There was no joy for the Aussie contingent at Royal Ascot overnight with Artorius and The Astrologist running fourth and fifth behind an 80-1 rank outsider in the Group I Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Stakes and three of the four stakes-winners on the final day were by sons of Acclamation.
The Group I Queen Elizabeth Stakes (6f) featured four Australian bred runners with Artorius well fancied after finishing third in the race last year. He did best of the Aussies to finish fourth, but was not good enough to trouble the winner Khaadem, runner up Sacred and the favourite Highfield Princess, who was backing up from her second placing in the Group I King’s Stand Stakes.
The Astrologist was fifth, Wellington was tenth and Cannonball, who was backing up from his last placing in the King’s Stand, lost his rider at the start.
Trained by Charlie Hills and ridden by Jamie Spencer, seven year-old Dark Angel gelding Khaadem was the lowest rated horse in the race bar Cannonball and had spent the earlier part of this year campaigning unsuccessfully in Dubai. A Group II winner last year at Goodwood, he returned to form with a career best performance to win by a neck over Exceed and Excel mare Sacred.
“I've always had massive faith in Khaadem and that's why I've kept him for so long. He won a Group II last year over five furlongs and this year I wanted to try to race him properly again and make sure he got the six well. The horse is very, very fast. He's got his quirks but most good sprinters do and he's just taken time to come to himself,” said Charlie Hills.
Khaadem was purchased by Shadwell as a yearling at Tattersalls October Book 1 for 750,000 guineas and was fourth in this race in 2020 when racing in their colours, but these days runs for Mr and Mrs Jim and Fitri Hay.
Bred by Yeomanstown Stud, Khaadem has eight wins and six placings from 30 starts and is a full brother to stakes-winner Log Out Island from White Daffodil, a half-sister by Foostepsinthesand to stakes-winner Lady Links from the family of Group I winning sprinter Bold Edge.
He is the 14th Group I winner for Dark Angel, who stands at Yeomanstown Stud at a fee of € 60,000
The Group II Hardwicke Stakes (1m4f) was won by the best horse in the race having his first run this year in six year-old stallion Pyledriver, trained by William Muir and Chris Grassick.
A multiple Group I winner, Pyledriver is the best of 11 stakes-winners by Acclamation sire Harbour Watch, who shuttled to Australia for two seasons.
He is the best of four winners for La Pyle, a half-sister by Le Havre to Group I winner Mont Ormel and Group III winner Normandel.
The Group III Jersey Stakes (7f) for three year-olds was won by expensive Kingman colt Age of Kings, who scored by a length over promising Zoustar colt Zoology.
Purchased for 1.1million guineas at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale by MV Magnier, Age of Kings is trained by Aidan O’Brien and was their second string runner in the race with Wayne Lordan steering the colt to a length win to take his overall record to two wins and two seconds from seven starts.
“Age of Kings had a run in the Guineas because he'd had a long time off the track. I suppose he was only beaten eight lengths behind Paddington so for his first run of the year to do that is not too bad. He's straightforward and he stays. He'll get a mile well. They went very slow and I got a bit of cover so I wasn't getting caught in behind today,” said Wayne Lordan.
The 65th stakes-winner for Kingman, Age of Kings is the first winner for Fastnet Rock’s Group II winning daughter Turret Rocks.
The Listed Chesham Stakes (7f) for two year-olds was won by the Expert Eye filly Snellen, who scored by a head over the Aidan O’Brien trained race favourite Pearls and Rubies (No Nay Never).
Trained by Gavin Cromwell, Snellen is bred and raced by Lindsay Laroche and is the first winner for stakes-placed Sea the Moon mare Illumined, a half-sister to Group III winner Night Lagoon, the dam of Group I winners The Novelist and Magical Lagoon.
She is the first stakes-winner for her sire Expert Eye, a Group I winning son of Acclamation that stands at Juddmonte Farms at a fee of £7,500.
