'It's a great feeling' - royal firsts for Ed Bethell and Callum Rodriguez as Mickley takes the Britannia

Ed Bethell and Callum Rodriguez came close to Royal Ascot success with King Charles III runner-up Regional on Tuesday, but they did not have long to stew on that near-miss as Mickley handed both their first success at the big meeting.

Mickley travelled in the middle group of three and made eyecatching headway to charge clear of his 28 rivals in the manner of a hugely progressive horse.

Bethell and Rodriguez, who teamed up for a Group 1 breakthrough with Regional last season, celebrated another landmark together with Mickley, who took his form to new heights following victories this year at Southwell and Doncaster.

The trainer took charge of Thorngill Stables in Middleham at the start of 2021 from his father James, who also gained success at the royal meeting in the early part of his career when winning the King George V Handicap in 1977.

"It's a great feeling and I'm delighted for everyone at home," said the trainer. "Callum got down to a low weight [8st 11lb], which he never normally does, and that's taken a big effort from him. He had confidence in the horse and we wanted to keep them together. I was quite surprised with how well he did it."

Ed Bethell: the trainer took charge of Thorngill Stables in Middleham at the start of 2021Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Mickley changed ownership to the Sui family in the build-up to Royal Ascot and looks set to follow the same route as the owners' Waipiro, who had Hong Kong ambitions after winning the Hampton Court Stakes last year.

In his short career Bethell has seen other promising young horses bought out of the yard to race abroad, but at least Mickley left him with a lasting memory.

"He's an interesting horse as he does absolutely nothing at home and I could never tell you where the limit is," said Bethell. "But he's got size and scope and probably looks the ideal horse to move out to Hong Kong now."

Considering how much of a lottery the Britannia can be, Rodriguez had a smooth ride on Mickley as they scored from three-quarters of a length from Skukuza, with Native Warrior and Mission To Moon in third and fourth.

"I'm absolutely over the moon, it's the stuff of dreams," said the jockey. "We went so close earlier in the week and I'm so glad to get it done.

"You don't really have a plan in these types of races and anything can happen, but I was pretty confident in this horse's ability. We had a good run and he was a lot more streetwise than he had been on his first four starts."

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