James McDonald guided another supposed Wathnan Racing second string to victory as he teamed up with the William Haggas-trained Opportunity in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes.
Giving a daring ride from stall one, Opportunity tracked Warrant Holder (16/5) turning for home before switching towards the rail to challenge the Royal runner. The duo pulled clear on the run to the line, with Opportunity scoring by almost two lengths. Regal Ulixes (22/1) was three lengths further back in third.
Opportunity was off the track for 11 months after disappointing in last year’s King Edward VII Stakes and built on an encouraging return at Ascot by readily landing a competitive handicap at Carlisle last month.
It was a second winner of the week for McDonald, who rode Map Of Stars to victory in the Listed Wolferton Stakes on Tuesday.
Richard Brown of Wathnan Racing said: “I wish something else was second! But we are obviously all sportsmen. That was a very thrilling race to watch. We were very worried about the draw – it is difficult from 1. James had to be patient there. A gap opened, it stayed open up the inside, we were lucky about that, and Opportunity finished very strongly.
“We have always had a high opinion of this horse. He was a horse that William always held in very high regard. We thought he was a Stakes-calibre horse and, hopefully, he has shown today that he is. We do not hide how important this meeting is for us and the powers that be, so it is great to get the third one on the board. We are absolutely delighted.
“The jockey is not a bad number two, is he? I feel sorry for Doyler [James Doyle] because he was originally on this horse but switched after the draw. Doyler is a great team player. He rode the Ribblesdale winner yesterday and these are all his horses to ride when it is over. It is tough on him, but we will battle on.”
Maureen Haggas, assistant to her husband, said: “I was just thinking what a fantastic ride James gave him. Opportunity is not the most straightforward horse. It is all down to James, really.
“This week is everything for Wathnan, so he was always going to run here if there was a race for him, and this was the race. He is a talented horse and they have been very patient with him. He took a long time to mature, and he has really come of age today.
“They have done a brilliant job with him at home – he has been very hard to keep condition on, and the head lads have done really well with him. He is not the most straightforward horse, but James made him look easy.”
McDonald said: “I didn’t know about the negatives of stall one – it’s a great barrier for us in Australia and anywhere around the world, really. They said it’s a bit of a coffin barrier, but it worked out really well for us. Not having as much of an idea as the other boys probably worked in my favour.
“I watched all the replays of this horse, and thought if I could get him relaxed, he should do the rest provided I get some clear air. The race panned out beautifully for me. I was lucky to be on a willing participant who did everything I asked.
“This horse was trained to the minute. Even William said, ‘this is one of our best runners during the week’, which just shows how good he was. I was speaking to a few of the guys, and they said, ‘if you do get the luck, he should be about winning’, so that gave me a huge amount of confidence.
“The King and Queen will have plenty of chances, probably more chances than myself. I did see the Royal colours and I have deep respect and admiration for them. I was just glad to get a winner at Royal Ascot. That is the main thing and I am enjoying every minute of it.”
John Gosden said of Warrant Holder: “Super run. I am really thrilled with him. He did everything right. As you know, being drawn 17 you do lose ground because you are three wide around Swinley Bottom, but he came with a lovely run. Unfortunately for us, the horse drawn one, saving every inch, wriggled through. Not only were we giving him 5lb, but he has gone a lot shorter route. Full marks to the winner, I know they fancied him a lot, and it was a long way back to the third. I could not be more pleased with the horse.”
Regal Ulixes’ jockey PJ McDonald said: “He has run a super race. Stall 20 was a bit of an inconvenience. He is a horse who likes to come from off the pace anyway, but I was probably sitting three or four lengths further back than I would have liked. I had a lot of ground to make up from the turn in and he has picked up and seen the trip out really well.”