Iron horse Flare king of the Palace
The remarkable Poetic Flare ran away with the St James's Palace Stakes.
Having contested the English, French and Irish 2000 Guineas this spring, winning at Newmarket, he's clearly thriving on his racing and produced a career-best effort here.
He was always cantering under Kevin Manning and when given the office approaching the final furlong quickly put the race to bed.
At the line he was four-and-a-quarter lengths clear of Lucky Vega and Battleground who led home the chasing pack.
Manning said: “I think ground is a big key to him. This good, quick ground is really where he shows his best. He wants that good quick ground, and that’s what he got today – and showed how good he is.”
“He’s a marvellous trainer, fantastic,” the jockey then said of Bolger. "To get this horse here after the runs he’s had is unbelievable. I owe Jim everything, and I’d also like to say ‘well done’ to all the lads in the yard who have kept this lad on the go.”
Bolger told Sky Sports Racing from his County Carlow base: “I’m very relaxed about it. I have tremendous confidence in this horse and I was expecting him to go and do that. Thanks to all my staff and everybody who has helped.
“We always knew he was hardy from the word go, even when he was being broken in you couldn’t keep him quiet. We’ve bred from the family since the very early 1980s, so a long time. When you have a horse winning the St James’s Palace like that you don’t really think about all the relatives and the breeding, you wouldn’t care if he came to you off the back of a truck as long as you had him. This horse is so hardy he’s unbelievable, you have to give it to him to keep his back down.”
On plans, he added: “Kevin will be itching to have a crack at the older horses.”
Lucky Vega once again found Poetic Flare too strong, just like at Newmarket and the Curragh, and he will now head to stud in Australia.
His trainer Jessica Harrington said: “He certainly proved he stayed every yard of the mile against a horse that has beaten him three times now.
“I think there will be an announcement in Australia and I will be very sad to lose him because in my opinion he would certainly have won a Group One if he’d remained here.”
16:20 Royal Ascot Full result and FREE video replay
1 11 Poetic Flare (IRE) 7/2 f
2 6 Lucky Vega (IRE) 4/1
3 1Battleground (USA) 11/1
Winning Trainer: J S Bolger. Winning Jockey: K J Manning
Murphy and Shadow motor to success
Oisin Murphy got off the mark for the week when Berkshire Shadow (11/1) thundered clear to win the Coventry Stakes.
A furlong out it seemed as though eventual third Vintage Clarets (16/1) was about to strike for another Sporting Life columnist Richard Fahey but the winner was beginning his winning run by the stands' rail.
He was soon in front and hit the line hard to win by a length-and-a-quarter from the running-on Eldrickjones (66/1).
Murphy said: “This is a special horse, he was bought inexpensively by Andrew and his mother and he’s a star. That was an incredible performance on his second start. To look at, he’s big and immature
“He’s got a very good future – and look what he’s just done at Royal Ascot. He’s done incredibly well, what a massive result for Kingsclere!”
Danny Tudhope, rider of the Roger Fell-trained Eldrickjones, said: “On what he’d done at home we thought he might be up to this, but he’s still a real baby and there’s a lot more improvement in him.”
Richard Fahey said of Vintage Clarets: “I was absolutely delighted with him - and thrilled with how he ran. Paul (Hanagan) felt in an ideal world he'd have held onto him a little longer but he had to go when he did as he thought they were closing the gap on him. Even so I'm thrilled to bits. He's a very, very quick horse and all roads now lead to the Weatherbys Super Sprint."
Sky Bet make the winner a 16/1 chance for next year's QIPCO 2000 Guineas, Betfair and Sky Bet are 25s.
15:05 Royal Ascot Full result and FREE video replay
1 2 Berkshire Shadow 11/1
2 7 Eldrickjones (IRE) 66/1
3 16 Vintage Clarets 25/1
Winning Trainer: A M Balding. Winning Jockey: Oisin Murphy
Reshoun edges Ascot Stakes thriller
Reshoun claimed the Ascot Stakes at 66-1 for William Buick and Ian Williams.
The gelding faced a late challenge from 11/2 chance M C Muldoon but held on the register a narrow victory in the two-mile-four-furlong event.
Willie Mullins’ M C Muldoon was the eventual second, with 16/1 chance Elysian Flame in third and Golden Rules finishing fourth at 12/1.
Grand National-winning rider Rachael Blackmore had to settle for fifth aboard 5-2 favourite Cape Gentleman.
“He travelled round the race beautifully,” Buick said. “I was always very happy with where we were in the race, he was always doing enough. He had it to do on the book, (but) he was very honest, very game.”
17:00 Royal Ascot Full Result and FREE video replay
1 6 Reshoun (FR) 66/1
2 8 M C Muldoon (IRE) 11/2
3 10 Elysian Flame 16/1
4 19 Golden Rules 12/1
Winning Trainer: Ian Williams. Winning Jockey: W Buick
Elcano swoops for Wolferton glory
Juan Elcano ran down Patrick Sarsfield to win the Wolferton Stakes.
Fifth in last year's QIPCO 2000 Guineas, the winner was racing for the first time since a wind operation and did well to reel-in his rival who looked to have the Listed prize in the bag when going on a furlong out.
However Andrea Atzeni had other ideas and his willing partner was well on top at the line, scoring by a length.
17:35 Royal Ascot Full result and FREE video replay
1 11 Juan Elcano 14/1
2 13 Patrick Sarsfield (FR) 4/1 j
3 4 Solid Stone (IRE) 4/1
Winning Trainer: K A Ryan. Winning Jockey: Andrea Atzeni