Saffron Beach (5/2 joint-favourite) beat Thunder Beauty and Primo Bacio to win Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot; William Buick scores for second day in a row; watch every race from Royal Ascot live on Sky Sports Racing
Wednesday 15 June 2022 18:14, UK
Saffron Beach made light work of the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot as William Buick celebrated his second winner of the meeting.
Sent off as 5/2 joint-favourite for the Group Two contest on Wednesday, Jane Chapple-Hyam's classy filly boasted top form having ended last season with victory in the Group One Sun Chariot.
With Buick again back in the saddle, replacing Hollie Doyle who rode her to be fourth in the Dubai Turf in March, the winner tracked the pace set by German contender Novemba before hitting the front two furlong out.
David O'Meara's Thunder Beauty and rider Danny Tudhope, the early leader in the meeting's jockey standings, gave chase but were unable to lay a glove on Saffron Beach.
Primo Bacio ran on for third, ahead of Novemba and joint-favourite Bashkirova. Victory moves Buick into second in the race to be leading jockey, one behind Tudhope.
Buick told Sky Sports Racing: "It was straightforward. She got a nice lead into the race and I could kind of go when I wanted to.
"She had a Group One penalty there so it's never easy but she put in a really good performance. She won that well.
"Jane has her horses in great form and has done unbelievably well with this filly."
Aidan O'Brien's Little Big Bear was backed as if defeat in the Windsor Castle Stakes was out of the question and duly delivered to get jockey Ryan Moore and the Ballydoyle team on the board.
Backed into 6/5 favouritism, from 9/4, the son of No Nay Never came across from a wide draw on the outside to beat Rocket Rodney and Eddie's Boy.
It moves O'Brien onto 77 Royal Ascot winners, five behind Sir Michael Stoute's all-time record.
O'Brien told Sky Sports Racing: "We couldn't be happier. He's a big, strong rangey horse and will really fill into his frame. When they're that big it takes a while for them to get really strong. We're delighted."
After his opening day victory on Nature Strip, New Zealander James McDonald struck again on Wednesday as Dark Shift came out on top in a typically thrilling Royal Hunt Cup.
Well-backed at 13/2, the Charlie Hills-trained four-year-old came out of the middle of the pack from stall 15 (of 30) and got a straightforward route through the centre of the big field.
From the far side came Chapple-Hyam's Intellogent, bidding to give the trainer a quickfire double on the day, with Hollie Doyle on Tempus joining alongside Dark Shift.
After making his move from the halfway stage, Dark Shot edged towards the front racing inside the final two furlongs and finished strongly to beat Intellogent (40/1) by half a length.
Myself and James McDonald go back a long way," Hills said. "He came to spend the summer with us eight years ago
and we have become good family friends and for connections to let him ride the horse means an awful lot. I'm very proud.
"James is so good. Not taking anything away from our boys, we've got some great ones in England, but we just seem to get on well. It's great to have James on our side."
Jockey Neil Callan returned to the Royal Ascot winner's enclosure for the first time since 2013 as 40/1 shot Rising Star rounded off day two with victory in the Kensington Palace Stakes.
Callan, who switched back from riding in Hong Kong last year, teamed up with Marco Botti's four-year-old and produced a driving finish to beat Ed Walker's Random Harvest (40/1).
Callan told Sky Sports Racing: "Coming back from a long time away, you don't just waltz back in unless you're Frankie Dettori. You've got to build-up your contact and get the opportunities at the right time.
"Marco approached me in the Spring and said: 'Would you ride for me? I can't afford you as a retainer so let's go with the flow'.
"We had a bit of a patchy start but the last two months they've really turned the corner. This is the best week to be winning!"
