ROYAL ASCOT: DAY ONE. TWO BOOKINGS BUT NO SENDINGS OFF & MURTAGH MAKES A VERY GOOD POINT.

It was 1834 when the first St. James's Palace Stakes was run, so long ago that the book documenting the history of Ascot by Sean Magee and Sally Aird fails to record the name of the winner. We do know the horse, jockey, trainer and owner that succeeded in 2026, a year so far into the future in 1834 that absolutely no one alive at the time gave it any consideration. In this day and age we have science fiction, a genre unknown to the population of 1834, whereas we would think of 192-years into the future as a time when science fiction would become science fact, where humans will be slaves to the fetishes of A.I fuelled robots, with Big Brother, compulsory in every room of every dwelling, having the face and voice of Starmer the Invincible. In 1834 they barely had any fiction for entertainment, so were very fortunate that the aristocracy allowed them to have a passing interest in horse racing. 

It was a race not without controversy in 2026. How a six-horse race could get one third of the jockeys riding in it into hot water only they can explain. Ryan Moore not only rode Gstaad in the race but he also rode close to the wind, balancing on the thin line between tactical and careless riding. He was intent on not giving up the inside berth to any one, especially Billy Loughnane on Bow Echo. In fact not one of the six jockeys were going to give an inch to their rivals in the first furlong and a half. In the subsequent inquiry into what happened after the gates opened and why it happened, Ryan Moore was found guilty of careless riding and given a three-day ban.

I would contend that Ryan was either simply riding tactically, wanting to give his mount every chance of winning while at the same time limiting the chances of his main rival. Bumping and boring was at one time perfectly legal. Now it is not. Yet Ryan bumped, bore and jostled, allowing Billy Loughnane two choices, lump it or get out of the way. Ryan Moore is the greatest flat jockey of my lifetime and he knows all the ins and outs, the black arts, of the racing game, To my way of thinking he should either have had a longer punishment for riding without thought to the welfare of the jockeys around him or it was nothing more than good tactical riding that warrented nothing more than a slapped wrist I, too, ride the fence on which of the two options I can side with.

Whereas Ryan riding in the St. James's Palace Stakes, and later in the day the riding of Oisin Murphy in the Copper Horse, had a large slice of jeopardy attached, with the possibility of horses falling because of their riding, the 6-day banned imposed on Christophe Soumillon seemed harsh as all he did was to come off the rails entering the straight to allow Ryan on Gstaad a clear passage. Yes, it was, perhaps, team tactics, yet any jockey riding a pacemaker for a better fancied stablemate would do exactly the same, which is exactly what Soumillon's role was yesterday. He made the running and faded away to eventually finish stone last.

Although Oisin Murphy was not strictly responsible for his mount veering off the rail and nearly putting James Doyle on the deck, he was very slow to correct the situation and I thought his ban was lenient in light of Soumillon getting six-days for a ride that did not put his colleagues in any danger.

During his stint working for I.T.V. yesterday, Johnney Murtagh made a point about the Epsom Derby that I had failed to consider. Because of the domination of Ballydoyle, trainers, instead of targetting Epsom with their staying 3-year-old colts, are preferring the many opportunities that Royal Ascot can provide. I believe this adds fuel to John Gosden's suggestion that the Epsom Derby should be staged in July, after, rather than before, the Royal Meeting. This would make all the 3-year-old races at Royal Ascot  beyond a mile Derby trials rather than compensation races for beaten Derby runners as had been the case in the past. It might also allow Derby winners to run at Royal Ascot. As I have said many times, the flat race calendar needs to be radically overhauled in order to make it more fit for purpose.