 |
|
| Sumita Pawar |
 |
Tom Marquand, made history by riding the first Royal Ascot winner for King Charles III and Queen Camilla. He won the King George V Stakes riding William Haggas’ Desert Hero. Later, Frankie Dettori won his ninth Ascot Gold Cup, whipping the crowd into a frenzy in his final ride in the race.
Marquand and Haggas are familiar with competing in Group One races during the Australian autumn, having triumphed three times in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes with Addeybb (2020-21) and once in the Ranvet Stakes with Addeybb in 2020.
This year, Haggas secured another victory in the Ranvet Stakes with Dubai Honour, ridden by Ryan Moore, as Marquand was unable to participate due to injury.
After Tom Marquand's historic win, the excitement continued with Frankie Dettori's ninth Ascot Gold Cup victory. Marquand also had several successes in Group 3 races in Australia and was nicknamed 'Aussie Tom' by Australian racing fans.
In his final ride at Royal Ascot, Dettori expertly guided Courage Mon Ami through the field to maintain the four-year-old's unbeaten record with four wins in as many starts.
The crowd went wild as Dettori celebrated with his signature 'star jump' dismount from the John and Thady Gosden-trained gelding.
The day was made even more special when King Charles III and Queen Camilla joined Dettori for the presentation of the Gold Cup trophy.