Japanese champion upset in Royal Ascot Prince Of Wales’s Stakes
A Shin Hikari was the shortest favourite on the 2016 Royal Ascot card, but the Japanese star was wanting in the Group 1 Price Of Wales’s Stakes overnight.
The 10-time winner was a $1.66 favourite at Sportsbet and punters were extremely confident about its chances, but after receiving an uncontested lead throughout the run, it was unable to finish off in the testing track conditions.
A Shin Hikari had beaten the winner, My Dream Boat, by over 14 lengths when they met in the Prix d’Ispahan at Chantilly, but on the big stage at Royal Ascot, My Dream Boat sunk the hopes and dreams of the Japanese champion which tailed out to finish last.
“He looked special when he won the Gordon Richards, but when we took him to France he was stuck back in the field and things didn’t go quite right,” trainer Clive Cox said. “He got into a nice rhythm and I’m very proud of him.”
“Adam’s [Adam Kirby] riding out of his skin at the minute. Professionally and personally he’s on a high. The horses are running amazingly, it feels like a dream,” Cox added.
The win gave recent father Adam Kirby two group-1 wins for the Royal Ascot carnival. Kirby turned down seeing his baby being born to ride Profitable to victory in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes on Tuesday.
Kirby was full of praise for My Dream Boat which was expected to improve on its last start performance.
“I was pretty confident he’d be in the first three. The race went perfect,” Kirby said.
“He gave me a real good feel when he won two starts ago but he was bit free last time and didn’t get home.
“Full credit to the horse, he stayed at it. It was a very gutsy performance.”
Part-owner of A Shin Hikari, Hirogotsu Hirai, was disappointed with its effort and suggested it could have been down to the soft track conditions.
“After the race the horse was fine. He wasn’t upset, but we’re upset,” Hirai said.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. This was his first time around a bend that sharp and it surprised him. Also, the turf was very soft, like a luxurious carpet, and that did not suit him.”
My Dream Boat paid $16 for the win with the Aidan O’Brien-trained Found finishing second after closing at $5 in the win market. The Breeder’s Cup Turf champion fought hard to the line, but was narrowly grabbed near the line.
O’Brien will be looking for success with Order Of St George in the Ascot Gold Cup overnight. The potential Melbourne Cup entrant is odds-on to win the 4000m feature and punters will be cheering it home.