Latest news with #JeromeReynier
The Independent
31 minutes ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Lazzat fends off Satono Reve to deny Japan first triumph at Royal Ascot
French raider Lazzat broke Japanese hearts as he outbattled Satono Reve in a thrilling international finish to the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot. Satono Reve was sent off the 2-1 favourite to become the first Japanese winner at the Royal meeting and was travelling powerfully throughout the contest in the hands of Joao Moreira. However, it was Jerome Reynier's Lazzat, who made every yard in the hands of James Doyle, who stayed on strongest in the closing stages, striking on his first start for owners Wathnan Racing at odds of 9-2 to continue a fine week for both his rider and owners. There was drama after the finish as Lazzat unshipped Doyle as the pair returned to receive the Ascot applause, with the four-year-old running loose for some time before eventually being caught and safely returned to the stables. Lazzat was adding a second Group One win to his tally after landing last year's Prix Maurice de Gheest, but he had been beaten in Australia when sent on his travels at the end of the campaign. Reynier, saddling his first Royal Ascot winner, said: "He did (win at the top level) as a three-year-old in the Maurice de Gheest in Deauville but after having been all the way to Australia and Hong Kong, I was a bit scared that it was going to be tough to find Lazzat the same as he was but obviously we have been trying him over a mile to open his options, but he's a pure sprinter and we will stick to the sprinting distances over the straight courses for his future. "That was a pretty tough challenge (from Satono Reve). I've been watching all his races and he's always coming late and he's always running on but James had a really good feeling with the horse and when the Japanese came to him, he put his ears back and tried again and he said there was no way he was going to pass him today." Paddy Power cut Lazzat to 7-2 favourite from 8-1 for the July Cup at Newmarket, but Reynier feels that is an unlikely option. He added: "The July Cup is coming a little quickly I guess but maybe we'll defend his crown in the Maurice de Gheest, we've got the Sprint Cup (at Haydock) and we can be back here in October (Qipco British Champions Sprint) because he can handle any ground, if the ground is heavy he can do it then as well. "He's a very good champion. Today everything went right for once and we're happy to have a first Royal Ascot winner, especially for Wathnan and Nurlan Bizakov as a breeder. I'm very happy for the connections involved." Reflecting on Lazzat's post-race antics, Reynier said: "I was too happy to throw the winning sheet on him, he got a bit spooky and he obviously wasn't too tired after the race so he said 'let's have a spin around the track'! "We were so proud of him and wanted to be out on the track with him, but James was saying 'hi' to the crowd and was not paying attention maybe to what he was going to do. "He's a funny character, that is why he is Lazzat and he is our champion." While Deauville, Haydock and a return to Ascot look like being on Lazzat's short-to-medium term agenda, the trainer also has one eye on what would be a mouthwatering clash with Hong Kong's superstar sprinter Ka Ying Rising before the end of 2025. He added: "I would love to take him on one day. Let him fight in The Everest and all the big challenges he's got this year and maybe at the end of the year we can take him on in his home town at Sha Tin in the Hong Kong Sprint, why not? "If he can win two or three more Group Ones this year he'll definitely be the best sprinter in Europe and that would be a good thing." Doyle, riding his fourth winner of the week, said: "He just spooked at the winner's sheet and got loose for 15 minutes or so - not ideal, is it, but it shows he had a fair bit left! He's a quality horse. "What a horse race with the Japanese horse coming to join me near the line, and he really pinned his ears back and attacked the line, so he's got some talent and he wasn't going to get beaten today. "That was a first for me (being unseated like that), and it was a shame because it would have been nice to be able to come in with the horse, not by myself, but there we go. I did apologise to the King and Queen when I went to collect my prize and said I should have stayed in Pony Club a bit longer than I did, and we had a good laugh about that. "This was the one we wanted - it's a proper race and we've got a proper horse on our hands." PA
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Royal Ascot Jockey FLOORED by horse moments after winning race as King Charles III watches on in shock
James Doyle was shockingly floored by runner Lazzat as he celebrated their win on the final day of Royal Ascot. Doyle claimed victory with the French four-year-old in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes to complete a double after Humidity's win in the Chesham Stakes earlier on Saturday. But the jockey's celebrations were cut short after the 9-2 winner unshipped him moments after striding to victory. Lazzat, who is trained by Jerome Reynier and part-owned by the Emir of Qatar, then set off freely around the track, wildly galloping into the distance. Ascot staff desperately tried to chase Lazzat down but were unable to stop the four-year-old, who clearly had lots of energy left to burn. He was eventually retrieved and led to the winner's enclosure. "It's not a matador" 😆 Lazzat wants to continue the #RoyalAscot celebrations without James Doyle 😅 — ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 21, 2025 It came just moments after they held off favourite Satono Reve by just half a length to deny a first Japanese-trained winner at Royal Ascot and seal a first French win of the 2025 meeting. Doyle, 37, was unhurt despite being flung to the floor and laughed about it during his interview with ITV. Speaking after his win, he said: 'Trying to flash the sheet at him and he went around, but yeah, what can you say? 'I can't take any credit for this at all. Jerome and his team, they know all about him. 'His jockey from before, his young jockey in France, did a great job bringing him through the ranks. He also rode him in Australia when he ran such a good race in the Golden Eagle. We had all bases covered and I have to say that Jerome was very confident. 'He was saying all week: "Don't worry about the ground, he's fine". We mapped the pace out and I just thought: 'If I end up winning, I end up winning'. He [Reynier] said: "Don't worry, he won't stop". It worked out perfectly. 'I could feel him [Satono Reve] coming, but you won't get a more genuine horse than this. He really pinned his ears back when he joined me and he was always going to fend it off.' 'It does help when you get a double on the first day, you can just relax into it. If I had a pound for every time someone said to me: "That's it, the pressure is off"... but it's completely the opposite.
The Sun
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Extraordinary' Royal Ascot row breaks out as livid trainer blasts his own jockey over ‘terrible' ride
AN 'extraordinary' Royal Ascot row has broken out - after a jockey slated his own jockey over a 'terrible' ride. French handler Jerome Reynier was absolutely furious with US-based jockey Flavien Prat's effort on Facteur Cheval in Wednesday's Group 1 Prince of Wales's Stakes. 2 2 The six-year-old gelding, who has won almost £4million in his brilliant career, was sent off 25-1 for the 1m2f contest. But his trainer believed those odds were nowhere near a true reflection of his ability. And he clearly thought that the horse had a chance if Prat followed his instructions. However, that all appeared to go out the window early when Facteur Cheval chased breakneck 100-1 pace-setter Continuous. Facteur Cheval was later dropped back but unsurprisingly ran out of gas and finished a limp sixth of eight behind superstar winner Ombudsman. Reynier, still seething when speaking to the media days later, hit out at Prat's tactics - which, despite the disastrous effort, still netted the horse's owners £14,000. He said: "He (the horse) has come out of the race well, despite his jockey doing absolutely nothing to help him. "I think it was perhaps the worst ride given to one of my horses since I became a trainer. "In a race with loads of pace, he elected to lead the chase [of the pacemaker]. "He was the first to commit on the turn for home and launched his attack three wide with no cover and too far out. "He thought he was at Santa Anita or Del Mar where they have short straights and the tracks are flat. "And I don't think it was a judicious move to use a jockey who rides in that style. "It was just a terrible ride." French-bron Prat is one of America's top jockeys and had amassed prize money earnings there of more than £11m this calendar year alone. Over the course of his career in the States, Prat has recorded 1,995 wins and earned more than £150m in winnings. . Remember to gamble responsibly
