Imperious Addeybb stamps his class over Wolferton rivals

Addeybb bounced back to somewhere close to his imperious best as the former Lincoln winner handed Danny Tudhope a double on day one of Royal Ascot with an easy win in the Listed Wolferton Stakes.

Always travelling strongly, Tudhope – also on the mark with Lord Glitters in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes – took his time after an early bump and needed little more than hands and heels to reel in the leaders.

As well as his Lincoln success, Addeybb landed the Group 2 bet365 Mile at Sandown last season before dry ground kept him off the track during the summer, so nobody was happier to see the rain on Tuesday than Tudhope and winning trainer William Haggas.

Credit: Getty Images

With the mud starting to fly, Addeybb duly showed his penchant for an easier surface to score a comfortable 5-1 success over 9-2 favourite Magic Wand in second and Elarqam back in third.

"That was great," said Tudhope after completing a first-and-last-race double. "I was lucky to get the ride on this lad and when you get him on ground like that he’s a different class to these.

"He was in a different league out there today and he was travelled so well, I couldn’t believe how much horse I had under me. I’m very grateful to get the chance to ride him. There are plenty of ups and downs in this game but when you get days like today it makes it all worthwhile."

Watch Addeybb motor home in the Wolferton

Eyeing bigger targets down the line, Haggas added: "I know it's only a Listed race but it was a strong field for that quality and I thought he won really well.

"He's been really well the last two weeks and looks different. With the cheekpieces and the ground, it's like it was written in the stars today.

"He'll be going up to Group class but does need this ground and I think he now needs this mile-and-a-quarter trip.

The Grand Visir makes it a sweet day for Ian WilliamsCredit: Edward Whitaker

Williams in wonderland as The Grand Visir denies Moore treble in Ascot Stakes

The penultimate race on day one of Royal Ascot 2019 was run in jumps conditions, so perhaps it was fitting the Ascot Stakes was landed by The Grand Visir, representing Cheltenham Festival-winning trainer Ian Williams.

A son of the mighty Frankel, the five-year-old runs for a partnership called CLXX and just two starts ago was finishing fourth in a novice hurdle at Doncaster.

However, there was promise on his Flat return at Newmarket recently and he built on that when denying 7-1 chance Buildmeupbuttercup, whose rider Ryan Moore was seeking a day one treble.

Time To Study, a stablemate of the 12-1 winner, was third at 16-1 in the 2m4f handicap.

It was a breakthrough victory at Flat meeting's highest-profile stage for the trainer, but a sixth for The Grand Visir's jockey Richard Kingscote, who said: "That was good and he gave me a great feel, even from the four/five pole.

Watch The Grand Visir stay on gamely to land the Ascot Stakes

"I turned in quite confident, which would be a first at a meeting like this, but he gave me a beautiful ride.

"He settled so beautifully and got into a lovely rhythm. I never had to bother him once out there. He's with a top trainer who has given me some nice winners, so I'm pleased I can give him a nice one today."

Williams, who won the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase with Ballyalton at Cheltenham in 2016, added: "The horse travelled beautifully and Alex Elliott, who bought him, said the other day, 'Where are we going to go, a novice hurdle or Ascot?'

"We said we'd come here and it's great; the horse has been crying out for this distance and it was a great ride from Richard.

"It's huge. Someone asked me today if I'd had a Royal Ascot winner and I said no, but it'd be nice this week and this is fantastic, a great feeling."

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