8 hours ago
Delight for Twomey after maiden Royal Ascot winner
They say you always remember your first, and the old saying rings truer than ever at a place like Royal Ascot.
Paddy Twomey's first winner at the meeting was certainly one he, or many others, won't forget as Carmers retained his unbeaten status by powering to victory in the Queen's Vase.
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It was perhaps a sign of what might be to come, as much as the win itself, with the three-year-old now touted as a potential Gold Cup contender having lowered the Queen's Vase course record on a sweltering Wednesday.
Carmers stepped up after wins at Ballinrobe and Navan in May, and Twomey hopes it is a trajectory that continues.
'He is a horse that was just ready to run this spring,' he said. 'He was a little bit immature in Ballinrobe but he put up a more polished performance in Navan and he has built on that again today.
'He is a strong horse who is taking training well. He has responded every time I have stepped up and asked him a question. I'd like to think he will keep improving.
'I've never had a runner in the Gold Cup, if he is the one that brings me there I'd be happy with that.
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'He is obviously going to have an entry in the St Leger; we will see. He has ran three times, won three times, and hopefully he continues doing that.
'We have nice horses and good owners, and it's fantastic to be able to come here with them.'
It was a Green Team double act in the second race of the day, as Co. Tipperary's Twomey teamed up with Limerick man Billy Lee, who guided Carmers home with some style.
Lee stuck to the rail and Carmers had the legs and the heart to carry himself home to an impressive victory.
'The race went to plan all the way,' said Lee. 'Carmers jumped well and had a great position. I was able to just hack away, but I got him rolling early from five out just to get him going forward; he takes a while to build up a head of steam and I knew he would stay well.
'I wanted to stretch them, so I was always going to try to make it a stamina test. You can see him there pricking his ears going to the line, just doing enough.
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'Staying was always going to be a forte of his. He is so laid back, he wouldn't pass out the dog at home.
'He is just that type of character and saves plenty. I knew when I got stuck into him he'd keep finding.'
'It is great for the Irish lads to be riding winners here. Paddy is a big part now of my career and it's great to deliver his first Royal Ascot winner. Hopefully, this is the first of many.'
There was further Irish success as Aidan O'Brien picked up yet another winner, this time a first triumph in the Queen Mary Stakes as True Love conquered the heat with Ryan Moore on board.
It was a second winner of the meeting for the O'Brien and Moore combination, after Gstaad won the Coventry Stakes on Tuesday, and the Ballydoyle man hinted at more to come.
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'She is a big, mature, strong filly; walking around the ring, she was like a four-year-old, and that's not making little of anything else,' he said.
'She is just so big, mature and scopey. She is something to look forward to.'
The day rounded off with another Ascot winner for Oisin Murphy, who notched number 16 of his career in the Kensington Palace Stakes.
Murphy timed his finish to perfection on Miss Information to leave no doubt as to the winner of Wednesday's penultimate race.
It was Murphy's first winner of the 2025 meeting, and he is keen to add to his impressive tally later this week.
'Everyone wants to win at this meeting,' he said. 'Hopefully we can get a few more.'
