-trainer William Muir said of third-placed Go Daddy: "If it had been soft ground, he’d have won easy."

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