Gleneagles proved himself Europe’s outstanding three-year-old miler of 2015 when giving Aidan O’Brien a record seventh success in Royal Ascot’s St James’s Palace Stakes and already the champion trainer reckons the colt is the best miler he’s ever had.
The 8-15 favourite was the centrepiece of a 54-1 opening day hat-trick for his jockey Ryan Moore who also won the Windsor Palace Stakes on O'Brien's Washington DC and secured an Ascot Stakes victory for Ireland's champion National Hunt trainer on Clondaw Warrior in between.
With eight Irish-trained winners in each of the last three Royal Ascots, it was another fine opening to the meeting for the visitors but Gleneagles’ Group One was firmly centre-stage, and especially so in light of his trainer’s obvious regard.
A ranking
Since O’Brien’s previous six winners of the St James’s Palace include Rock Of Gibraltar and Henrythenavigator, two horses that also completed the English-Irish Guineas double before proceeding to win at Ascot, it is quite a ranking to give Gleneagles and it will be intriguing to see if he can live up to it later in the season.
Because if Gleneagles was impressive by beating the outsider Latharnach by two and a half lengths, the French five year old Solow made a similarly big impression earlier in the day when landing the Queen Anne Stakes, the opening race of the world-famous meeting.
Goodwood’s Sussex Stakes in a month is a likely target for the gelding who beat the best of the older milers in style and the Sussex is also where Rock Of Gibraltar, Henrythenavigator and another former Ballydoyle star Giants Causeway all went to after their James’s Palace victories.
“He is very like Giants Causeway, but he has more speed than Giant Causeway. This horse will relax and quicken and that’s what makes him a little bit different,” O’Brien said. “I don’t think we’ve ever had a miler as good as him.”
On official ratings, Gleneagles has a long way yet to match some of their mile stars of yesteryear, including the enigmatic Hawk Wing who famously won the 2003 Lockinge Stakes by 11 lengths. But Paddy Power’s initial reaction was to make the Irish three year an evens favourite to beat Solow (6-4) in the Sussex.
There is no more cold-eyed judge than Ryan Moore though and significantly the heavy odds-on favourite to be leading jockey this week is also a huge admirer of Gleneagles who has highlighted the Englishman’s first season as O’Brien’s No.1 rider.
“He’s a pleasure to ride and getting better. I never really got serious on him, just hands and heels,” said Moore. “You want to ride the best horses, and he’s about the best of his generation. He could get a little further but he has plenty of pace and there’s no real need.”
Moore was later at his brilliant best bringing Clondaw Warrior from near last to win for the Act D Wagg syndicate, whose membership includes the wives of jump jockeys, Ruby Walsh and David Casey.
However Sole Power’s attempt to land a historic Kings Stand Stakes hat-trick ended in failure as Ireland’s reigning Horse of the Year could finish only fifth to the 20-1 Goldream who edged out the 50-1 Medicean Man in a dramatic finish.
