By Peter Moore at Royal Ascot Day 2 Wednesday 19th June 2024
A crowd of over 40,000 were treated to another excellent days racing on day two of Royal Ascot.
The main race of the day The Prince Of Wales Stakes was won by the Aidan O’Brien trained Auguste Rodin, ridden by Ryan Moore.
Having to fend of the late challenge from the French trained Zarakem and Horizon Dore, the four-year-old gained a sixth win in ten starts to bring up O,Brien’s 400th Group 1 winner.
Before the race there was doubts that the real Auguste Rodin wouldn’t turn up again after two disappointing runs this season, after winning the English Derby, Irish Derby and the Irish Champion Stakes as a three-year-old.
Today, he was back to his supreme best with Moore giving the colt another super ride to land yet another Group 1 for Moore who earlier rode Illinois to victory in the Queen’s Vase for O’Brien.
Not only did it give O’Brien his eighth win in the Queens vase it was also Moore’s sixth success in the race.
Another in for jockey at the moment is Oisin Murphy who bagged a double this afternoon when Running Lion won the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes and Wild Tiger was successful in the Royal Hunt Cup after Murphy got the better of top weight Sonny Liston under Rossa Ryan by a head.
Norther raider Karl Burke has a habit of winning big races down south and continued that stat when Leovanni followed up her win at Nottingham just two weeks ago by lifting the opener The Queen Mary Stakes with a one and three quarter lengths win over the Irish raider Mighty Eriu who was running on late, but failed to catch the winner.
Despite being beaten by a neck on her latest outing at Haydock, Doha got her head in front by a head to win the Kensington Palace Stakes for trainer Ralph Beckett.