Royal Ascot 2025: Docklands starts with bang to win Queen Anne Stakes

Yahoo

4 hours ago

Docklands (14-1) went one better than 12 months ago to just deny 5-2 favourite Rosallion with victory in the opening contest to Royal Ascot 2025, the Queen Anne Stakes.
The Harry Eustace-trained five-year-old, who had been second to Charyn in the opening Group One of the Royal meeting last year, continued his love affair with Ascot by just getting the better of a thrilling duel. Under Australian jockey Mark Zahra, Docklands was sat towards the rear of the field for much of the race as Lockinge Stakes winner Lead Artist and Quddwah were near the head of affairs. But as Richard Hannon's Rosallion, who won the St James's Palace Stakes on this day 12 months ago, made his move on the outside a couple of furlongs from home under Sean Levey, Docklands was also picking his way through the field on the inside.
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About a furlong from home Rosallion hit the front but Docklands quickly went to catch the market leader. And as the pair pulled clear and battled together it was Docklands who just got the verdict by a nose. Cairo, the 100-1 outsider of the 10-strong field, came through to grab third a further length-and-three-quarters-of-a-length back in third. Last year's 2,000 Guineas hero Notable Speech (4-1), for Godlophin trainer Charlie Appleby and Liverpool FC-supporting rider William Buick, was half-a-length back in third.
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Docklands has now won three times over course and distance at Ascot as well as finishing runner-up three times and third in a handicap. But it was a first success at the top level for the admirable miler.
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It was a third Royal Ascot winner for trainer Eustace, but a first in a Group One. And he said: 'I don't know if it will sink in for a bit! There were a lot of nerve-wracking moments during the race, I have to say. I wasn't happy with the pace early on; he did his usual thing, was a step slow, and I kept cursing him, if I'm honest. But he's an absolute star, he loves this racetrack and because they went slow, they probably got racing a bit further out. It's very special. When he was second here, we knew we were coming back for another go.
'At the furlong marker I thought Rosallion was really coming to us, but he was so brave in that last furlong. He has been frustrating, but only because I've felt he maybe deserved to win the odd race that he should have done, but luckily he loves this track
'It's just all come together, as racing does, it all happened well. I feel for Richard Kingscote who's been on him the last couple of times – there's no drama there, it's just that Mark [Zahra] has had this lined up for a little while. In a curious way, he got trapped in a pocket at Epsom and didn't have a hard race, and came here spot on. I'm glad he got beat at Epsom and won at Ascot.
'There were multiple Group One winners in there, the Guineas winners from last year, we were the most exposed horse, probably, but he loves the track. That's a big, big plus and he tries bloody hard!'
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Aussie rider Zahra, who has won the Melbourne Cup twice with on Gold Trip (2022) and Without A Fight (2023), was landing his first winner at Royal Ascot. He said: "I was so scared about the whip rules I thought it would just be easier to throw it away at the 200 [metres]!
"It was a very slow, slow speed and I just crept as much as I could and just got room at the right time and he burst through and kept responding, kept responding. Amazing, what an amazing feeling. Unbelievable. I've got to thank the boys that put me on him. One of the top days of my career for sure."
He added: "He just kept finding, he's a very tough horse, obviously loves this track, Harry's done a great job and no better feeling in the world. Hearing all the Aussies over the fence, even though the horse is English you'd have thought he was Aussie by all the screams; amazing experience for unbelievable people.
"He's [Eustace} been pumping me up the whole way. I just started this meeting for a trip on the way to Ibiza so for it to turn into a massive win like this is just very special. The closer we got the more he filled me with confidence and he was right.
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"Both his runs [this season] have been really good. I rode him in Hong Kong with blinkers, blinkers off and just looking at him in the field, he's a completely different horse today."
Docklands and Rosallion could resume their rivalry again at Glorious Goodwood in the Group One Sussex Stakes at the end of next month. Docklands is a best-priced 7-1 to land another Group One with Rosallion 5-1 favourite with the same firm to get his revenge.
Rosallion's trainer Hannon was magnanimous in defeat, saying: "He's still a top-class miler. I thought he had it. Well done to the winners. It was an extremely good race and he did everything but win, you can't ask for much more than that; he did us proud and we're delighted. I'll be alright in 10 minutes. It does [hurt] and so it should. He's beaten an awful lot of champions in that, hit the front, got done on the line, horrible but no one died and he's run a great race. We're pleased. Yeah {in response to 'will we see him in the Sussex?'}, all of those and maybe that will be a sweeter day."
On fourth home Notable Speech, trainer Appleby added: 'It's disappointing when you have a race like that and they've gone the pace they have. That's racing – I've seen it many times before and we will see it plenty of times going forward. From our point of view, it was a bit hard to watch. He was sat there, travelling like he was, and you knew it was going to turn into a sprint. When you have to start maneuvering left to right and they are sprinting, you know you are losing momentum and ground.
'We will put it behind us and he has run a solid race. I take on board what William said afterwards and, if you wanted to pigeon-hole him into a trip now that he is older and stronger, then seven furlongs is his gig. I still wouldn't walk away without taking a good strong view of the Sussex again, but we all know the City Of York Stakes is going to be one hell of a race this year.'