Royal Ascot 2015 Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1) 1m, 4yo+
SOLOW gave favourite backers the finest possible start to the Royal meeting when continuing his rise to the top of the international miling division.
The Freddy Head-trained four-year-old – sent off at 11-8 – led home a one-two for France with Esoterique coming second at 16-1, while the late money for Cougar Mountain was justified as Aidan O’Brien’s runner grabbed third, also at 16-1.
Solow’s jockey Maxime Guyon was suitably elated and said: “This is the boss! It is amazing. I think he is the best I’ve ridden and when you can win at Ascot it is amazing.”
Head added: “It is beautiful. He is so easy to train, he’s the number one.
Esoterique emerged as the main danger, but Solow always held enough of an advantage, winning by a length, with Cougar Mountain a neck back in third.
A return to Britain could be on Solow’s agenda, as Head added: “I want him to last, so he’s not going to race that often. We will choose his races and hopefully he will run for a few more years.
“Maybe the Sussex Stakes might be a race for him if he comes out of this race well. He’s a long-striding horse in terms of the Breeders’ Cup so a small track like Keeneland might not suit him.”
Andre Fabre said of Esoterique: “I’m delighted by her – she ran a very good race. The winner has a very high rating, and when we go back to racing her against females she will probably win another Group 1. She definitely needs this type of going.”
17 June 2015; SOLOW and Maxime Guyon storm to victory over Esoterique, Pierre-Charles Boudot up, and Cougar Mountain, Ryan Moore up, in The Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot. © Peter Mooney, 6, Cumberland Street, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Tel: 00 353 (0)86 2589298
