French horse Lazzat triumphed at Royal Ascot, fending off the challenge from Japan’s Satono Reve to prevent a historic victory for the nation.
Jockey James Doyle piloted the 9-2 favorite, trained by Jerome Reynier, to a hard-fought win.
Doyle, along with the winning owners, Wathnan Racing, celebrated a successful day, having also secured a third-place finish with Flora Of Bermuda. Earlier, their horse Humidity claimed victory in the Chesham Stakes.
The heavily favored Satono Reve sought to make history as the first Japanese-trained horse to win at this prestigious event after 12 attempts but fell short by just half a length.
As Doyle reveled in his win, Lazzat unexpectedly threw off his jockey and took off around the Ascot grounds until he was finally caught.
Trainer Reynier expressed his delight with Doyle’s performance, contrasting it with the ride of Flavien Prat on Facteur Cheval, who struggled to a sixth-place finish in Wednesday’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes—a ride Reynier deemed “perhaps the worst given to one of my horses”.
“James understood the task at hand perfectly and executed it flawlessly,” Reynier remarked.
In another highlight, Rebel’s Romance delivered a victory for Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby in the Hardwicke Stakes, marking Appleby’s first win at Royal Ascot since 2022.
This win added to the horse’s impressive record, marking his eighth top-tier Group One victory, with William Buick in the saddle.
“He was the key horse we needed, and I’m just relieved to finally get one on the board,” Appleby commented.
Earlier in the day, Appleby’s 6-4 favorite, Treanmor, finished fifth behind Humidity in the Chesham Stakes, making Rebel’s Romance his final entrant of the week at Ascot.