skip to main content

Royal Ascot round-up: Suzy proves too Quick for rivals

Updated / Wednesday, 16 Jun 2021 18:43
Quick Suzy relished the drop to five furlongs
Quick Suzy relished the drop to five furlongs

Quick Suzy provided trainer Gavin Cromwell and jockey Gary Carroll with their first Royal Ascot success in the Queen Mary Stakes.

Carroll delivered Quick Suzy from off the pace on the stands side to challenge favourite and eventual runner-up Twilight Gleaming a furlong out, stretching clear to win by a length and a quarter at 8-1 – with 50-1 outsider Cheerupsleepyjean almost another two lengths back in third.

County Meath trainer Cromwell is more often associated with success over jumps – including at Grade One level at the Cheltenham Festival – but is adept on the Flat, too.

Quick Suzy, a maiden winner at the Curragh last month and then a Group Three runner-up at Naas, has nonetheless broken new ground for the yard with her Group Two victory.

Cromwell said: "She won her maiden very well, it was an auction maiden that doesn't carry as much weight, she was very convincing there – then she went to a Group Three the last day in Naas and just didn’t quite see out the six furlongs on soft ground. But she showed blistering pace, so we were definitely coming here.

"(The fast ground) was an unknown, she’s a very good mover but she’d never raced on it."

Asked to compare Royal meeting success with Cheltenham Festival glory, Cromwell – who won the Champion Hurdle in 2019 with Espoir D’Allen – added: "It’s centre stage and any race when you’re centre stage is fantastic.

"On a stage like this, you’re definitely going to get a buzz."

The daughter of Profitable was recently bought by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners LLC, and Cromwell said: "The plan was she was to remain with me for Royal Ascot and then she was going to go to America. You wouldn’t know, but we might get to twist their arm and hold on to her and go to the Breeders’ Cup."

Carroll said: "Every step of the way I was trying to make sure the American horse didn’t get first run on me. She’s game and she battled all the way.

"I rode her over six furlongs at Naas where she showed so much natural speed. You need these big wins to get yourself on the platform."

Charlie Appleby’s Kemari (15-2) belied his inexperience to win the Group Two Queen’s Vase on just his third career start.

William Buick, striking for the second time at this year’s meeting, always had Kemari close to the pace just behind the leaders before challenging early in the straight and striking for home.

It proved the right move as the Dubawi gelding surged clear and then had enough in hand in the final furlong to comfortably resist the late challenge of Aidan O’Brien-trained favourite Wordsworth.

The winner had a length and a half to spare at the line, as Wordsworth stayed on strongly after being unable to find a change of gear when it mattered most, and Stowell was another length and a quarter back in third.

Kemari, who made his debut when second at Newmarket little more than a month ago before winning a Yarmouth maiden, clearly relished the step up in trip as he provided Godolphin trainer Appleby with his first winner of this race.

Appleby said: "I must give the team at home a lot of credit for this. He’s been a challenging horse at home during the course of the winter. He was gelded and had a hood on his first start, so all credit to them – they’ve done a great job.

Frankie Dettori posted a landmark 75th Royal Ascot winner as John and Thady Gosden's Indie Angel (22-1) sprang a surprise in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes.

Dettori, striking for the second time for the Gosdens at this year’s meeting, bided his time on the winner as Parent’s Prayer set out to make all and then Lady Bowthorpe made her bid for Group Two glory.

The Italian manoeuvred into position to challenge on the stands side, took over from eventual runner-up Lady Bowthorpe and had two and a half lengths to spare at the line – with favourite Queen Power staying on to take third, just another short head away.

Indie Angel, owned by Cheveley Park Stud, was overturning last month’s Newmarket form – having finished only fourth in the Dahlia Stakes behind both Lady Bowthorpe and Queen Power, over a furlong further than this.

"Everything fell right today," Dettori said.

"She likes faster ground, cover, and she likes plenty of room – she got all three of those things.

"Well done to the Gosden team, the Clarehaven team."

Gosden said: "In fairness she won very well last backend, it went a little wrong and I probably ran her before she had come to herself in the spring and she had a little complication in her last race. But we knew she could be competitive with the top fillies – (but) to say that she’d win by two and a half lengths? No, that would have been wishful thinking.

"She relaxed beautifully and she’s bloomed. She looked a different filly today than when we last ran her back in May."

Rising star Marco Ghiani gave a jubilant celebration as he stormed to victory aboard Real World (18-1) for Saeed bin Suroor in the Royal Hunt Cup.

The talented apprentice had fellow Godolphin runner Eastern World from Charlie Appleby's yard for company as the pair blazed along on the far rail – but once Ghiani hit top gear on the winner he shot clear.

It was all over from there, and even though favourite Astro King tried to make late gains he was still four and three-quarter lengths adrift. Grove Ferry and Ouzo took third and fourth respectively.

Ghiani said: "He often misses the break, but to avoid that he was blindfolded and went in late.

"I managed to stay next to William Buick and at the two he was quickening away while looking at the crowd.

"He’s a bit of a baby and an improving horse with few races under his belt."

Chipotle (22-1) sparked scenes of delight in the winner’s enclosure with victory in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes.

The Eve Johnson Houghton-trained youngster – winner of the Brocklesby at Doncaster at the start of the season – travelled at the rear of the group on the far side of the track in the hands of Charlie Bishop, who timed it to perfection in picking off his rivals.

Dig Two was two and a quarter lengths back in second, with Boonie another head away in third. But it was another disappointing race for American trainer Wesley Ward, with his Frankie Dettori-ridden favourite Ruthin ultimately well beaten having led for a long way.

Bishop said: "I was quite keen to get a level break, but he bunny hopped when the stalls opened and I had to be patient. But I got a dream run through.

"We’ve always liked him and we never pressed any buttons when he won the Brocklesby and that race here, but at Sandown he didn’t like the soft and I didn’t give him the best of rides.

"Eve’s a brilliant trainer and I feel quite emotional that she’s kept the faith with me."

Lola Showgirl (12-1) prevailed in the inaugural Kensington Palace Stakes for Laura Pearson and David Loughnane.

The filly made all of the running and was never passed.

Loughnane also took the runner-up slot as Ffion finished second, with Waliyak coming third.

More stories on

Read Next