'Worldwide superstar' horse takes earnings to over €12.5m with Royal Ascot win

Irish Daily Mirror

21-06-2025

Rebel's Romance took his career earnings to over €12.5million after winning the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot on Saturday. The seven-year-old belatedly got Charlie Appleby off the mark at this year's meeting with a typically determined display.
Having clinched his greatest victory on home turf in last month's Yorkshire Cup, Rebel's Romance was a hot pick at 6-4 to bag another win with William Buick in the saddle.
Fans backing the favourite were put at ease as Rebel's Romance travelled strongly throughout the race and surged to a clear victory, winning by one and three-quarter lengths over Al Riffa, with Ghostwriter nabbing third place.
Trainer Appleby, who was yearning for an Ascot triumph after a dry spell since 2022 and had seen his fair share of well-fancied horses like Notable Speech, Ruling Court, Cinderella's Dream, and Treanmor fall short earlier in the week, expressed his elation at finally making it back to the winner's circle at a major event.
"Rebel's Romance is a worldwide superstar. I've got a picture of this fellow on my bedside table. He means that much to us all," said the Moulton Paddocks handler.
"He's the only horse I know that you can take to Hong Kong and he'll get you into any bar and restaurant! You can get in anywhere on the back of Rebel's Romance.
"As William says, he's his best friend and they have that great rapport there. You couldn't get two more willing partners together.
"I have to give credit to the team at home. When you have an older horse, to keep them sound and keep them going, for him to have his enthusiasm year after year at this level.
"As they get older they all taper, as we all do, that's expected. He might get a bit slower but his enthusiasm and his heart does not falter one iota."
Reflecting on the week, Appleby added: "You can come here thinking you're fully loaded and have great chances, and you can walk away with excuses, but that's racing. I would like to think that we compose ourselves well, we take it on the chin and then we look forward to moving on.
"Once something comes to Rebel's Romance, he finds. You very rarely get a horse that when it gets into the red, he still goes.
"If there was one horse that you were having to roll your last dice on in this game, it was going to be him. Win, lose or draw he's going to go out there and go out on his sword for you."
Joseph O'Brien was proud of the performance of runner-up Al Riffa, saying: 'Fantastic run, probably unlucky to meet a horse like Rebel's Romance in that race, but we're very proud of our horse, who is a real star for us and he's run his legs off for us again today.
'Hopefully there will be plenty more big days with him to come this season. He's a beautiful horse and he always runs to a rating not too far off 120, and it's hard to find horses like that.
'I wouldn't be against trying a little bit further with him – he's got plenty of stamina in his pedigree. I think we'll probably think outside the box with him a little bit now.'
The Clive Cox-trained Ghostwriter was sold for £2million on the eve of the Royal meeting and shaped with plenty of encouragement in his first start in the Amo Racing colours.
Owner Kia Joorabchian said: 'That was the first time at that trip (mile and a half) and I think he has handled that trip very well.
'I'm definitely not disappointed because probably that's one of his best runs ever. Clearly he's got very strong heart and I think he's going to give us a lot of fun.'
On what the future holds for the four-year-old, he added: 'He like the (fast) ground so maybe somewhere like America, Australia, those kinds of places he'd relish.
'No decisions from us, but we are very pleased with his run and I think he's managed to prove that the amount that we invested in him was worth it.
'Of course you'd like to win, but being beaten by a horse that has won the Sheema Classic, the Breeders' Cup, big races in Qatar, that horse is a massive horse and I'm happy for Charlie – he's broken his duck before me!"