'Tremendous pleasure' for the Queen as homebred Tactical strikes at Royal Ascot

The Queen may be absent from Royal Ascot for the first time in 73 years but her famous association with this meeting continues to flourish as she celebrated a winner with Tactical in the Windsor Castle Stakes.

The son of Toronado was a shade unlucky when third on his debut at Newmarket but he took a mighty step forward under James Doyle, to the joy of plenty of punters who backed him from 7-1 into 7-2 favourite.

On the rail closest to the empty stands, the Andrew Balding-trained colt moved powerfully before quickening emphatically to hold off the fast-finishing Yazaman, sent off at 20-1, and 40-1 shot Muker.

John Warren, racing manager to the Queen, indicated Tactical could be seen next in the Group 2 Richmond Stakes at Glorious Goodwood or the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin in France.

Warren said: "Everyone involved is absolutely thrilled and it's wonderful for Toronado to sire a good winner. The Queen throughout the conversations has said how delighted she was to produce a two-year-old winner. Andrew [Balding] has been saying since the spring that Tactical was naturally precocious and finding his work terribly easy.

"He had such a good introduction at Newmarket and it boded well for his prospects to come here as he came out of the race so well. We may look at the Richmond or the Prix Robert Papin."

The victory was the Queen's 24th at Royal Ascot, a list started in her coronation year by Choir Boy's success in the 1953 Royal Hunt Cup.

Warren said: "It’s a great shame that Her Majesty is not there to go down to the winner’s enclosure and enjoy the buzz of a runner and winner. She’s studied every bit of the meeting and spent a little bit of time watching the most important races over the last two days.

"Every day of her life she follows racing one way or another when she can. She would have read the Racing Post in great detail and built up to this week and known very well the fancied horses. She studies it really well in the mornings, dedicates half an hour or so to the information and is very well tuned in. Breeding is her great passion, so this winner would have given her tremendous pleasure.

"The Queen doesn’t get frustrated lightly and takes everything in her stride. I suspect deep down there might have been a tinge of disappointment that she wasn’t able to be on course but it will have been completely overridden by the fact she’s had a winner and bred Tactical. She’ll have had a warm inner feeling to see Tactical win."

James Doyle salutes his first success for the Queen at Royal AscotCredit: Edward Whitaker

The success continued the great run for Balding's team – who won the 2,000 Guineas this month with Kameko – and gave James Doyle a second success on the day, after he landed the feature Prince of Wales's Stakes on Lord North.

Balding said: "We were quite hopeful and the draw looked more of a help than a hindrance. He's very professional and it's a huge thrill for all of us to have a royal winner at the royal meeting. It's very special."

Paddy Power made Tactical a 16-1 chance for next season's Commonwealth Cup.

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