Royal Ascot: Day Two round-up - Tactical flies home in Windsor Castle for The Queen

A review of Day Two at Royal Ascot as Tactical gave The Queen a victory in the Windsor Castle Stakes.

This week is the first time The Queen has not attended Royal Ascot since her coronation in 1953 - due to the coronavirus outbreak meaning racing is going ahead behind closed doors.

Having finished third on his debut, the Andrew Balding-trained colt was backed down to 7-2 favouritism and was always handily placed on the rail from his draw on the stands' side.

James Doyle delivered Tactical with a telling run to hit the front well inside the final furlong and lift the Listed contest by a length and a quarter.

North lords it over his rivals in Group One

Lord North produced a memorable turn of foot to spring a minor surprise with victory in the Group One Prince Of Wales's Stakes to provide the first leg of a double for Doyle.

Stepping up to Group One company for the first time, last year's Cambridgeshire winner bridged the gap in some style.

John Gosden's charge had looked good when winning the Group Three Brigadier Gerard Stakes at Haydock earlier this month - but this was even better as he destroyed a quality field.

Red-hot Newcastle form produces two winners

Champion jockey Oisin Murphy opened his account for Royal Ascot 2020 with victory aboard Sir Busker in the Silver Royal Hunt Cup.

A big field of 22 runners went to post for the straight-mile opener on day two of the showpiece meeting, with Maydanny and Ouzo the joint-favourites at 4-1.

The former managed to battle his way to the front in the group that raced on the far side of the track, but it became clear racing inside the final furlong that the near-side group held a clear advantage.

Sir Busker had finished in front of Dark Vision in his previous race at Newcastle and Dark Vision gave that piece of form a healthy look by landing the Royal Hunt Cup later in the afternoon.

He was a length-and-a-quarter winner of the straight-mile handicap, under William Buick for Mark Johnston.

Russian Emperor lays down Derby claims

Russian Emperor finished with a rattle to claim a last-gasp success in a thrilling renewal of the Hampton Court Stakes.

Runner-up to stablemate Cormorant when hot favourite for the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown last week, Aidan O'Brien's colt was sent off at 100-30 for what looked a competitive Group Three event.

Berlin Tango - who had beaten Tuesday's King Edward VII Stakes winner Pyledriver on his latest appearance at Kempton - travelled strongly into the home straight under Murphy before quickening to grab the lead, but he eventually had to settle for third as he was first overtaken by The Queen's First Receiver and then by Russian Emperor under Ryan Moore.

Crowley grabs fourth winner

Jim Crowley added to his opening-day treble by steering the lightly-raced Hukum to success in the King George V Stakes.

The Sea The Stars colt had made just two previous appearances for trainer Owen Burrows and owner Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, finishing third on his Newbury debut in September before opening his account at Kempton two months later.

Pitched in against more experienced horses in this competitive handicap, the 12-1 shot travelled powerfully for much of the mile-and-a-half journey and knuckled down well at the finish to see off 9-2 joint-favourite Kipps with a little in hand.

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