Reports, reaction and free video replays from Royal Ascot as Garden Of Eden helped form a Thursday treble for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore.
Eden too good for Ribblesdale rivals
Garden Of Eden (7/1) provided Aidan O’Brien with a third successive win in the Ribblesdale Stakes.
It took the daughter of Saxon Warrior six goes to break her maiden but that first success came in a Listed race at Naas last time and she was an entirely different proposition on Thursday.
With the field ignoring her trailblazing stablemate Island Hopping, the race began in earnest over two furlongs out and it was soon clear that Ryan Moore had matters covered.
He pushed his mount to the front soon after and she stayed on powerfully to draw clear of 40/1 runner-up Understudy, with strong-travelling 2/1 favourite Catalina Delcarpio weakening into third.
Moore said: “Garden Of Eden was very impressive. She has been gradually improving. Aidan kept saying every time she steps up, she will get better.
“We went a hard pace and got a bit detached. She kind of dropped the bridle and ran in snatches. Billy [Lee on the favourite] sneaked down the inside but, when I asked her to quicken, Garden Of Eden quickened very well. Just typical Aidan – he keeps making them better."
Winning co-owner Michael Tabor added: “She has done it nicely – it probably wasn't the greatest renewal. It was a pleasant surprise, she wasn’t one that you’d set your stall by."
Understudy’s co-trainer Thady Gosden said: “She has run a very nice race there. It was only the third start of her life. She won well at Southwell last time out and it was a change of scene here today. She is a homebred of Bjorn Nielsen’s, with a very good pedigree. When they are upped as much in grade that quickly, you’re not quite sure how it will go, but we hoped she would run a good race, and she has."
Paddy Twomey said of the third: “Catalina Delcarpio is a lovely filly and ran a career best. She probably just didn’t see out the trip today, but I think when she is a little bit stronger and a little bit older, she will. She is just coming into herself and I think she will be a very good four-year-old. We side-stepped Epsom and races like that on purpose, because I think it was coming too soon for her.
"I doubt I will run her in the Irish Oaks. Maybe something like a Blandford Stakes on Irish Champions weekend, something like that, over 10 furlongs."
Darwin delivers for Ballydoyle in Norfolk
Earlier, Charles Darwin became O’Brien’s third two-year-old winner of the week with an authoritative success in the opening Norfolk Stakes on Thursday.
Sent off the 8/13 favourite, he fleetingly looked in trouble as Moore began to row along two furlongs out.
However, like stablemate Gstaad in the Coventry Stakes on the opening day, he found plenty off the bridle and went on to win by a widening two-and-a-quarter lengths from Charlie Appleby's Wise Approach (10/1).
Sandal's Song and Ameeq finished third and fourth at 9/1 and 100/1 respectively.
Moore told ITV Racing: “He’s a very professional horse with a super attitude. He jumped very quick - I tried to control him as best as I could – and when they came to me he picked up well.
“He's got a good brain and is a very mature, strong two-year-old. He’s doing everything right – we couldn’t be happier with him – and he will get six furlongs."
O'Brien added: “We knew he was very fast, and he’s a big powerful strong horse. He has a very good mind as well – he's very exciting. We hoped that he would get a lead but he was too fast. Ryan [Moore, jockey] does his own thing and he was very happy with how the horse powered through the line."
Charlie Appleby said of Wise Approach: “We felt we were probably drawn on the wrong side, but the most important part of today was for the future. I said to William, ‘today, just drop in, ride the race and get him to finish’. And he did all of that.
"Finishing second, you take the positives out of it and the positives are that he has run a really good race against a high-class horse in Charles Darwin. There is going to be a nice pot in this horse. He is versatile, five or six, but I think we could probably look to six now and ride a similar sort of race. I think he is learning with racing and doing it the right way around.”
Treble up for team Ballydoyle
Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore brought up a Thursday treble on the day as Trinity College justified 5/2 favouritism in the Hampton Court Stakes.
Sent straight to the front in the 10-furlong Group 3, Trinity College got an easy time of things on the front end, hugging the rail on the bend before skipping into a clear lead.
Tornado Alert was never too far off the speed and Godolphin's 9/1 chance stuck to his task well in second but was three and a half lengths adrift of the ready winner. The gelding Glittering Legend (11/1) battled bravely to take third having made some late ground from a mid-pack position.
O’Brien said: “Ryan gave Trinity College a beautiful ride. He had him in a lovely rhythm and, when he started getting him to move, he really kept going to the line, so you would be very happy with him now.
“Ryan was going to go forward. He does that a lot and is happy to be forward. I didn't ask him but I imagine Trinity College would be happy to get a lead as well. He got it exactly spot on.
“Trinity College would have a lot of options. He could be an Eclipse horse or an American Derby horse. I would say he is improving. We always thought he was a high enough class horse last year as a two-year-old, but things just didn't fall for him. He has probably matured and got stronger now."
O’Brien, who is closing in on 100 Royal Ascot winners, added: “One day at a time! It is great, and I am delighted for everybody. A lot of hard work goes in to each of those horses."
Moore said: “This is the way Trinity College has been ridden most of the time. He likes it that way. The day at Epsom, when we held on to him a little bit, he just hung down the camber. He is out of a very good mare [Hermosa] and we are learning about him.
“He quickened up very well and had the race in safe-keeping at the two – a smart colt. It was a big run in the French Derby and a quick turnaround. His mother sort of came out of nowhere and got better as a three-year-old, and he's a Dubawi – they usually progress."
Co-owner Paul Smith said: “This is really special. I am delighted for everybody. I think this is Ryan's first winner in my colours. Trinity College ran a super race in the French Derby. He was really strong from the front end there. Ryan got a great possy and quickened off the bend. It was quite an impressive run. He is a progressive horse who seems to like all surfaces. He gets the trip well, so it does open a lot of doors now."
Saeed bin Suroor said of Tornado Alert: “He ran well to finish sixth in the Derby, and now second in a nice race here is good. He is improving. We will see how he comes out of this, but we will look for a Group 3 race.”
James Fanshawe said of Glittering Legend: “He ran really well. He got a bump early on, which just set him alight a bit, but he dropped his head really well and kept on well. Unfortunately, I think he’s off to Hong Kong now, but he’s done really well. I think it will turn out to be a good race."
Haggas off mark via Merchant
3/1 favourite Merchant stayed on strongly to win the King George V Stakes.
Tom Marquand drove him to the front inside the distance and the William Haggas-trained colt was always going to stay there, running on well to score a length.
Serious Contender was second for O’Brien and Moore.
Marquand told ITV Racing: “That was very impressive. He’s improving and he's got a great mind. That win is because of William, he was very sure on how he wanted me to ride him, with a lot of confidence.
“We were well back in the race but we got a smooth passage and he’s a very good horse.
“The King George would be a big step up but he's on that sort of trajectory. He just doesn’t let you down – his mind is great. I’m delighted for the owners and the team at home – everyone puts so much in, so it means a lot.”
There was plenty of drama with Merchant in the build-up as Haggas, saddling his first winner of the week, explained.
“He coughed at exercise yesterday which he has never done before which put doubt in our minds. Then he slipped in the saddling box and held his leg so he was trotted up twice and I said to Tom, if you have any doubts on the way down to the start then take him out," he said.
“It’s not all plain sailing so when they win it’s absolutely fantastic and I’m pleased to bits. He’s a nice horse – he did well today, he's progressive and didn’t mind the ground.
“I think he’s improving and that’s what every trainer wants. Who knows how far he will go? But he’s going in the right direction."
Royal delight for Bin Suroor
Arabian Story landed a decent gamble under Oisin Murphy in the Britannia Stakes.
Claiming a famous 40th Royal Ascot success for trainer Saeed bin Suroor, the lightly-raced son of Invincible Spirit went off a well-backed 15/2 under four-time champion jockey Oisin Murphy and held on grimly from 7/1 chance La Botte, who didn't get a smooth passage on the nearside rail in the hands of Jamie Spencer.
Fearnot (12/1) was third and Dividend fourth at 50/1.
Winning jockey Oisin Murphy told ITV Racing: “Saeed [Bin Suroor, trainer] told me a couple of weeks ago that I should go to Chelmsford to ride him.
“He’s a very nice horse and I said I liked him so we planned this.
“The horse was perfect today and I’m delighted to win.
“I’m over the moon [for the trainer].”
Saeed Bin Suroor added: “He won it well and it’s the best feeling.
“We took him to Dubai and he improved a lot there. We liked the way he worked in the mornings and I told Oisin to just keep him handy. He is a different class – he rides the horses like a class jockey."
Murphy claims second big handicap
Oisin Murphy landed his second major handicap prize of the day when steering heavily-supported 4/1 favourite Never So Brave to a clearcut victory in the closing Buckingham Palace Stakes.
Formerly trained by Sir Michael Stoute, the four-year-old was unlucky not to open his account at the first attempt for Andrew Balding at Chester last month and duly went one better in fine style, scorching up the stands' side to win by two and a quarter lengths from 7/1 chance Akkadian Thunder.
Holguin (16/1) finished third, Myal (18/1) was fourth and Ryan Moore's mount Divine Libra (14/1) had to settle for fifth, having been sixth in the same race 12 months ago.
Balding said: “Never So Brave was gelded over the winter, which may have helped him, but I know Sir Michael always had a high opinion of him. He ran in the Jersey Stakes last year and was probably a Group horse in a handicap today.
“I think the key to him is to try to get him to relax at an early stage of the race. He has an excellent turn of foot if he can do that. He has been easy to train, although the guys at home have done a brilliant job because he is not a very patient horse. He wants to get up the gallops first and get his exercise done. They have done a lovely job with him.”
Never So Brave's impressive win provided one lucky Sky Bet punter with an incredible payout of almost £24,000 from a £40 stake.
The stunning bet was a £20 each-way accumulator which also included Garden Of Eden, Arabian Story and the Gold Cup hero Trawlerman. All selections were backed at SP and it returned £23,766.85.
Sky Bet's Head of Sports PR said: "What a fantastic result for this customer who struck gold on a glorious day down at Royal Ascot. The sun certainly shone for them and I hope they were able to enjoy a glass of something refreshing to help celebrate."
More from Sporting Life
- Free bets
- Racecards
- Fast results
- Full results and free video replays
- Horse racing news
- Horse racing tips
- Horse racing features
- Download our free iOS and Android app
- Football and other sports tips
- Podcasts and video content
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at and .
