Robin Oakley

Royal Ascot was a triumph – even without the cheers and the hats

There were moments to stir racing folk’s memories for years to come

Frankie Dettori celebrates after riding Palace Pier to win the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot [Photo by Edward Whitaker/Pool via Getty Images]

Royal Ascot it wasn’t: for the first time in her 68-year reign, thanks to Covid-19, the Queen was not there. Nor were the owners, the crowds, the hats or the morning suits. But just as the Cheltenham Festival gave us the last great sporting spectacle before lockdown, so Ascot celebrated the behind-closed-doors return of sport with five days of supreme skill and drama. As the no-nonsense Hayley Turner put it after a 33-1 victory: ‘It’s still an Ascot winner. Still the same race, the same grade of horses. It’s just as hard to ride winners whether anyone is here or not.’

The smooth Ascot operation provided a masked-up, biosecure environment in the open air with never a slip and it has done all sport a favour. How good, too, that there was an 11th winner at Ascot with Campanelle for US trainer Wesley Ward who still sent over his usual contingent.

Even without live cheers there were moments to stir racing folk’s memories for years to come. Stradivarius strode away to victory for a third time in the Gold Cup by the imperious margin of ten lengths. Charlie Hills’s ace sprinter Battaash nearly pulled jockey Jim Crowley’s arms from their sockets as he stormed to victory in the King’s Stand Stakes. As Charlie says: ‘He gets them all going while he is still cruising.’

Frankie Dettori needed three espressos to get him going for the first race without the usual stimulus of racegoers waving autograph books and clamouring for selfies but ended the meeting with six more Royal Ascot winners taking his total to 73. He has now won every Group One at the meeting and his victories on Frankly Darling and Palace Pier confirmed that at 49 there is still no other big race jockey with his tactical nous and impeccable balance.

Already a subscriber? Log in

Keep reading with a free trial

Subscribe and get your first month of online and app access for free. After that it’s just £1 a week.

There’s no commitment, you can cancel any time.

Or

Unlock more articles

REGISTER

Comments

Don't miss out

Join the conversation with other Spectator readers. Subscribe to leave a comment.

Already a subscriber? Log in