Royal Ascot

running order/results

royal ascot 2011/

Julienas Victorious in Royal Hunt Cup
15/06/11

1 Julienas 12/1
2 Dance And Dance 7/1 Fav
3 Invisible Man 20/1
4 Pendragon 33/1
28 ran Distances: ½l, 2l, nse
TIME 1m 38.53s (fast by 0.47s)

Walter Swinburn, who enjoyed many big-race successes at Royal Ascot as a jockey, had his first victory at the meeting as a trainer when Julienas brought off a longstanding plan when winning the Royal Hunt Cup.

Julienas
© Caroline Norris

The four-year-old, who is owned and bred by Swinburn’s father-in-law Peter Harris, was giving his rider Eddie Ahern a second success at Royal Ascot this year although he had to survive a stewards’ enquiry before keeping the race.

“It’s always easy to say afterwards but this had been the plan for a long time,” said Swinburn. “We’ve given him time to strengthen up and grow up, both physically and mentally.

“We couldn’t train him at two as he was the size he is now and just gave him one run for education at the backend. We’ve gone at his pace and given him time to fill his frame and he’s done nothing but progress. It was nobody’s fault when he got beaten at Sandown last time but I think that has put him spot on.

“He only won by half a length but I think we were well on top. He’s battle-hardened now and I think he could progress more. I put him in the John Smith’s Cup at York but this had really been the plan. We came here in the knowledge that he’d get a mile and a quarter, which you need to do in these sort of races.

“I thought I knew a lot about thoroughbreds as a rider but it’s nothing compared to when you are on the ground with them at home. Sheikh Mohammed pointed out when I first took out a training licence that top jockeys don’t make top trainers. I hope to prove him wrong. When you’re riding you think you know everything about thoroughbreds but you realise you know very little when you start training.

“I had some great wins here as a jockey, including Indian Queen in the Gold Cup and Zilzal in the Jersey Stakes, but when you ride a winner you go in and get changed for the next race. This is much more satisfying, it’s the result of months of hard work from all the staff at home.”

Ahern added: “Ryan (Moore on the runner-up) did have to do a bit of a check and come round me but, when he came to me, my horse went on a little bit more. As the result of the enquiry shows, the best horse won and I kept the race but got suspended for two days.

“Even though they were going pretty quick, they were going a normal gallop for me. I was sitting in behind the leaders travelling very well and he is such a big horse, I can see why Walter has taken his time with him.

“He covers his ground so easily and he travelled so well. A nice gap on the rail came at the two-furlong pole and, when I asked him to pick up, he did. I felt him idle a little but then Ryan came to me and off he went again.”

Eddie Ahern received a ban for careless riding on the winner Julienas in the Royal Hunt Cup after causing interference to runner-up Dance And Dance.

The suspension runs from June 29 - June 30 inclusive. Ahern received a further ban of two days (July 1 and July 3) for excessive use of the whip on the same mount.

Position	Horse Trainer	Jockey Weight	Starting Price Beaten Distance
1	Julienas W R Swinburn	E Ahern 8st 8lbs	12 - 1 Winner
2	Dance And Dance E F Vaughan	R L Moore 9st 3lbs	7 - 1 1/2 length
3	Invisible Man S bin Suroor	L Dettori 9st 6lbs	20 - 1 2 lengths
4	Pendragon B Ellison	J Quinn 8st 4lbs	33 - 1 Nose
5	Eton Forever R Varian	N Callan 9st 4lbs	14 - 1 4 lengths
6	Start Right L M Cumani	K Fallon 8st 13lbs	8 - 1 3/4 length
7	Kyllachy Star R A Fahey	P Makin 8st 12lbs	40 - 1 Neck
8	Fareer E A L Dunlop	R Hills 9st 10lbs	25 - 1 Head
9	Chapter And Verse M Murphy	Kieran T O'Neill 8st 2lbs	20 - 1 1 length
10	Capital Attraction H R A Cecil	T P Queally 8st 10lbs	50 - 1 1/2 length
11	Stunning View D K Weld	P J Smullen 9st 0lbs	28 - 1 3/4 length
12	Pintura D M Simcock	J P Spencer 8st 10lbs	20 - 1 1/2 length
13	Sooraah W J Haggas	John Fahy 8st 7lbs	25 - 1 1 length
14	Point North J Noseda	M Barzalona 8st 2lbs	8 - 1 1 length
15	Bronze Prince J H M Gosden	N Mackay 8st 2lbs	12 - 1 1 1/4 length
16	Gunner Lindley B W Hills	M Hills 8st 7lbs	40 - 1 1 3/4 length
17	Kay Gee Be R A Fahey	P Hanagan 8st 6lbs	16 - 1 3/4 length
18	Hacienda M Johnston	S De Sousa 8st 3lbs	50 - 1 1 length
19	Proponent R Charlton	Harry Bentley 8st 13lbs	20 - 1 3 1/4 lengths
20	Breakheart M Dods	F Norton 8st 5lbs	28 - 1 1 1/2 length
21	Mont Agel M L W Bell	J P Murtagh 8st 12lbs	14 - 1 3/4 length
22	Albaqaa P J O'Gorman	D Holland 8st 13lbs	100 - 1 1 3/4 length
23	Mr David J A Osborne	Hayley Turner 8st 13lbs	66 - 1 3 lengths
24	Brae Hill R A Fahey	Lee Topliss 8st 12lbs	33 - 1 1 1/4 length
25	Brick Red A M Balding	William Buick 8st 7lbs	22 - 1 1 1/4 length
26	Lord Aeryn R A Fahey	C Catlin 8st 3lbs	33 - 1 9 lengths
27	Super Say A Oliver	B A Curtis 8st 13lbs	20 - 1 1 1/4 length
28	Invincible Soul R Hannon	R Hughes 8st 12lbs	18 - 1 57 lengths
NonRunner	Green Destiny W J Haggas	M Hills 9st 0lbs	-
NonRunner	Cloudy Start J A Osborne	Non Runner 8st 3lbs	-
NonRunner	Greensward B J Meehan	Louis-Philippe Beuzelin 8st 2lbs	-

HAMPERED RUN PUTS PAID TO DANCE’S CHANCE

Trainer Ed Vaughan was ruing his bad luck in the Royal Hunt Cup when 7/1 favourite Dance And Dance found trouble in running in the closing stages of the race. After appearing to be hampered by the winner, Julienas, the five-year-old ran on to finish just half a length behind him in second.

“He just got checked at the vital time when he was winding up to make his final run,” said Vaughan. “ Ryan [Moore, jockey] said it definitely did cost us the race but we’ll see what the stewards have to say before we go any further.

“He’s battled back after he got checked and it was a wonderful run but I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The stewards held an enquiry into the incident but the placings remained unaltered.

PENDRAGON DELIGHTS OWNERS WHILE INVISIBLE MAN RETUNS TO FORM

Pendragon made the leap from Scottish bumpers to Royal Ascot via sellers and claimers to take fourth place in the Royal Hunt Cup.

The Brian Ellison-trained gelding, a 33/1 outsider for the mile handicap, thrilled his owners Dan Gilbert and Kristian Strangeway in coming home a little over two and a half lengths behind the victorious Julienas.

Strangeway, the trainer's stepson, commented: "We are over the moon with that - we think the draw beat us as much as anything. He hasn't done bad for a horse that cost us 10 grand out of a claimer.

"He's an eight-year-old but he has very few miles on the clock. He started out as a four-year-old running in bumpers for Lucy Normile and she picked him up for only 7,000 euros, so we think he might have had a bit of a problem when he was younger.

"Hopefully we can come back here with him next year. This is my first time with runners at Royal Ascot. My first runner finished seventh yesterday and to have this horse finish fourth is a thrill - it's a dream to be here. Both of us are ambitious owners so hopefully we can go on and keep coming back here."
Gilbert added: "We couldn't see where he was for most of the race but Jimmy said he was buried in the middle of them. If the handicapper sticks him up for that we will be disappointed. We hoped he would run well but we didn't even know if he would get in."

As to the future for Pendragon, the duo has an eye on the totesport Mile at Glorious Goodwood.

Strangeway said: "If he can get in the mile race at Goodwood we will go for it. We were planning to enter him in the John Smith's Cup at York but Brian forgot to put him in."

Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor was pleased with the effort of Invisible Man in taking third, having won the race last year off a 10lb lower handicap mark.

He said: "He won the race last year and he travelled well through the race this time - third is a good run from him.

"I am happy the horse is back now because I was disappointed with him in Dubai."