Lord Glitters Strikes in Dramatic Queen Anne Stakes

Lord Glitters, second in the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) 12 months ago, went one better in the opening race of Royal Ascot 2019 when he denied Beat The Bank June 18 in a thrilling finish to the prestigious mile contest, which had the most dramatic of starts as last year's winner Accidental Agent refused to race.

Trained by David O'Meara for Geoff and Sandra Turnbull, Lord Glitters was ridden by Danny Tudhope, who needed all of his strength to repel 20-1 shot (all odds based on local pools) Beat The Bank, with One Master, a homebred 6-year-old Fastnet Rock mare for Lael Stables, finishing third at the same price.

If the finish of the race was eventful then so was the start, as Accidental Agent made no impact, not budging an inch as the stalls opened, while the fancied Laurens came sixth.

A French-bred son of Whipper, the 14-1 winner had always threatened to deliver on the biggest stage and had shone at Ascot, where he struck in the Balmoral Handicap on Champions Day in 2017. He bounced back from an off-the-board finish in the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes (G1) May 18.

Tudhope, winning his third race all-time at Royal Ascot, said: "He certainly deserved a big one. Forget about the Lockinge last time, which wasn't run to suit.

"He's better than that and was second in this last year. He deserves to land a big one and is a super horse on his day. When things go right for him, he's very good.

"David said to ride him as cold as I could and be brave on him, but if there's anywhere you can do that it's here—that last furlong is a long way.

"I got a lovely split and the race panned out perfectly."

It was a fourth strike at Royal Ascot for the North Yorkshire-based O'Meara, who added: "He always runs well here and loves the track.

"His last run in the Lockinge he was left with no cover and over-raced, but I thought Danny gave him a peach-perfect ride today; it was brilliant from the word go and watching the race was one of the easiest I've done here, because there was never a moment I thought we were in trouble."

It was an agonizing defeat for Silvestre de Sousa on Beat The Bank, made even more so for the champion jockey as he received a seven-day ban and £1,050 fine for his use of the whip on the runner-up.

Lord Glitters a Specialist Over an Ideal Course

The Queen Anne may have been bereft of a magnificent miler who has dominated the division but the plot more than made up for that.

Accidental Agent stood still, Silvestre de Sousa got too animated on Beat The Bank and picked up a ban and a fine, while Lord Glitters avenged his agonizing defeat in the race 12 months previously by swooping late to lead home a blanket finish of seemingly unfancied outsiders. There was drama at the start and more was to come at the finish.

Rewind a year and Lord Glitters failed by half a length to reel in Accidental Agent. With his conqueror that day losing all chance at the start, his job was simplified ever so slightly and Danny Tudhope timed his challenge to perfection to register his third, and David O'Meara's fourth, royal winner.

The winning margin may have been small, just a neck, but O'Meara admitted afterwards that he never contemplated defeat at any stage during the race.

Lord Glitters is one of those horses who needs to be played late. Tudhope had to show his hand last. The braver you are, the bigger the pot. His Royal flush was worth over a quarter-of-a-million to connections here.

The winning rider added: "We had a lot of faith in this horse. We knew he was very talented; things just need to fall right for him. That's the way he needs to be ridden so you need luck on him."

Luck is not something that was dished out to Accidental Agent. He consented to move after a good few seconds but the birds had flown by that stage as One Master appeared poised to repeat her Qatar Prix de la Foret (G1) heroics as she hit a low of 1.16 in-running having stormed from last to first a furlong out. 

She did not get home, though, and it was left to Beat The Bank to try and beat Lord Glitters.

Andrew Balding's charge was brave as ever in defeat but he was robbed in a thrilling climax. Not only was De Sousa deprived of group 1 glory on the biggest stage of all but worse was to come as the stewards deemed he had used his whip above the permitted level inside the final two furlongs and dished out a hefty punishment.

The July 6 Coral-Eclipse Stakes (G1) could be next for Beat The Bank. 

"We're quite keen to try him over a mile and a quarter and we might look at the Eclipse Stakes next," said Andrew Balding.

But this was the day Lord Glitters eclipsed the best milers in the business. In his last five trips to Ascot he has been thrice second and has notched two wins. There are certainly worse courses to be a specialist at.