Auguste Rodin held off a strong late challenge from Zarakem and Horizon Dore to win the Prince of Wales's Stakes (G1) June 19 for Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien, while Inspiral was never able to challenge having started slowly.
Auguste Rodin was coming home in front for the first time this season having flopped in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1T) and then came off second best to White Birch in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (G1) at the Curragh, performances that had left people questioning the horse's ability to produce at the top level.
However, Moore was fulsome in his praise of the 4-year-old, and said: "He's a great little horse. A few times it hasn't happened and there's been reasons every time—it's been first runs, and the King George (last season) maybe coming after a hard run in both Derbies.
"People are always very quick to knock horses. We kept the Derby winner in training and everyone, as soon as they get beat, they want to have a go at you, and as soon as you send them away (to stud) they have a pop at that—you can never keep people happy.
"He took me there going very well and was waiting for me to ask him (for his effort). When I did he showed great courage and put his head down and wanted to win. He's a fantastic horse, a proper horse. He's been a real good horse and he deserved that."
Moore always held a handy position on Auguste Rodin, tracking the pace set by Snobbish and Hans Andersen. O'Brien said the move was part of a tactical rejigging with the trainer saying the horse's poor performances last year when beaten in the Two Thousand Guineas (G1), the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1), and in Dubai this year were due to incorrect riding instructions.
"We're so delighted for everybody," said O'Brien, who was winning his 400th group/grade 1 on the flat. "He's a very special horse and he gets a mile and a half very well.
"When he gets to the front he waits so I was probably getting my instructions wrong all the time. I was riding him too far back and if there was no pace he was too far out of the race. We changed everything and Ryan said he was going to be positive on him. I feel the blips were my fault, the instructions were wrong."
The strong pace set by the two pacemakers put too much pressure on Inspiral's stamina, according to her joint trainer John Gosden, after the filly finished sixth, one place in front of the disappointing Blue Rose Cen.
"They've gone very, very hard on a stiff mile and a quarter and it's caught her out on stamina," Gosden said. "The Santa Anita mile and a quarter is very easy and they went slow that day.
"Auguste Rodin's a Derby winner and they've gone flat out. She's come with a run and flattened out the last furlong—she wasn't beaten that far. There's no reason she can't go back to racing against fillies again, but it was a stamina test today and she didn't come through it but that's not her fault."
The Prince of Wales's is a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series event. With his victory, Auguste Rodin earned an automatic berth to the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) at Del Mar this November, a race he captured in 2023.
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Leovanni Takes Queen Mary Stakes for Wathnan Racing
Wathnan Racing got on the board at this year's Royal Ascot meeting when Leovanni stormed to an impressive success in the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) June 19 under James Doyle.
Despite winning impressively on debut at Nottingham, the Karl Burke-trained juvenile was sent off at 22-1 but defied her odds with a sublime victory. Burke also saddled the fourth, Miss Lamai, with 50-1 shots Mighty Eriu and Maw Lam second and third respectively.
Wathnan, the racing stable of the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, came within a nose of winning the Coventry Stakes (G2) yesterday with Electrolyte, and Doyle was delighted to get them off the mark at this year's summer showpiece.
He told ITV Racing: "The message after last year was to get a good team together for this year and it's been a lot for everyone behind the scenes. It's easy me just riding them.
"She won like a potentially smart filly on debut but it's always so hard to tell. I've won this race before on a smart filly called Rizeena and she's got all the class and raw speed she had. There's lots to look forward to."
Leovanni was also a first winner of this year's Royal Ascot for Burke and a sixth for the trainer overall. It was a welcome change of luck for him too, after Andesite was a late non-runner in the June 18 Coventry Stakes.
He said: "Yesterday didn't go to plan, but yesterday is yesterday. I watched today live and I'm looking forward to watching the replay. It looked very smooth and she's such an uncomplicated filly. She has an amazing mind on her."
The daughter of Kodi Bear had broken her maiden over the Queen Mary trip of five furlongs June 5 at Nottingham.
Wesley Ward-trained Ultima Grace, the only U.S. runner in the field, finished 20th in the 24-horse field.
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Ain't Nobody Runs Down Gabaldon in Windsor Castle
Jamie Spencer proved once again he is a master at riding the straight track at Ascot when he came with a late surge to land a gamble on Ain't Nobody in the Windsor Castle Stakes.
Sitting handier than he often does, Spencer was just a couple of lengths off the fast-starting American raider Gabaldon before unleashing his mount with a run at the two-furlong pole.
The Kevin Ryan-trained juvenile picked up well and flew past the leader in the closing stages to win by a length going away, rewarding support that saw him start at 5-1 having been as big as 16-1 in the morning.
"Normally I take my time but it was a speed-favoring track today," Spencer said. "I knew hoofing him out I'd still be couple of lengths off (Gabaldon) after a couple of hundred yards and I had a lovely lead off them.
"This lad got a little bit lost going to the final furlong, but once I got him straightened up he tore into the lead and off he went."
On what riding a winner means at this meeting, he added: "It's a well-trodden quote that this is our Olympics. We've got the classics but this is the most important flat racing week of the year and getting on the board is important.
"It's especially good to get a winner for Kevin. He's a great guy and I've been riding for him for a long time. He and his team deserve all the success they get."
Florida-bred Gabaldon blazed along the turf and looked the likely winner for much of the race before being overhauled late on, and trainer Jose Francisco D'Angelo is already looking to come back next year.
"It was amazing. I thought we had the race," D'Angelo said. "We walked the track this morning with Oisin (Murphy) and the plan was to go to the middle, but we couldn't get over and I think that cost us the race. I was pretty sure we could win today but for sure I have to win here, so I'm going to come back."
Ain't Nobody does it better than Gabaldon to win the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal @Ascot! pic.twitter.com/Yt6lYg6SAM
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 19, 2024
