Willie Mullins opens his account at Royal Ascot
Simenon guided Willie Mullins to his first victory at Royal Ascot, when securing the top rank in the class 2 Ascot Stakes (Handicap) on Tuesday, June 19th. Under Ryan Moore, the 5-year-old demonstrated a wonderful act right through the 2m4f event,
finishing on top of the table by half a dozen lengths.
Mullins is a consistent winner at the Cheltenham, Aintree and Punchestown Festivals, but none of his trainees tasted success at Ascot until Simenon did the trick. Wicklow Bloodstock Limited’s gelding was going through a severe slump, before he broke the
shackles in late May.
The spectators at Cork saw him topping the chart by 15 lengths in the Friday Evening Racing Hurdle. After such a comprehensive win, the dashing runner was full of spirit. He made the best use of his sky-high confidence, giving his rivals no chance of spoiling
his party.
He became prominent soon after the beginning and maintained the standards till the finishing line. Mullins’ charge was a delight to watch in the final furlong, as he established his dominance well before the wire.
Al Khawaneej ran well, but was never a threat to the triumphant. Although he failed to put any pressure on Simenon, he did well to ensure the runner-up place in the final furlong.
Neil King’s six-year-old, Nafaath, ended up third on the table. The 40-1 chance shocked everyone by beating the likes of Western Pearl and Spice Fair. Elyaadi, who was carrying the highest odds of 6 to 1, was well beaten in the final moments and as a result,
finished 14th on the chart.
On his first success at Ascot, Mullins said: "I've never been here (the winner's enclosure) before, we've lost in a few photos finishes. I thought the omens were good when Danny Shum had a winner here earlier (Little Bridge) from Hong Kong, because he used
to work for my father back in 1978 I think.”
"This horse has just improved. Hurdles have made him settle, they've been a big help. I said to Ryan to settle him on the rails and if you can't, ride your own race,” he added.
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