Highland Reel Refuses to Yield at Royal Ascot

Highland Reel simply refused to be beaten in the £750,000 ($945,000) Prince of Wales's Stakes (G1) June 21, the feature of the second day of Royal Ascot and richest race of the meeting.

The 5-year-old son of Galileo (IRE), defending champion in the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) and a top-level competitor worldwide, stalked the early pace, then willingly moved to the lead as the field turned for home in the 1 1/4-mile Prince of Wales's.

Before he could press the advantage, however, jockey Ryan Moore found both Decorated Knight and Ulysses alongside, bidding to put him away. Under strong encouragement, Highland Reel found more and edged clear by 1 1/4 lengths.

Decorated Knight nipped Ulysses for second. Jack Hobbs, the Godolphin runner who won the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) in his previous outing, finished last of eight in the Prince of Wales's.

Highland Reel started his 5-year-old season with a fading seventh-place finish in the Sheema Classic on World Cup night at Meydan. But that was over yielding turf after torrential rains came to the desert the week leading up to the race. Back on good ground, he won the Coronation Cup (G1) at Epsom in preparation for Royal Ascot.

Trainer Aidan O'Brien said throughout his preparations after Dubai, his star "was getting better—an incredible horse. He's so brave."

"He has passed every test that you would want a Thoroughbred to go through," the trainer added. "His first group race was as a 2-year-old and we have toured the world with him since then. Every time, he turns up in big races over a mile, 10 furlongs, and 12 furlongs; he has a great mind and has passed all the tests everywhere he goes.

"He is an amazing horse. He stays and is incredibly brave. Ryan asked for courage and he gave it. He is like his sire Galileo because he also had so much courage and he has passed it on to Highland Reel tenfold."

Galileo, in fact, sired the top three finishers in the race.

"He just keeps showing up," Moore added. "I'd say it was probably a career-best from him today."

The victory stirred hopes that Highland Reel might again visit Australia in the fall for a return engagement in the William Hill Cox Plate (G1). He was third in that race two years ago behind Aussie superstar mare Winx. Highland Reel is out of an Australian-bred mare, Hveger, a daughter of Danehill.

In the shorter term, O'Brien said, Highland Reel is likely to try for a repeat win back at Ascot in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1).

While Highland Reel starred in the Prince of Wales's, French-trained horses won two of the day's four group races.

Qemah came from behind a moderate pace to nail the Duke of Cambridge Stakes (G2) for fillies and mares at one mile down the straight.

South African transplant Smart Call made all the going along the stands side rail in the Duke of Cambridge and continued well but could not hold off a bold move by the French-trained winner, under Gregory Benoist. Aljazzi was up for second and Usherette came with a rush to nip Smart Call for third.

Qemah, a 4-year-old filly by Danehill Dancer, is owned by Al Shaqab Racing and trained by Jean-Claude Rouget. She won the Coronation Stakes (G1) at last year's Royal Ascot meet, then returned to France to win the Prix Rothschild (G1) at Deauville. Rouget said she will return to the Channel coast again this summer.

Opening the second day of the Royal meeting, France triumphed in the Jersey Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds at 7 furlongs as Le Brivido outfinished Kentucky-bred Spirit of Valor (War Front  ) to win by a neck. Mubtasim was third.

Le Brivido, under Pierre-Charles Boudot, stuck to the center of the course while the group racing on the stands side seized an early advantage. As they came together in the final furlong, Spirit of Valor appeared to be home free until Le Brivido found another gear. The Siyouni colt, second in the French Two Thousand Guineas (G1) in his previous start, finished in 1:25.05.

"He was beaten with a furlong to go," said winning trainer Andre Fabre. "He showed his class and courage to come back and win."

Fabre scored his ninth Royal Ascot win. "Just a start," he said with a laugh.

Bred by Nursery Place, Spirit of Valor was a 66-1 longshot in the Jersey for trainer Aidan O'Brien.

The day's feature for 2-year-old fillies went to a large and happy syndicate put together to encourage new involvement in racing. 

Heartache ran by Kentucky-bred favorite Happy Like A Fool in the final furlong of the five-furlong Queen Mary Stakes (G2), winning by 2 1/2 lengths and denying trainer Wesley Ward a repeat in the race Lady Aurealia won at last year's Royal Ascot.

Trained by Clive Cox, Heartache, a daughter of Kylachy, won her only previous start at Bath in the west of England. She is leased from her breeders by the 75-member Hot to Trot Syndicate, many of whom flooded into the winner's enclosure after the race.

Heartache, with Adam Kirby up, chased Happy Like A Fool through the first three furlongs down the Ascot Straight. She quickened when asked, eased by inside her rival and was not challenged in the final yards.

Kirby said the plan was to get Heartache to "let her chill a bit" before making one move and that worked to perfection.

Ward took the defeat in stride.

"All these horses are young 2-year-olds, even though mine are more forward," he said. "With that in mind, I do think that this filly is a big filly and I feel that she will mature into something special in the future. We will see what happens in the future but I'm happy right now."

The American trainer found some consolation in the day's final race as Con Te Partiro came from dead last in a big field to win the Sandringham Stakes for 3-year-old fillies under Jamie Spencer.

"That was an unbelievable ride by Jamie. I don't want to tell you all the awful names I was calling him early in the race," Ward said of Spencer. "The ride got us there."