There were two very well backed favourites at Ascot on the second day of the Royal meeting. They met differing fortunes.
In the feature Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Duke Of Marmalade gave the Aiden O’Brien the big race for the second day running. It was a race where it is hard to find superlatives to describe the stunning way he destroyed a high class field.
For the first mile of the 1¼ mile event Johny Murtagh was happy to track the leaders before making his challenge two furlongs out. Within a matter of strides the race was over.
Phoenix Tower came in second with Pipedreamer a short head away in third.
A naturally delighted trainer described the winner as "… an unbelievable horse, he's the real deal,"
"The horse was training very well and coming along in the build up. All the lads that ride him were very happy and you have to listen to what Johnny says when he makes a statement about a horse.
The trainers of the placed horses were both quick to praise the winner, Henry Cecil, trainer of the runner-up, said “He ran really well and is improving”, whilst Pipedreamer’s trainer John Gosden said, “The winner is clearly the best.”
His run also impressed the bookmakers with Coral’s halving his odds to 4/1 for their Eclipse Stakes.
It was a different story 35 minutes later when Bankable proved to be anything but in the Royal Hunt Cup, much to the delight of the layers.
Luca Cumani’s charge was not in a particularly happy mood in the parade ring kicking a television cameraman. Jockey Frankie Dettori blamed the draw but to my eye he was over excited and had run his race even before it had started.
The race was won by the Richard Hannon trained Mr Aviator
The ecstatic Hannon said: "We were going to run him in the mile-and-a-quarter race tomorrow, but the way he acted down the hill at Epsom, Richard (Hughes) said he'd be better off on the straight course so I listened to him - then I nearly took the horse out because of the ground.
"I suppose the rating he's run off today he's probably a Listed horse and I'll find one for him over a mile to a mile and a quarter."
The ultra consistent Docofthebay was second with Royal Power third and Kavichi arguably running the race of his life to finish fourth.
Elsewhere on the card the opener, Jersey stakes was taken by the well backed Aqlaam, who looked a good winner despite running a bit green in the final stages. Third placed Dream Eater was running on well at the end and only just failed to deny Goldolphin’s Il Warrd the runners up spot. Dream eater looks to be a good miler in the making.
In the Windsor Forest French raider Sabana Perdida, under Christophe Lemaire, came with a typical French finish to beat the favourite Heaven sent in the final 50 yards of the race.
How much the victory was due to a good ride by the Frenchman or how much was down to the favourite seemingly tiring is a matter for conjecture.
There was a good battle for the minor honours with Grecian Dancer under who else but man of the moment Johnny Murtagh nailed Majestic Roi in the dying strides.
Favourite backers really were in trouble in the Queen Mary at 4:55 when the favourite Danehill Destiny finished stone last in the seventeen runner contest.
There was a thrilling finish to the five furlong spring and the proverbial tea towel could have been thrown over the first five home although it would have to have been a wide tea towel as the runners were stread across the trach..
It was the 25/1 shot Langs Lash who just stuck her head in front where it matters denying Shyrl and Connie Mac on the near side, with Lucky Leigh taking fourth on the far side.
The final race of the day, The Sandringham, also saw a well timed finish with Kerrin McEvoy bringing Festivale home with a well timed run taking the spoils from Illusion under Seb sanders, who had looked the winner.