Royal Ascot 2010 – Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip open race, Goldikova and Rite of Passage big winners
If there is one word to describe The Royal Ascot it is, grandeur. It is an event steeped in tradition, culture, dining, a lavish locale, fashion, and, of course horses.
It is a show of wealth of sorts, with the rich betting their pockets out on their favourites, and the poor getting a taste of royalty. Founded in 1711 by Queen Anne the event is attended by the royals, nobles, and, even commoners today.
The 2010 Royal Ascot opened on 15th June, with the arrival of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in a horse drawn carriage, parading in front of enthusiastic race-goers, donned in fashionable dresses and hats.
News of television personality, Amanda Holden, having colour co-ordinated with the Queen soon started making the rounds and perhaps garnered more attention than the races themselves.
The opening race of the event was the Queen Anne Stakes, and betting favourite, Goldikova, predictably won the £250,000 race.
This was followed by the King’s Stand Stakes, which was initially led by Markab but at the 3/16 pole, Equiano, took the lead and went on to win the race.
The third race of the day was St. James Palace Stakes, won by Canford Cliffs, who started off poorly, but bounced back into the race, and, crossed d**k Turpin at the 1/16 pole, going on to win.
The Prince of Wales Stakes took place the next day. The race started off with 40-1 Tazeez and 20-1 Wiener Waltzer taking the lead, but it was a 5-2 favourite, Byword, who took the lead at the 3/16 pole, and, gave tough competition to 11-2 Twice Over, eventually
winning the race.
The third day is traditionally known as Ladies Day. Like most of the event this day too is partly dedicated to fashion and 2010 was no different. Be it television personality Simon Cowell, or, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, every race-goer was dressed
to the nines, adding further class to the event.
The most coveted title of the entire event is the £250,000 Gold Cup, run over a stretch of 2 ½ miles. Despite the many distractions, the race that day was an eye catcher. 16-1 Akmal led the race, followed by 20-1 Rite of Passage, and, 8-1 Age of Aquarius.
At the 5/8 pole, Akmal slowed down and Age of Aquarius took the lead. Rite of Passage was asked to run at 3/16 and rose to the occasion in the final furlong and won with a record time of 4 minutes and 16.92 seconds.
The Coronation Stakes was an exciting race, with 7-2 Lillie Langtry sent ahead of 9-2 Music Show and 9-2 Anna Salai. Early on, 25-1 Gile Na Greine was followed by 12-1 Tabassum, and, 20-1 Puff.
It was Lillie Langtry, who got ahead of the rest in the final furlong, and, won with a time of 1 minute and 39.69 seconds, bringing joy and glory for jockey, John Murtagh.
Another prestigious race is the £150,000 King Edward VII Stakes, comprising solely of 3 year olds. John Murtagh rode At First Sight into an early lead, followed by Green Moon and Bullet Train. However, at the ¼ pole all three slowed down, allowing Monterosso,
to take the lead and eventually win.
Then came the Golden Jubilee Stakes to commemorate Queen Elizabeth’s golden jubilee in 2002, the last group stakes of the event. This race was a neck-to-neck one but 13-2 favourite Starspangledbanner went on to win it, drawing the event to a close and putting
an end to the four day long festivities that accompanied the racing.
As the time for the Royal Ascot 2011 draws nearer, the bets soar high and tensions higher. Whether or not this year’s event will be as vibrant and exciting is yet to be seen. One hopes it will live up to the benchmark set by its predecessor in terms of racing
and of course the food and fashion.
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