The final day of Royal Ascot did not unfold quite as the Aussies would have liked with Godolphin dominating the G1 Platinum Jubilee Stakes, but there was plenty of interest in the remaining three stakes races which also produced a possible Golden Eagle contender.
The Group III Jersey Stakes (7f) produced a quinella last year for Godolphin with Creative Force beating Naval Crown, the two horses returning to quinella the Platinum Jubilee Stakes, albeit the other way around.
They won the race again this year with exciting Kingman 3YO Noble Truth, who was gelded earlier this year to curb his headstrong ways.
He put the best foot forward for this assignment, leading nearly all the way and fighting on stringly to win by a length.
“Noble Truth was much more professional, he has so much energy and he managed to channel it in the right direction. He has lots of speed and today I was able to ride him a little bit, whereas in the past I've been a passenger on him,” said William Buick.
“I wanted to go right on the stands' rail but he was looking at the crowd and shying away from it a little. Frankie [Dettori] came upsides on my inside and headed me but that really helped my lad really get motivated.”
A €1.1million purchase for Godolphin from the Arqana August Yearling Sale, Noble Truth is from a three-quarter sister -in-blood to Frankel’s Japanese Group I winner Soul Stirring. He is the first winner unraced Speralita, a half-sister to Champion French 3YO Filly and triple Group I winner Stacelita.
The family has also produced current star dual Group I winning Japanese filly Stars on Earth.
A two time stakes-winner previously, Noble Truth has the overall record of four wins and two placings from nine starts and is the best of three winners from three runners bred so far by Juddmonte champion sire Kingman from a daughter of their other champion sire Frankel.
The Group II Hardwicke stakes (1m4f) was won by the Aidan O’Brien trained stayer Broome with race favourite Hurricane Lane finishing third at his first run of the year.
A Group I winner previously and multiple Group I placed, Broome I slikely to target Group I races such as the King George and Japan Cup later in the year.
Broome is one of 28 stakes-winners by Galileo’s Epsom Derby winner Australia and is a full brother to Group II winner Point Lonsdale from stakes-winning Acclamation mare Sweepstake.
The Listed Chesham Stakes (7f) for 2YO’s produced a blow out result with first starter Holloway Bay winning at 40-1 for the Karl Burke stable.
Holloway Boy produced a remarkable last to first finish for Danny Tudhope, so the video is well worth watching!
“Unbelievable. The truth is we were going to go to Musselburgh for the Sunday Series but Holloway Boy pulled a little muscle so we didn't go then the owner rang me up. He said he was supposed to have a box but was let down and wanted to get some tickets,” revealed his trainer Karl Burke.
“I entered the horse and thought 'I'm not going to run him' but I thought sod it, we'll run him, give him a nice day out. It was superb by Danny, we were always going to ride him that way. He rides this track fantastically. We thought he was a nice horse, but I didn't quite think he was that good.”
Bought for just 60,000 guineas at the Tattersalls October Book 2 Yearling Sale, he is from the second crop of young Group I winning Galileo stallion Ulysses, who stands at Cheveley Park Stud at a fee of 10,000 pounds.
Bred by Cheveley Park he is the first winner from Sultry, an unraced Pivotal grand-daughter of Group I winning filly Gay Gallanta.
Holloway Boy is the second stakes-winner for Ulysses and is bred on the highly successful Galileo x Pivotal nick, those two sires combining in the pedigrees of 41 stakes-winners, 12 of them Group I winners.