'Hopefully that's not the last of the meeting' - Leovanni strikes in Queen Mary to get Wathnan off the mark

After a day of near-misses on Tuesday, Wathnan Racing started day two of Royal Ascot with a bang as Leovanni blasted away from her Queen Mary Stakes rivals to maintain her unbeaten record. 

Wathnan have spent big to assemble a team stuffed with talent for the royal meeting but that does not necessarily equate to winners, and it threatened to be a long week after the racing operation of the Emir of Qatar finished second and third in the Coventry Stakes and filled the same two positions in the Wolferton on day one. 

All was forgotten after the opening race on Wednesday, as Leovanni – one of 11 Wathnan purchases from this year's breeze-up sales to bolster the organisation's two-year-old division – went dashing clear up the centre of the track under James Doyle. 

"It's a very special moment," said Wathnan's racing adviser Richard Brown. "It's been well documented there's been a significant investment from Wathnan, but that doesn't guarantee success. We hit the crossbar a couple of times yesterday and to get this one in the back of the net is great for all the team.  

"When you're finishing second and third in a Coventry it shows you've got nice horses to go forward with, but every sport is about winning and this will make the rest of the week a lot more enjoyable. It's an extraordinary opportunity to be given the chance to build this team of horses, and you want to deliver for them."

Karl Burke and James Doyle after Leovanni's win in the Queen Mary StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Leovanni's win was a sixth Royal Ascot success for Karl Burke and a second in the Queen Mary for the Middleham trainer after Dramatised's victory two years ago. Burke also trains leading Norfolk Stakes contender Shareholder for Wathnan, and was not unaware as to what was at stake either. 

“I know they’ve paid a lot of money, but that just adds more pressure," said the trainer. "To get a result is great and hopefully that’s not the last of the meeting.

"This filly has a fantastic mind and James said she travelled beautifully. For a breeze-up two-year-old she’s unbelievably relaxed and going forward that will be a great help to her. I’m sure she’ll stay six furlongs.”

Doyle was hoping it would be the first of many wins for him at the royal meeting in the Wathnan silks, having been lured away from Godolphin to become number-one rider to the burgeoning operation in October. 

"I wasn't in a bad position before so it wasn't an easy decision [to join Wathnan] by any means, but sometimes you have to branch out and it's nice to have a team of horses you know are yours to ride," he said. 

"It's very early days for Wathnan Racing, but they've invested a huge amount and shown a great deal of interest since last year, and it's nice to be a part of that."

The rider said his biggest worry in the race was getting a lead for long enough as Leovanni's speed came to the fore.   

"It was a long way home from two out, but they couldn’t take me far enough and I wanted to give her that time to get organised," he added. "She did drift over to the side a little bit looking for something to run with, but the race was in the bag by then. There’s no getting away from the fact that she’s very quick, but she’s a very relaxed character who doesn’t waste any energy in anything she does, so that gives her a chance to go further."

Gavin Cromwell has yet to finish outside the first three at Royal Ascot and, after two winners and a third previously, added a second to the collection with 50-1 shot Mighty Eriu.

Jockey Garry Carroll said: "She ran a blinder and quickened well to win her race, but the winner was gone on the far side and we didn't get to see her. She's big and scopey and I think she's going to improve again."  

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Running Lion roars home from the front under Oisin Murphy to land maiden Group win in Duke of Cambridge 

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