The aftermath of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes on Saturday had almost as much drama as the race and it was certainly more extended.
Lazzat, the 9-2 winner, galloped loose around the track for about a 15 minutes and delayed the presentations after throwing his jockey, James Doyle, shortly after crossing the line.
“I did apologize to the king and queen when I went to collect my prize, and said I should have stayed in Pony Club a bit longer than I did. We had a good laugh about that,” Doyle said.
Photo: AFP
It had already been a good meet for Doyle, with three winners for his main employer, the increasingly powerful Wathnan Racing operation, but a Group One win on a horse bought to join Wathnan less than a month ago took his week to a new level.
Lazzat was quickly away and soon leading a group of 10 horses racing down the middle of the track. While the Japanese hope Satono Reve, backed down to start favorite at 2-1, fired a serious challenge at him in the final furlong under Joao “Magic Man” Moreira, Lazzat was a half-length in front at the line, with another recent Wathnan purchase, Flora Of Bermuda, another three lengths away in third.
“It’s been an amazing week and that has capped it off,” Richard Brown, Wathnan’s racing manager, said. “What an amazing horse race, he’s locked up with the Japanese horse and they’ve gone a long way clear in a six-furlong sprint. That was an absolutely phenomenal race to watch.”
Photo: AFP
“When you saw him [Satono Reve] come in, he’s a monster walking round here, but that is a very, very brave performance. That’s two brilliant rides from James from the front,” Brown said.
Doyle had won the opening Chesham Stakes on Humidity.
While Japan’s wait for a first Royal Ascot winner goes on, Satono Reve lost little in defeat under Moreira and did better than the previous 10 Japanese runners at the meet, all of whom had finished outside the first three.
Photo: Reuters
“We came in with a lot of confidence but unfortunately bumped into a very good horse,” Moreira said. “I thought I had him but he had another gear.”
Rebel’s Romance is trainer Charlie Appleby’s favorite horse and the two-time Breeder’s Cup Turf winner endeared himself further when he won the Hardwicke Stakes.
Described as an “absolute dude” by jockey William Buick, Appleby’s last runner of the week delivered the trainer’s first win at Royal Ascot since a 1-2 three years ago to the day.
“It is a huge honor to have a horse like this,” said Appleby, whose winner was the first seven-year-old to win the race in 102 years.
Additional reporting by AFP
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