Royal Ascot got very regal indeed on Thursday but not enough to prevent little known Co Westmeath trainer Adrian Murray from gatecrashing the establishment with a shock 150-1 winner.
The one-time dairy farmer from near Mullingar saddled Valiant Force to land the Group Two Norfolk Stakes and equal the biggest ‘SP’ ever seen at Royal Ascot.
Ridden by Irishman Rossa Ryan, the colt owned by Amo Racing, broke his maiden in style by over a length, beating the 66-1 Malc with the 7-4 favourite Elite Status back in third.
For Murray, who saddled a 125-1 winner at Fairyhouse last year, and has branched into flat racing only relatively recently, it was an astonishing outcome.
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“It’s brilliant, I just cannot believe it. I fell into racing by accident, I’m just speechless,” he said.
“We knew he was a nice horse and we couldn’t believe the price. He was only beaten half a length by His Majesty (fourth) first time out and he was 150-1 today – it just didn’t make sense!
“I knew he was much better than that. It’s the stuff of dreams. It’s great for the small man,” Murray added.
His Majesty’s team of Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore quickly restored the old order when Warm Heart later secured the Ribblesdale on a day when royalty of different types came to the fore.
A first Royal Ascot with King Charles III on the throne saw the new monarch watch his first winner at the meeting as an owner.
Desert Hero weaved his way through the field to edge out Joseph O’Brien’s Valiant King by a head in a thrilling King George V Stakes. The latter’s jockey, Oisin Murphy, got a three-day careless riding ban.
If the significance of success for a figure possessing only a fraction of his late mother’s passion for the sport was lost on few, no one could overlook the impact of Frankie Dettori’s ninth Gold Cup victory in his final Royal Ascot.
If last year’s race prompted a temporary split with John Gosden due to Dettori’s ride on Stradivarius, this time the old firm struck in style with the unbeaten if inexperienced Courage Mon Ami.
The 15-2 shot had three-parts of a length in hand of Coltrane at the line to prompt umpteen puns about Dettori’s unofficial status as King of Ascot.
“I didn’t expect it. The last five years I had Stradivarius so the pressure was on. This one I thought was a bit of a chancer, coming from handicaps, but John was confident.
“I didn’t believe it, but he’s pulled a rabbit out of the hat. He’s a great trainer and he does things like that. Sometimes if I don’t believe it, I just go along with it!” Dettori said.
Desert Hero’s jockey Tom Marquand doubled up in the Hampton Court aboard the Derby sixth Waipiro.
Jamie Spencer bridged a five-year gap between Royal Ascot winners when pouncing late on the 50-1 shot Witch Hunter in the concluding Buckingham Palace Stakes.
