Ryan Moore reflects on another successful Royal Ascot and is excited by what the future holds for some of the Ballydoyle stars.
Moore ended the week in Berkshire with seven winners, enough to yield another leading jockey award at Royal Ascot, saying with typical deflection 'when you are riding for Aidan [O'Brien] and Willie [Mullins], you are going to ride winners'.
One of those winners was the physically imposing juvenile Charles Darwin who made almost every yard in the Norfolk Stakes and Moore was clearly impressed with the son of No Nay Never.
"He's a very mature, strong two-year-old and when you sit on him, it's like sitting on a horse you'd be riding in a July Cup already," he told Luck On Sunday on Racing TV.
"He's an impressive horse and he's so straightforward," he continued.
"He jumped, he was ahead of everyone, he travelled better than them all and when I asked him inside the two he just turned them away and you couldn't be more pleased with what he's done on the day."
Moore, though, would not be drawn on talk of a bid for the Nunthorpe Stakes saying 'I didn't hear any of that, I don't know what the plan is'.
Moore also won the Coventry Stakes aboard Gstaad but that victory only served to focus attention on Albert Einstein, the stable's number one for that race before a setback ruled him out.
“He [Gstaad] felt like a very good horse. He will get further in time and that was a very impressive performance," said Moore.
“He was probably just a little bit behind the more obvious ones like Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin, but he has improved and improved and is a very scopey horse.
“Albert Einstein’s work has been very good, and he’s been impressive on both his starts, but this horse was impressive on the day, and the others have got to go out and do it now. He’s a substantial horse and I couldn't have been more delighted with him on the day.”
Two that got away were Henri Matisse, who finished second to Field Of Gold in the St James's Palace Stakes, and Illinois, who took the same spot behind Trawlerman in the Gold Cup. Moore, though, was taking the positives from defeat and believes there's a good deal more to come from both colts.
Host Nick Luck asked if Moore believed Henri Matisse would have won an 'average or above average' renewal of the St James's Palace Stakes and the response was positive.
"I would say he would win an above average running," he replied. "He was beat by a very good horse on the day. This horse is still getting better. He's a Wootton Bassett and I don't think we've got to the bottom of him just yet so I'm excited by what he can still do."
Asked if that would be over a mile, the jockey was less equivocal.
"Not necessarily, there's a chance he could get a bit further on the right sort of track," he said.
"He's got pace, he's a Breeders' Cup winner, a French Guineas winner and it was another good run."
Illinois' future looks more clearcut as he has been earmarked to replace the recently retired Kyprios in the Cup races and Moore doesn't believe he should be judged too harshly on Thursday's defeat.
"He ran a really good race," he said.
"He got outstayed by a proven stayer. He travelled well, at the two he just emptied and Aidan said he was only pitched in a month before the race and he'll change how he trains him in the future; when Aidan says those things he usually gets it right."
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