Expectation management seems to be one of the notorious keys to success that self-made billionaires and leading organisations proclaim to be integral to their ethos. That’s probably because when you reach a level of standing and allure, the spectacular image dwarfs reality.
As I abruptly learnt yesterday, Royal Ascot does not have this problem.
Getting my very shiny boots on the ground and seeing the impeccably groomed grounds and patrons of the course, it was a rare occasion where it all just made sense.
The picture painted by centuries of prestige and Royal investment was in fact reality and appeared if anything in higher definition.
It would be fair to assume that after more than sixty thousand punters and Royal stans descended for race day one that featured three Group Ones, including the King Charles III conquered by Australian heroine Asfoora, day two would flatten out.
A public second-up syndrome maybe? Wrong.
THE PEOPLE
One underrated factor of being from the other side of the world is how the classical Kiwi accent becomes a wonderful conversation starter – add a press accreditation and the intrigue is genuine.
The wide range of people investing their time and money into Royal Ascot has been a truly pleasant surprise. You might be lulled into assuming this was a race meeting by elites for elites, and fair enough, it’s not exactly been pitched as anything else, but the reality is there are salt of the earth racing fans and regular Brits all the same in mass attendance.
Some rusted-on British racing fans illuminating the railway station were very quick to point out to me the Cheltenham Festival was the UK’s real racing carnival, meanwhile acknowledging the irony that they wouldn’t miss Royal Ascot for the world either. Even if the ‘royal lark’ as they put it wasn’t quite their cup of gumboot tea.
The Royal Enclosure is the most exclusive part of the track, with a very stringent dress code and access well and truly restricted to high-paying customers invited by members, royal invitees or connections of runners.
But there really are a lot of regular folk here who look forward to Royal Ascot like any other big celebration of racing we would know. It sits somewhere between Christchurch’s NZ Trotting Cup faithful and Melbourne’s famous Derby Day if I tried to place the crowd.
THE RACE CALLER
The voice of Matt Hill is familiar to all of us, he’s the modern day voice of the Melbourne Cup and Victorian racing and his reputation has him pound for pound as good as anyone currently calling around the world.
When he turns up in the Royal Ascot media centre and jokes he’s been coming back here for two decades or so, you know he means it and you also get the feeling he’s addicted to this carnival.
As well as being a world-class caller, Matt is a self-declared racing tragic, go figure. He uses his annual leave from Racing.com travelling the world, often guest-calling at racetracks that are special for one reason or another, chasing the world’s top thoroughbreds from continent to continent.
Royal Ascot is a different beast he explains for many reasons, the actual craft of calling a race here in particular is fascinating, with fields of more than thirty streaming up the straight and often splitting into multiple groups – it takes an expert caller and a bit of help to nail the moment.
The race callers will spot for each other and literally point out a horse which has been missed making a slashing run. The straight track being so wide creates an imposing task for any caller to line the runners up and make sure none are missed entirely.
The towering grandstand seats multiple callers from around the world creating a chorus of languages describing the on turf action.
This year, Matt made the voyage to ensure there was an Australian call of Asfoora’s run in the King Charles III Stakes, he’s absolutely smitten they made the effort with RSN to capture this moment after her successful tilt.
An excellent point is made by Matt about the effort it takes to bring a horse all the way north from down under and why it has to be the ‘right’ horse for the raid to pay dividends – Asfoora clearly fitted the bill and Henry Dwyer’s master plan was a raging success.
THE RACING
Would the real Auguste Rodin please stand up? Okay – sure thing!
Heading into day two of this racing feast, the major question mark hung over the Group One Prince of Wales Stakes, a race for the proper good horses over 2000 metres, you knew the winner would be a proper horse, it was just a matter of who.
The questions started and ended with Auguste Rodin who won a Futurity at two, two Derbys, an Irish Champion and a Breeders’ Cup Turf but thrown in between those elite triumphs have been some of the more bizarre no shows.
Today was not just a good day for Auguste Rodin, it was a super day and maybe a career defining one because the racing community wanted to celebrate this star with impeccable international bloodlines but they needed to see it once more in the brightest lights.
Inspiral seemingly was beaten by the draw in the end, getting back to last was never going to pan out well and she only battled to the post.
As well as Auguste Rodin, the Aiden O’Brien and Ryan Moore show got going also combining in the Group Two Queen’s Vase with Illinois. O’Brien also notched his 400th international Group One winner in the Prince of Wales and was presented a gift by Prince William himself, a fitting moment and stage for one of the greatest to train a horse.
TOMORROW
Day three of Royal Ascot, aka Ascot Gold Cup day, aka Ladies Day, this seems to be part of the festival which everyone agrees is a must attend.
The racing itself is spectacular and features one of the most prestigious races of the week in The Ascot Gold Cup – this is for the truly elite stayers of the world, a Group 1 contest run over 2m4f which is 4000 metres of brutal stamina and tactical dueling.
There are a couple of very interesting storylines here, the lead being the searing hot favourite Kyprios, a horse who won this very race two years ago before missing last year’s edition with an injury.
Aidan O’Brien has a mortgage on this race and ever since Yeats’ four peat from 2006 he has eight wins in total.
He’ll send Ryan Moore and Kyprios out very close to an odds on favourite. Do you want to be with an even money chance over 4000 metres though? Well, it makes me squeamish to be honest, almost like the time we piled into Vauban at short odds in the Melbourne Cup to see him crack under the pressure ha!
Legendary jumps trainer Willie Mullins has Vauban back at Royal Ascot for the Cup after his stirring victory last year in the Copper Horse Handicap stretching out seven lengths clear that day.
He’s well in the market and after a great comeback to racing this summer with a blowout second at Cork, Mullins is very pleased with his star stayer. Maybe back in familiar territory we see a return to his best on the flat?
The other point of interest for us Kiwis is of course with GoRacing and Je Zous, who will take her place in the Group Two Ribblesdale Stakes for fillies over 2400 metres.
It’s the second year running GoRacing have a runner at the meeting and that is no small feat at all, actually it’s quite staggering. She’ll go around as an outsider but the syndicate members who make the trip will have the best day of their racing lives provided she gets around safely.