Hollie Doyle all smiles at Royal Ascot
Hollie Doyle all smiles at Royal Ascot

Royal Ascot day four review: Dandalla delivers dazzling Albany Stakes performance


A round-up of the rest of Friday's action at Royal Ascot where Dandalla was a brilliant winner of the Albany Stakes.

Dandalla lands the Albany in style

Click the image to watch the free video replay
Click the image to watch the free video replay

Dandalla (13/2) ran out a spectacular winner of the Albany Stakes for Karl Burke, Ben Curtis and Nick Bradley Racing.

The daughter of Dandy Man won at Newcastle on debut and could be called the winner of this from some way out, sauntering to the front two furlongs out and bursting clear.

The winning rider was partnering his first Royal Ascot winner and never had a moment of concern, his mount passing the post six lengths clear of her toiling rivals. Setarhe (11/4 favourite) led home the chasing pack ahead of Mother Earth (10/3).

Curtis said: “Karl’s daughter Lucy rides her every day and I remember her coming down from the gallop and mentioning her in the same sentence as Laurens. When she said that, it give me all the hope in the world.

“She went to the racetrack the first day and did what she did and we knew she’d improve a ton. Everything went perfect today and she’s demolished them.

Dandalla returns in triumph
Dandalla returns in triumph

“It’s a surreal feeling. I knew when we accelerated that nothing would be able to pick up the way I did. I knew in the last furlong we were out on our own – it was a great performance.”

He added: “Having a Royal Ascot winner is on every jockey’s to-do list. I’ve been coming down here for a while now without really getting involved, to finally have a winner is an unbelievable feeling – crowd or no crowd.

“I’m in racing to ride winners and ride big winners. I’ve had two Group Three winners and now a Royal Ascot winner – I’m going to go in and pinch myself in a second.”

Karl Burke enjoys a quiet cup of coffee at Royal Ascot
Karl Burke enjoys a quiet cup of coffee at Royal Ascot

Burke said: “She’s more precocious than Laurens – Laurens hadn’t even stepped foot on the track by June of her two-year-old career. Laurens had a high cruising speed, but this filly has a great turn of foot and how far she stays now is going to be the key.

“We knew she had a real engine and knew we’d been underrated a little bit coming here today. It’s obviously very difficult to evaluate the form when horses are coming here after only one run, but she’s always shown plenty of toe.

“My daughter Lucy rides her 90 per cent of the time and she actually came in one day a good few months ago now and said ‘I hate to say it, but this filly really reminds me of Laurens’. The turn of foot she showed today, I’ve seen that many times on the gallops.

“We had to persuade Nick Bradley to buy 50 per cent of her earlier in the year (trainer’s wife Elaine retains a share). My other daughter Kelly did the deal with him and assured him she was a good one.”

Dandalla pours in on under Ben Curtis
Dandalla pours in on under Ben Curtis

On future plans, he added: “It was always the plan to run at Newcastle and then here. I’ll have to sit down with Nick and get the programme book out.

“Races like the Prix Morny wouldn’t be out of the question – we’ll certainly be looking at Group One races anyway.”

Betfair and Paddy Power introduced her into their betting for the QIPCO 1000 Guineas at 16/1.

Sky Bet Head Of Sports PR Michael Shinners said: "Dandalla was a tremendously impressive winner of the Albany. She is clearly very talented and the way she raced away from her field suggests she could easily get further. She is 16/1 for next years 1000 Guineas."


Doyle delight aboard Dragon

Click the image to watch the video replay
Click the image to watch the video replay

Record-breaking rider Hollie Doyle claimed her first Royal Ascot success with a last-gasp triumph aboard Scarlet Dragon in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes.

Doyle enjoyed a stellar 2019, riding 116 winners – more in a calendar year than any other female jockey, becoming only the third woman to reach a century after Hayley Turner and Josephine Gordon.

The Alan King-trained Scarlet Dragon was a largely unconsidered 33/1 shot for the finale on day four of the showpiece meeting and remained well back in the field rounding the turn for home.

However, Doyle kept her cool and managed to weave a passage between horses to pick up both the front-running West End Charmer and Deja, beating the latter by half a length.

Doyle becomes the third female jockey to ride a Royal Ascot winner after Gay Kelleway in 1987 and Hayley Turner, who on Thursday landed the Sandringham Stakes for the second year running aboard Onassis.

Doyle, who has regularly been in the winner’s enclosure since the resumption of racing, said: “I can’t talk, it feels amazing, it’s so weird I’ve done it on this horse, as he was my first big handicap winner as an apprentice so to do it on him and for Mr (Henry) Ponsonby (owner) is great.

“I used to find him incredibly keen as an apprentice, he was one of the reasons I knew I had to strengthen up. I have to thank Mr Ponsonby, he’s given me so many opportunities. I know this lad well now, the day we won the Old Rowley Cup I had to sit and suffer on him a bit, but he travels really well and it suited him today.

“This means a huge amount – you arrive every year with high hopes, but it’s very hard to come across winners.”

She added: “This is the icing on the cake given how well it has gone since the resumption. I can’t really put it into words and there are so many people to thank.

“Hayley has been there and done it and ridden Group One winners, I can hardly imagine doing that myself, but I know it’s possible one day.

“My aim is to improve year on year ability-wise so I’ve been lucky to get the opportunities, but I’ve still got a long way to go. I’ve finally for once in my life beaten Tom (Marquand, her partner) to something (Royal Ascot winner). Luckily we’re in separate cars so it won’t be an awkward journey home.”


Art Power lives up to billing

Click the image to watch the free video replay
Click the image to watch the free video replay

Art Power was a sensational winner of the Palace Of Holyroodhouse Handicap, the opening race on day four at Royal Ascot.

The market spoke in favour of Tim Easterby's recent Newcastle winner and the heavily-supported 6/4 favourite lived up to expectations with very little fuss.

The grey was quickly out of the stalls in the hands of Silvestre De Sousa and sat prominently before kicking clear approaching the two-furlong pole.

The race was effectively over three strides later as the son of Dark Angel stormed on and he was ultimately eased down to cross the line well clear of John Quinn's 6/1 chance Keep Busy, who tried to track the winner from an early stage but simply couldn't keep tabs on him.

Third went to Dancin Inthestreet (9/1), fourth was Lambeth Walk (33/1) and the fifth home was 14/1 shot Mighty Spirit.

Betfair introduced the winner as a 14/1 shot for the Nunthorpe Stakes at York later in the season, Sky Bet are 10/1,

William Easterby, the trainer's son, said: "It's great to get a Royal Ascot winner for the King Power team (owner).

"He goes on good but has won on soft, so we didn't mind the rain at all."

Sky Bet Head of Sports PR Michael Shinners said: "He was sensational in thrashing his opponents. The Coolmore Nunthope could be a target and we are 10/1 with Battaash our current 4/6 favourite."

Art Power storms ahead of his rivals at Ascot
Art Power storms ahead of his rivals at Ascot

Speaking from home, Tim Easterby said: "He's a machine. To me it was pretty obvious the race he should run in. He's still an inexperienced horse and he could do with some more experience before taking on those big guns.

"We had in our minds after Newcastle this race was the race for him. Watching the build-up to the race on TV I was getting very nervous, thinking 'I wish they'd talk about another horse'!

"He's just a natural. He doesn't pull or anything - he just does everything right. He reminds of Pipalong in that he's a very clean winded horse and a complete natural."

Asked whether a tilt at the Nunthorpe could be on the agenda later in the year, Easterby added: "Definitely. Whether we go to Goodwood or somewhere else first, we'll wait and see.

"He might meet him (Battaash), but I'm not too worried actually. He (Art Power) is just a very good horse with no issues - I'm delighted to have him."


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