It wasn’t a popular result amongst punters as Her Majesty the Queen’s 2/5 favourite Reach For The Moon was beaten to the line by 7/1 shot Claymore in the Hampton Court Stakes.
Claymore was perhaps underestimated given his poor run in the French 2000 Guineas when he was drawn wide and rushed up early. He silenced the critics that said he couldn’t produce on this ground with a stunning display from the front, and shut the door on the short-priced favourite.
It caps off a nightmare day for Frankie Dettori, having also lost on Stradivarius and Saga in the previous races. Unlike in the Gold Cup, this time he was in the perfect position to strike but Reach For The Moon couldn’t find the speed to get past the eventual winner.
From the off, it was a battle between the top two. Claymore took the lead on the inside of Reach For The Moon early on as the two favourites raced towards the head of the field. Adam Kirby stretched into first position up the inside rail as Reach For The Moon moved into striking distance. Dettori drove towards the line but Claymore battled back to deny the Queen a winner.
The hats stayed on heads at Ascot, and what would have been the most popular winner of the week failed to produce, but this does mark jockey Adam Kirby’s tenth win at Royal Ascot, and he was magnanimous in victory.
@FrankieDettori must be cursing his luck today
#ITVRacing | #RoyalAscot
"Yeah obviously it's quite sad for the Queen but this horse has always been a proper horse, and he ran a great race. Last time was an absolute disaster but the only positive to come out of it is that it has made a man out of him I think. His attitude today was brilliant and it was a first-class performance I think. Hopefully he will take another step forward when he gets proper ground. Full credit to the horse."
