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A variety of Arab owners, the Coolmore connection, former shuttle sires and the inimitable Frankie Dettori – they were the identities that capsulated the results at Royal Ascot over the past week.
THE OWNERS
Coolmore Stud syndicates headed the ownership list with five wins (Arizona; Circus Maximus; Southern Hills; South Pacific; Japan) but of the 30 races run over the five-day extravaganza 14 winners were credited to owners of Middle East origin.
Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin team won three races (Blue Point 2; Pinatubo) and Khalid Abdullah (Sangarius; Biometric) and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum (Defoe; Cape Byron) each won two events.
Other Middle East owners to win races were Hamdan Al Maktoum (Afaak), Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (Raffle Prize), Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum (Addeybb), Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum (Move Swiftly), Shaikh Duaij Al Khalifa (A'Aili), Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa (Daahyeh) and Mohammed Bin Hamad Khalifa Al Attiya (Baghdad).
A fondly remembered winner was the late Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the Thai travel mogul and former owner of EPL team Leicester City who died in a helicopter crash last year. His on-going racing enterprise King Power Racing figured prominently with a win (Cleonte) and three seconds over the five days.
Other successful ownership groups included Amer Abdulaziz's rapidly expanding global investment fund Phoenix Thoroughbreds (Advertise), the uniquely named CLXX syndicate established by bloodstock agent Alex Elliott (The Grand Visir) and a win and two placings for Clipper Logistics (Space Traveller), the massive UK logistics company established by self-made billionaire Steve Parkin.
Anthony Oppenheimer (Star Catcher), Sir Eveleyn de Rothschild (Crystal Ocean) and Bjorn Nelson (Stradivarius), owners famous in world racing, also tasted Royal Ascot success.
The winning owner list was completed by a mix of couples and individuals - Mick & Janice Mariscotti (Dashing Willoughby), Geoff & Sandra Turnbull (Lord Glitters), Alexander Tamagni (Watch Me) and Emma Capon (Thanks Be).
JOCKEYS AND TRAINERS
Royal Ascot is UK racing's equivalent of the FA Cup such is the importance trainers and jockeys place on achievement over the five days of regal racing.
This year it was all about Frankie Dettori, the champion jockey turning back the clock with a week-long masterclass that saw him land seven winners (Raffle Prize; Crystal Ocean; A'Aili; Sangarius; Star Catcher; Stradivarius; Advertise) and five placings including a four-timer on Ascot Gold Cup day
He had the wood on Ryan Moore, who could not be disappointed with his five wins (Arizona; Circus Maximus; Southern Hills; Japan; South Pacfiic) and nine placings, while Danny Tudhope will long remember his week after finishing third on the list with four wins (Lord Glitters; Addeybb; Move Swiftly; Space Traveller) and three placings.
Next were James Doyle (3 wins - Blue Point 2; Pinatubo) and Andrea Atzeni (Defoe; Cape Byron).
Some years are better than others for the big stables but this year it all went to plan for Ireland's champion trainer Aidan O'Brien with his Ballydoyle team sending out five winners (Arizona; Circus Maximus; Southern Hills; Japan; South Pacific) and nine placings, most racing for Coolmore Stud syndicates.
O'Brien has now won 70 races at Royal Ascot during his record breaking career.
Godolpin trainer Charlie Appleby (3 wins - Blue Point 2; Pinatubo) and Roger Varian (3 wins - Daahyeh; Defoe; Cape Byron) shared second place with the big names John Gosden (Star Catcher; Stradivarius), Sir Michael Stoute (Crystal Ocean; Sangarius), Andrew Balding (Dashing Wiloughby; Cleonte), William Haggas (Addeybb; Move Swiftly) and Mark Johnston (Raffle Prize; Baghdad) all playing their part with two wins each.
STALLIONS
Galileo, Sea The Stars and Bated Breath all made their case but Darley stallion Shamardal must claim the honour of sire of the week at Royal Ascot.
Shamardal , the son of Giant's Causeway who has left a lasting influence in Australia, topped the list with four wins by his progeny led by the historic Group One double by his champion sprinter Blue Point in the King's Stand Stakes and Diamond Jubilee Stakes.
When his 2YO Pinatubo won the Listed Chesham Stakes on the final day in juvenile track record time Shamardal took his worldwide tally of stakes winners to 136, a number that includes 22 G1 winners and underlines his high standing as an international sire.
Galileo and Sea The Stars had their own G1 winners at Royal Ascot and with Bated Breath were each represented by three winners while Galileo's greatest son Frankel had a double, making him the only other sire with multiple winners.
Shamardal and Galileo both had extended time at stud in Australia while current and more recent shuttle sires to be represented by winners at Royal Ascot this year were No Nay Never, Olympic Glory, Showcasing and Dalakhani.
Notably former Arrowfield Stud shuttler Olympic Glory - a son of Choisir - sired his first G1 winner when the French filly Watch Me won the Coronation Stakes on day four.
Olympic Glory stood in Australia from 2015 until 2018 but will not return this year.
Watch Me is out of the Galileo mare Watchful and was passed in for €30,000 at the Arqana August Yearling Sale.
Galileo is also the sire of the Coronation Stakes runner-up Hermosa, a sister to the imported G1 Ranvet Stakes winner The United States.
Former New Zealand shuttle stallion Showcasing was in the spotlight on Day 3 when his son Advertise won the Commonwealth Cup, giving the stallion two of the last four winners of the G1 race for 3YOs.
The Martyn Meade trained Advertise (Showcasing x Furbelow by Pivotal) won the G1 Phoenix Stakes and was second in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes in 2018 as a 2YO.
Raced by expanding global investor Phoenix Thoroughbreds, Advertise has the impressive record of four wins and two seconds from seven starts and is set to join the shuttle sire ranks in Australia on his retirement.
Showcasing, a son of Oasis Dream, commenced shuttle duties at Haunui Farm in NZ in 2011 and was champion first season sire and champion 2YO sire in 2014-15. He served his last season in NZ in 2018.
Advertise, from a sister to US Listed winner Red Diadem (Pivotal) and the dam of G2 winner Saayerr (Acclamation), has now won four of his seven career starts.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Blue Point gets a narrow verdict over champion stayer Stradivarius, the son of Sea The Stars who made his own niche in Royal Ascot history by winning the G1 Gold Cup for the second successive year.
Godolphin-owned Blue Point joined the legendary Diadem and Australian sprinter Choisir in the record books as the only horses to have won both the King's Stand Stakes and the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in the same week at Royal Ascot.
Diadem achieved the feat in 1920 and it wasn't until 2003 that Choisir matched him, opening the gates to the constant success Australian sprinters have enjoyed ion the UK over the last 15 years.
Blue Point is now in their illustrious company and anticipation will mount rapidly over the possibility that he will be nominated to take Godolphin's slot in $14 million Everest in Sydney in October.
"We will let the dust settle, this was always going to be his last year win lose or draw," said Blue Point's trainer Charlie Appleby, a big advocate for racing Godolphin horses in Australia.
"We'll enjoy this moment and let the horse have a rest - he probably needs it for a couple of weeks."
The 5YO Blue Point (Shamardal x Scarlett Rose by Royal Applause) was purchased for 200,000gns at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale from the West Moor Stud draft and has won 11 of his 20 career starts including four at G1 level for earnings of £2,631,333.
His dam Scarlett Rose has also produced the G2 winner Formosina (Footstepsinthesand).
She is a half-sister to multiple G3 winner Tumbleweed (Indian Ridge) and the dam of G2 Queen Mary Stakes winner Gilded (Redback).
Stradivarius became the 10th horse to win two Ascot Gold Cups and gave Frankie Dettori his seventh win in the famous staying test.
Stradivarius is a half-brother to German champion Persian Storm (Monsun). They are from a half-sister to the granddam of Monsun's Melbourne Cup winner Protectionist.
