Havana Gold’s Chipotle Strikes For Windsor Castle Triumph

Eve Johnson Houghton trainee Chipotle (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) annexed Doncaster's Mar. 27 Brocklesby on debut before making light of a three-pound penalty in an Apr. 28 conditions test over Ascot's five-furlong strip, but was compromised by soft conditions when relinquishing his perfect record in Sandown's May 27 Listed National S. last time. The Tattersalls Ascot yearling, purchased by Johnson Houghton for a bargain 10,000gns, went postward at odds of 22-1 for Wednesday's Listed Windsor Castle S., but was off script at the break and left trailing on the far side after missing his cue from the supposedly doomed one box. Sneaking forward from halfway, he quickened smartly for the overall lead with 100 yards remaining and was driven out to dip under the magic minute and secure a career high by 2 1/4 lengths from Dig Two (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}).

“He's a horse that trains himself, he travels and when you ask him off he goes,” explained Johnson Houghton. “He's an absolute dude of a horse and didn't enjoy the soft ground at Sandown last time. All through the day I felt we couldn't win from stall one, but then after the [Royal] Hunt Cup [won by Real World from stall four] I thought we did have a chance. Charlie [Bishop] had the courage to stay on the far side and, off a rattling fast pace, he really picked up.”

Bishop and Johnson Houghton joined forces to snag this meet's 2018 G1 Queen Anne S. with Accidental Agent (GB) (Delegator {GB}) and the rider added, “I was quite keen to get a level break, but he bunny hopped when the stalls opened. I had to be patient, but I got a dream run through. We've always liked him and we never pressed any buttons when he won the Brocklesby and that [conditions] race here. He didn't like the soft at Sandown and, to be honest, I didn't give him the best of rides. Eve's a brilliant trainer and I feel quite emotional that she's kept the faith with me.”

Chipotle is one of two scorers from as many foals produced by a daughter of Aunty Mary (GB) (Common Grounds {GB}), herself a winning half-sister to MG1SW European champion Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}). Attraction is the dam of MGSW G2 York S. victor Elarqam (GB) (Frankel {GB}), G3 Sapphire S.-winning sire Fountain of Youth (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and dual US Grade III runner-up Cushion (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). Chipotle's dam Lightsome (GB) (Makfi {GB}) is a half-sister to G3 Firth of Clyde S. second Mary's Daughter (GB) (Royal Applause {GB}) and a full-sister to the dam of last term's G3 Naas Fillies' Sprint runner-up Sussex Garden (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). The April-foaled bay shares his second dam Flirtation (GB) (Pursuit of Love {GB}) with stakes-winning G2 T von Zastrow Stutenpreis placegetter Titi Makfi (GB) (Makfi {GB}). From the family of G1 Prix de la Salamandre-winning sire Lord of Men (GB) (Groom Dancer), Flirtation is a half-sister to stakes-winning G2 Prix de Royallieu third Carmita (GB) (Caerleon) and to the dam of G3 Polar Cup scorer You Never Know (Swe) (Diaglyphard).

Wednesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
WINDSOR CASTLE S.-Listed, £65,000, Ascot, 6-16, 2yo, 5fT, :59.78, g/f.
1–CHIPOTLE (GB), 129, c, 2, by Havana Gold (Ire)
1st Dam: Lightsome (GB), by Makfi (GB)
2nd Dam: Aunty Mary (GB), by Common Grounds (GB)
3rd Dam: Flirtation (GB), by Pursuit of Love (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (4,500gns RNA Wlg '19 TATFOA; 10,000gns Ylg '20 TATASY). O-The Woodway 20; B-Theakston Stud (GB); T-Eve Johnson Houghton; J-Charles Bishop. £38,480. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $72,500.
2–Dig Two (Ire), 129, c, 2, Cotai Glory (GB)–Vulnicura (Ire), by Frozen Power (Ire). (€13,000 Wlg '19 TATFBR; £28,000 Ylg '20 TATIRY). O-Lit Lung Lee; B-Ballybrennan Stud Ltd (IRE); T-Hugo Palmer. £14,554.
3–Boonie (Ire), 129, c, 2, Brazen Beau (Aus)–Dice Game (GB), by Shamardal. O-Seymour Bloodstock & Mark Balnaves; B-Seymour Bloodstock (IRE); T-Kevin Ryan. £7,274.
Margins: 2 1/4, HD, NK. Odds: 22.00, 7.00, 18.00.
Also Ran: Bond Chairman (GB), Armor (GB), Kaboo, Ruthin (GB), Guilded (Ire), Albion Square (GB), Home City (Ire), Admiral D (Ire), Barging Thru (GB), Ernie's Valentine (GB), Amalfi Coast (Ire), Superior Force (GB), Golden Bell, Amazonian Dream (Ire), Robasta (Ire), Poderoso (Ire), Flaming Rib (Ire), Royal Emerther (Ire), Freyabella (GB), Spring Is Sprung (Fr), Silks Pass (GB), Dusky Prince (Ire), Lord Gorgeous (Ire), Bicep (Ire). Scratched: Tipperary Sunset (GB). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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Love Shows Her Heart In Prince Of Wales’s Stakes

Love was all heart when making all under jockey Ryan Moore in the G1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes, the highlight on day two of Royal Ascot. The victory earned her an expenses-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Turf this fall at Del Mar.

Racing for the first time in her 4-year-old campaign, much was expected of the 11/10 favorite following victories in the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks last season. Ridden with confidence by Moore – who was recording a 63rd Royal Ascot win – Love kept finding more to repel all challengers and run out a comfortable three-quarter length winner from 2020 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf winner Audarya (10/1).

Love provided trainer Aidan O'Brien with a 75th Royal Ascot success, and owners Coolmore were celebrating a fourth win in this prestigious ten-furlong contest, following Highland Reel, So You Think and Duke Of Marmalade.

O'Brien said: “Obviously this was her first run of the year and we had to be very cautious. We knew that she was going to come on a lot from the run and Ryan gave her a beautiful ride.

“We'd obviously would have preferred to have a run, but that's her first time over a mile and a quarter and we were over the moon with her.

“She's very genuine, very brave. Ryan was trying to balance it, and he knew that Armory was going to be very fancied, so he was just trying to do enough, and not to do too much. He was trying to do the right thing for Love. We are over the moon.

“We knew that her head was out and down and looking at Ryan's body language, he hadn't gone for everything. He was trying to let her win and give her as easy time as he could.

“She will come on a lot [for that]. Obviously, we had prepared her two or three times and stopped and started again, which is far from ideal, but I'm delighted that the lads decided to do this – to wait until the ground came right. It was a lovely place to start, Royal Ascot – there's nowhere better.”

Regarding her next target, he added: “I think everything is open to her, the King George, the Eclipse, whatever the lads decide and whatever they want to do.”

Moore said: “It is great to have Love back. She was a wonderful filly at three, and it's a long time since she ran in the Yorkshire Oaks. That is her first run since last August and she's beaten a Breeders' Cup winner.

“It was great to get her back today and I'm sure she will come on for the run. She's a very honest filly with a lot of ability and hopefully she will be better as the year goes on.”

James Fanshawe said of the second: “I am delighted with Audarya; it's her first run of the season, as it is for Love, and we weren't sure how she'd get on. She's proved she's progressed again from last year and I'm thrilled with her. Actually William [Buick] said the pace wasn't that strong; I don't know if that made any difference.

“I'm not sure what's next – I'll go home and think about it. You'd say keep her against her own sex, but she's been beaten by her own sex, but whether we go for the Romanet or the Nassau or something like that, I'm not sure.”

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Eclipse Thoroughbreds’ Quick Suzy Runs Down Ward Trainee In Queen Mary

Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Quick Suzy lived up to her name when winning the opening G2 Queen Mary Stakes on day two of Royal Ascot, a first success at the meeting for both jockey Gary Carroll and trainer Gavin Cromwell.

The Wesley Ward-trained US challenger Twilight Gleaming (9/4 fav) was expected to go close in the five-furlong contest for 2-year-old fillies, but she lacked the finishing burst of Quick Suzy (8/1) who finished best in a race that developed up the stands' side rail.

Twilight Gleaming held on for second, beaten a length and a quarter, with Cheerupsleepyjean (50/1) closing fast for third.

Cromwell, who is one of Ireland's leading Jump trainers, said: “Royal Ascot is such an occasion and to have a winner, it's fantastic.

“I was very confident Quick Suzy was going to run a big race, but where she lay with the English or the American horses, we didn't know until we came here.

“She won her maiden well, it was only an auction maiden and it wouldn't carry as much weight, but she then went to a G2 in Naas [Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint Stakes] and finished second. She showed blistering pace and we thought plenty of her.

“I'm not a known as a trainer of 2-year-olds or sprinters, so it was very hard to tell but I knew she was in great nick. This goes down to the staff at home and the big effort they have put in.

“The plan was she would remain with me until Royal Ascot and then go to America. Maybe we can twist the owners' arm and go for the Breeders' Cup with her.”

Carroll said: “Fair play to Gavin, three-mile Stayers' Hurdle to five furlongs at Ascot – he can do it. She was very good today.

“She didn't have the best prep, but to be fair he got her here spot on today. She travelled well, travelled very easy – I thought we didn't go quick enough. I knew she'd get to the line well today and would probably outstay the American horse.

“She jumped well and I thought the American horse would be going a really good gallop and that I'd be chasing, but I actually sat close to the American horse and every step of the way I was waiting, waiting, and then when I got inside the two, the American horse got maybe half a length on me and I chased her down. I just outbattled her to the line, and we actually got to the line well. She's a very good filly.

He added: “This means a lot – the season's going very well so far, but you need these big winners really to put yourself on the platform, so it's great to get it. Especially today, with the crowds – it's a long time since we've felt an atmosphere like that, and it was magical.

“If I could have extended the walkway back in, I would have – I soaked it all up and it was great. It hasn't really sunk in yet, but it was a magic race to win, with such prestige; it's what jockeys dream of.”

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Galileo’s Love Hangs Tough In The Prince Of Wales’s

Long absent and much-missed, Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) returned to the big time at Royal Ascot on Wednesday and had to be as tenacious as she is classy to see off Audarya (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) under a perfectly-judged front-running ride in the G1 Prince of Wales's S., a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf this fall. Last year's G1 1000 Guineas, G1 Epsom Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine had been denied what had looked to be a match with Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) after that rival was withdrawn in the morning, but instead was put through the wringer by the G1 Prix Jean Romanet and GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Audarya as the fillies came to the fore. Always comfortable on the lead, the 11-10 favourite appeared temporarily in trouble at the top of the straight but kept digging in against the rail to prevail by 3/4 of a length from the James Fanshawe trainee who is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with in her own right. Love's stablemate Armory (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) finished on their heels in third, beaten the same margin. “It was her first run since last August and she beat a Breeders' Cup winner,” Moore said. “I'm sure she'll improve, but I'm delighted with her today. She's a very honest filly with a lot of ability.”

Love, who was Ryan Moore's last European group 1-winning ride for Ballydoyle when taking the Yorkshire Oaks in August, first came to the fore when winning the G3 Silver Flash S. over seven furlongs at Leopardstown in July 2019. Fifth in the G2 Debutante S. at The Curragh before bouncing back to take the G1 Moyglare Stud S., she ended her juvenile campaign with a third in the G1 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket in October prior to her perfect three-race 3-year-old campaign. She had to prove herself again here against a filly that has emerged from relative obscurity to regular in the highest league in the space of a year and had to do it on her own in front, but the ground was at least ideal for her to flow along and play catch-me-if-you-can.

Registering a 75th Royal Ascot victory, Aidan O'Brien said, “It was a little bit of a risk coming here with her first time, as often when you prepare them and then don't run them it can be a little bit tricky but we knew she was ready to run even if she wasn't cherry-ripe today. It was lovely to start her on beautiful ground and where better to start? When you do that you are a little bit vulnerable, so we're delighted with her. Ryan gave her a lovely ride–he had a balancing act, as he knew a good pace was going to suit Armory and she is very versatile and had made the running before. Ryan was happy to get a lead if someone wanted to, but it just happened that there wasn't anyone willing to. What was unusual when we were tacking her up was that we put a 52 girth on her and it wouldn't fit her, so we had to go back for a 54. That's unusual for a filly like her and obviously she's really filled into her chest. It's unusual to get a big, deep-girthed filly like that. She can go anywhere, there is the [July 24 G1] King George [VI and Queen Elizabeth S.] and the [G1] Eclipse [at Sandown July 3] and any of those races. She'll be very happy staying at this distance and also be happy going back up to a mile and a half, so we'll see what the lads want to do and how she comes out of this race. Armory had to be ridden patiently and gently and ran a great race, he just didn't quite get there.”

Audarya's trainer James Fanshawe said of the runner-up, “We are all absolutely thrilled–she's proven that she's progressed again from last year and is a really exciting prospect for the rest of the year. It looked at the furlong pole that we were going to give her a race and William said the pace wasn't actually that strong. We'll have a think about her next race, whether it's the [Aug. 22 G1 Prix] Jean Romanet or the [July 29 G1] Nassau [at Goodwood]. It'll be one of those races and we'll try and space them out.”

Love is a half-sister to Lucky Kristale (GB) (Lucky Story), who captured the G2 Lowther S. and G2 Cherry Hinton S., and a full-sister to this stable's G3 Stanerra S. winner Flattering (Ire) and the G3 Munster Oaks scorer Peach Tree (Ire). The dam Pikaboo (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) is a half-sister to the seven-furlong specialist and dual G2 Park S.-winning sire Arabian Gleam (GB) and the listed-winning and group-placed sprinter Kimberella (GB) by Pivotal's son Kyllachy (GB). She is also kin to Light Quest (Quest For Fame {GB}), who produced the G3 Prix Fille de l'Air scorer Skia (Fr) (Motivator {GB})–in turn responsible for the G2 Fuji S. winner and G1 Dubai Turf runner-up Vin de Garde (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn})–and the Singapore Gold Cup winner Tropaios (GB) (Excellent Art {GB}). Pikaboo is also a half to Cute (GB) (Diktat {GB}), the dam of the Listed Midsummer S. winner and G1 Prix d'Ispahan third Pogo (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}). This is also the family of the G1 English and Irish 2000 Guineas-winning champion miler and sire Don't Forget Me (Ire) (Ahonoora {GB}).

Wednesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
PRINCE OF WALES'S S.-G1, £700,000, Ascot, 6-16, 4yo/up, 9f 212yT, 2:06.86, g/f.
1–LOVE (IRE), 123, f, 4, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Pikaboo (GB), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Gleam of Light (Ire), by Danehill
3rd Dam: Gold Runner, by Runnett (GB)
O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £396,970. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur at 11-14f & G1SW-Ire, 11-7-1-1, $1,488,088. *Full to Peach Tree (Ire), GSW-Ire, $142,207; and Flattering (Ire), GSW-Ire, SP-Eng; and 1/2 to Lucky Kristale (GB) (Lucky Story), MGSW-Eng, $288,793. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Audarya (Fr), 123, m, 5, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Green Bananas (Fr), by Green Tune. (€125,000 Ylg '17 AROYRG). O-Mrs A M Swinburn; B-SARL Haras d'Ecouves (FR); T-James Fanshawe. £150,500.
3–Armory (Ire), 126, c, 4, Galileo (Ire)–After (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £75,320.
Margins: 3/4, 3/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 1.10, 10.00, 2.50.
Also Ran: My Oberon (Ire), Desert Encounter (Ire), Sangarius (GB). Scratched: Lord North (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by TVG.

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