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| Staff Writer |
The opening card of Royal Ascot produced seven compelling contests featuring breakthrough Group One successes, commanding performances from rising stars, and memorable victories that will resonate throughout the season. From emotional maiden Group One triumphs to dominant displays of class, the meeting began with the quality and drama befitting racing's most prestigious venue.
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Docklands provided trainer Harry Eustace with his maiden Group One success in a thrilling finish to the Gr.1 Queen Anne Stakes, edging out Rosallion by a nose after a pulsating battle. The Ascot specialist, who finished second in this contest twelve months earlier, challenged on the far side of the 10 runners while Rosallion came through on the near side.
Despite jockey Mark Zahra dropping his whip entering the final furlong, Docklands found plenty for pressure to deny Rosallion and make amends for an unlucky defeat at Epsom. Runner-up Rosallion, winner of the Gr.1 St James's Palace Stakes last year, took a nice step forward from his third in the Gr.1 Lockinge Stakes. Cairo outran his odds in third for Alice Haynes, just edging out the unlucky Notable Speech.
Eustace said "I have lost my voice, I am afraid; that was pretty sweet. It was tough watching, and the photo was tough. I wasn't happy with the pace early on; Docklands did his usual thing, just stepped slow and I was cursing him to be honest, but he is just an absolute star. At about the furlong marker, I thought Rosallion was really coming at us, but God he was so brave that last furlong."
Zahra said "I was so scared about the whip rules, I thought it would just be easier to throw it away at the 200 metres! It was a very slow speed and I just crept as much as I could. I got room at the right time and Docklands burst through and kept responding, kept responding."
Richard Hannon said of Rosallion "He is still a top-class miler. I thought he had it there. Well done to the winners. It was an extremely good race. He did everything for a win, you can't ask for much more than that."
Gstaad produced a performance of considerable promise when dominating the Gr.2 Coventry Stakes, powering clear of his 19 rivals with a display that suggested Group One targets await. The Aidan O'Brien trained colt, a half-brother to dual
Group One winner Vandeek, demonstrated significant improvement from his debut success at Navan.
Racing under Ryan Moore, the son of Starspangledbanner travelled smoothly before asserting his authority in the closing stages. Despite being forced to race in isolation down the centre of the track through the final two furlongs, Gstaad maintained his momentum superbly. The unbeaten colt secured a commanding three-length victory, with Do Or Do Not finishing second for Ed Walker and Coppull claiming third for Clive Cox.
The victory provided O'Brien with an 11th success in the six-furlong contest, with Gstaad assuming pole position in the Ballydoyle pecking order following the injury to highly-regarded stablemate Albert Einstein.
O'Brien expressed his satisfaction with the performance, stating "I am absolutely delighted. Gstaad looks a very good horse, doesn't he? We have always loved him. He is big, scopey, has a good stride and is very genuine; he goes with his head down and he has loads of speed. He looks like he will get further than six furlongs."
When questioned about Group One engagements, O'Brien confirmed "I would imagine so."
Walker expressed surprise at his runner's performance, commenting "I was surprised, to be honest! The Coventry isn't a race I'd have thought I'll be winning any time soon. He is a tough horse - both Hector Crouch at York and Tom Marquand said they thought he was a smart horse."
American Affair provided trainer Jim Goldie with his first Royal Ascot victory after storming to success in the Gr.1 King Charles III Stakes under Paul Mulrennan. The 5YO sprinter, who has been steadily climbing through the handicap ranks since last season began, had endured a frustrating run when finishing fifth in the Gr.2 Temple Stakes at Haydock Park where luck deserted him in running.
However, with a clear passage presenting itself, American Affair moved menacingly into contention before displaying tremendous tenacity to repel the sustained challenge of Frost At Dawn, prevailing by a neck margin. Regional, runner-up in this contest twelve months earlier, claimed third position.
Goldie revealed the emotional significance of the victory, explaining his long association with the family. "I have trained the family for three generations, so it's very sweet. This horse's grandfather Orientor had his day here, so we're pretty lucky that we can breed horses like that."
Goldie had arrived with confidence in his charge's ability. "I was quite confident he could do it. He has the talent. I knew he was probably one of the fastest horses in the race, but it's how you control that. We've come down early, got him relaxed and it all fell into place. It means a lot."
Mulrennan described the smooth passage that enabled the victory. "It all went pretty smooth, I got a lovely tow along there. We just tweaked a couple of things putting a hood on him. The last day nothing went right at Haydock. Jim has always had a lot of faith in American Affair, and he is a good horse."
Mulrennan emphasised the significance of competing at Royal Ascot. "I am a northern jockey. I am riding Monday-to-Friday horses. To get here, just to come here and have a ride here is special. This is our Olympics. You're riding with Ryan Moore, Christoph Soumillon and William Buick, the best jockeys in the world."
William Knight, trainer of runner-up Frost At Dawn, reflected on the narrow defeat. "I thought the stiff five furlongs really suited her and it's just annoying to not get the win. I've always had belief in this horse and campaigned her aggressively in that sense and we'll continue to do so."
Field Of Gold produced a scintillating display of raw speed and class to demolish a high-quality field by three and a half lengths in the Gr.1 St James's Palace Stakes, confirming his status as the leading miler of his generation. The John and Thady Gosden trained colt, a son of 2014 winner Kingman, had arrived following his impressive triumph in the Gr.1 Irish Two Thousand Guineas and delivered a performance that left no doubt about his superiority over the mile trip.
Colin Keane, Juddmonte's new retained rider, enjoyed an armchair ride aboard the winner, always travelling comfortably before unleashing a devastating turn of foot that left his rivals trailing in his wake. The victory was particularly satisfying for connections after Field Of Gold had suffered defeat at Newmarket, with trainer John Gosden reflecting on his charge's development from juvenile to champion.
"That was a great performance," said Gosden. "Field Of Gold had always impressed as a 2YO, but he was a big boy and slightly outgrew himself. We ran him in France, which was a mistake in the end. Then this year he has been exemplary in everything he has done. Look, he is a pleasure to train because he's a pretty laid-back character, which is very useful."
Henri Matisse emerged from the pack to claim second place without ever threatening the winner, while Ruling Court stayed on to secure third position. The performance highlighted the gulf in class between Field Of Gold and his contemporaries.
Gosden revealed that future plans would be carefully considered given the demanding schedule his star has already undertaken "It was never the plan to go to Ireland, it became the plan, so he's had a trial, two Guineas and this. It's a lot of racing and we're not even beginning to be halfway through the season."
Keane was effusive in his praise for his mount "Good horses make it look easy. It was a very good renewal of the race. Field Of Gold was very good at the Curragh and very good again today."
Jump racing maestro Henry de Bromhead achieved his first Royal Ascot triumph as Ascending stormed home to complete an Irish clean sweep of the first four places in the prestigious handicap. The 7YO, ridden by Billy Lee, overcame adversity early in the contest before showcasing tremendous staying power to deny his compatriots in a thrilling climax.
While several rivals encountered difficulties along the inside rail, Lee made the shrewd decision to take Ascending around the outside, avoiding the interference that befell many runners including the well-supported Reaching High. This tactical manoeuvre proved crucial as Ascending travelled smoothly throughout before unleashing his challenge entering the final furlong.
The winner had sufficient reserves to withstand the late surge from Joseph O'Brien's trio, with Nurburgring finishing second under Colin Keane, followed by Comfort Zone ridden by Tom Marquand and Leinster completing the Irish domination.
De Bromhead expressed his delight at the unexpected success. "I wanted to go for the Copper Horse Stakes; I thought we had a great chance, but we didn't get in and someone put us in this race and we win. He was bought to go hurdling and ran very well over hurdles, but I think he never really loved it, so I said we'd try going back on the Flat."
Haatem returned to winning ways with a commanding display in the Listed Wolferton Stakes, marking his first victory since capturing the Gr.3 Jersey Stakes twelve months ago. The Richard Hannon trained colt, racing beyond a mile for the first time, demonstrated his versatility by staying the ten-furlong journey with authority.
Racing from midfield under James Doyle, the son of Mehmas travelled smoothly before being produced to challenge entering the final furlong. The eight-to-one chance showed genuine determination, gradually wearing down Galen to secure victory by three-quarters of a length, with stablemate King's Gambit finishing the same margin back in third.
Hannon expressed his delight with the performance. "Haatem is an amazing horse. He has been a pleasure to be a part of, for me, for old connections, new connections, and James loves him. He is just one of those horses who is the reason you own and train horses."
Doyle praised the training performance in bringing Haatem back from a serious injury sustained last season. "First and foremost, well done to Richard Hannon and his team. Haatem had a nasty enough injury last year and they've done a great job to get him back."
French Master delivered a scintillating late surge to capture the Copper Horse Stakes, providing Wathnan Racing with their second victory on an exceptional opening card. The 4YO colt was making his debut appearance for the Qatar-based operation following his acquisition after a convincing Goodwood triumph, and he demonstrated the class that attracted connections with a tenacious display over the extended fourteen-furlong journey.
Equipped with first-time blinkers, French Master settled towards the rear under James Doyle, who was completing a memorable double for Wathnan Racing having earlier guided Haatem to victory. The retained jockey encountered early positioning challenges as the field established a steady gallop through the opening phases of the extended contest.
The decisive moment arrived when Doyle executed a brilliant tactical switch, steering French Master to the widest part of the track as they approached the home straight. This inspired manoeuvre enabled the colt to unleash a devastating finishing burst, powering clear of his rivals with authority to register a commanding two-and-a-half-length success over Caballo De Mar, while Samui battled on gamely to secure third place, finishing a further half-length behind the runner-up.
John Gosden was quick to praise the breeding behind his latest winner. "Philippa Cooper had Gregory before, who won the Vase here, a good Cup horse, and I think this horse might go that way. Philippa is an amazing breeder because she breeds horses with stamina, proper middle distance horses, something we don't see much."
Thady Gosden acknowledged the difficulty of the task facing his charge from an unfavourable starting position. "We were drawn wide, so it wasn't an easy ask. James had him a little bit further back than you'd like, but he made a decisive move in the straight and it was a brave performance from French Master to do what he did."
Doyle provided insight into the challenges encountered during the race. "We had a bit of a give and take there! We had to try and find our mutual ground and, whilst French Master didn't help me out early on, he certainly helped me out from two furlongs out. I was too far back, but we were going no gallop."
The opening session of Royal Ascot 2025 established exceptional standards with seven compelling contests delivering breakthrough triumphs, commanding displays of class, and memorable performances that encapsulated everything magnificent about racing's most prestigious meeting. From emotional maiden Group One successes to dominant exhibitions from rising stars, the card showcased the sport's unique capacity to create dreams and fulfil ambitions at the highest level. The international flavour permeated throughout, with Irish trainers claiming significant victories while demonstrating the global appeal that makes Royal Ascot the ultimate destination for racing excellence.
| RACE REPLAY |
Royal Ascot 2025 Day One |