June 23 (UPI) -- Another Royal Ascot meeting is in the books, with the big names landing the championship titles and four Breeders' Cup spots awarded through the "Win and You're In" Challenge program.
Two more Breeders' Cup spots were dished out Sunday in South America, as top-level North American racing took a bit of a breather.
The weekend ended with a sad note about one of the sport's all-time great trainers. See "News and Notes."
Tally ho!
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Royal Ascot
Good weather, big crowds and competitive racing turned Royal Ascot 2025 into a success on all fronts.
Coolmore's partners earned the leading owner award for a third consecutive year, the father-son team of John and Thady Gosden got the trainer title for the second straight year, edging out Coolmore' Aidan O'Brien. And Coolmore's go-to rider, Ryan Moore, nailed down his 12th Royal Ascot jockey title.
Overall attendance across the five days was 286,541, a 4.8% increase on the 2024 total of 273,528.
The Breeders' Cup awards went to Charles Darwin for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint, Ombudsman for the Turf, American Affair for the Turf Sprint and Docklands for the Mile.
Felicity Barnard, CEO of Ascot Racecourse, said: "It has been a fantastic week with some brilliant sport to enjoy. I think we have been a window for our sport and I am absolutely thrilled."
Having covered the first three days of the meeting earlier, we pick up where we left off with ...
Friday
The penultimate day of the Royal meeting was "upset day" as both Group 1 races produced shockers.
Cercene, previously the owner of just a maiden win, worked to the lead inside the two-furlongs marker in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, and then faced a stern challenge from Zaragana, the adjudged winner of the French Oaks, who previously had only one official defeat.
Cercene, with Gary Carroll up for trainer Joseph G. Murphy, bravely held on and won by a neck. January was third for the Coolmore, Aidan O'Brien mob.
If the names seem unfamiliar, they well might. Both trainer and jockey won for the first time at the Group 1 level, though Carroll had two previous wins at the Royal meeting.
Two races earlier, it was Time for Sandals, a Sands of Mali filly, defeating 3-year-old males in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at 6 furlongs.
She raced in a far-side group of six headed most of the way by American raider Shisospicy, responded when asked and held on to win by a neck over Arizona Blaze, who emerged from the stands-side group of 15.
The first four placings were double-digit long shots with the favorite, Godolphin's Shadow of Light, reporting fifth.
Saturday
Lazzat capped off a five-win meeting for Wathnan Racing with a victory in the featured Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes at 6 furlongs.
The 4-year-old Territories gelding led from the start while racing near the center of the track with the main body of the field. Japan's big Royal meeting hope, Satono Reve, came calling from the smaller, stands side group, but fell short at the finish.
Lazzat is something of an international warrior now with respectable showings late last year in Hong Kong and Japan.
Rebel's Romance, Godolphin's own globetrotter and two-time Breeders' Cup Turf winner, landed the Group 2 Hardwicke Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths from Al Riffa.
The 7-year-old now has wins in the United States, Qatar, Germany, Dubai and Saudi Arabia. Noble Champion logged a 25-1 upset win in the meeting's final pattern race, the Group 3 Jersey Stakes for 3-year-olds at 7 furlongs.
South America
La Kika won Sunday's Group 1 Gran Premio Pamplono at Hipodromo de Monterrico in Lima, Peru, earning a "Win and You're In" spot in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
The 4-year-old daughter of Badge of Silver prevailed by 1/2 length after a spirited stretch duel with Mathilde. She got her fifth win from 11 starts and third Group 1 title.
Sinsel took Sunday's Group 1 Grande Premio Brasil at Hipodromo da Gavea in Rio De Janeiro, securing a "Win and You're In" starting position in the $5 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf. The son of Travers Stakes winner Alpha scored by a nose over Valparaiso.
Back in the States:
Churchill Downs
Vahva pressed the pace in Saturday's $300,000 Grade II Chicago Stakes, and then engaged in a long stretch battle with Claret Beret before edging away to win by 3/4 length.
It was another 3 1/4 lengths to Zeitlos in third and the favorite, My Mane Squeeze, settled for fifth.
Vahva, a 5-year-old Gun Runner Mare, covered 7 furlongs on a fast track in 1:20.89, just 0.45 second off the track record, with Irad Ortiz Jr. up for trainer Cherie DeVaux. She won the race for the second straight year, reversing a trend that saw three intervening losses.
"I'm so proud of her that she's back," DeVaux said. "She's been training well and we were hoping she'd bounce back to form. She sat a really good trip and down the lane I was just hoping she'd have enough punch left. She really loves this racetrack."
Thistledown
Mo Plex stalked the pace in Saturday's $500,000 Grade III Ohio Derby, took the lead near the quarter pole and held off the favorite, Louisiana Derby second Chunk of Gold, to win by 2 lengths.
Peter Pan Stakes runner-up McAfee was third and Hot Springs Stakes winner Clever Again faded from the lead to finish sixth.
Mo Plex, a Complexity colt trained by Jeremiah Englehart, covered 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:50.72. Joe Ramos had the mount.
The race was the first for Mo Plex since he won the Bay Shore Stakes on April 19 and his first try around two turns.
Englehart said Sunday Mo Plex exited the race in good order and is evolving into a contender in the division. He said he's looking to the $500,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga on July 26, the local prep for the $1.25 million Travers, the "Midsummer Derby," on Aug. 23.
"Being a Saratoga guy, that was my first thought after the race," the trainer said of a potential start in the Jim Dandy.
News and Notes
Legendary trainer D. Wayne Lukas, beset with serious medical problems, has withdrawn from training and turned over his horses permanently to assistant Sebastian "Seb" Nicholl.
Churchill Downs, citing family members, said Lukas, 89, has battled a severe infection that has worsened recently. He has declined aggressive treatment and plans to return home for his remaining time, according to reports.
Lukas, a four-time Kentucky Derby winner who started with American Quarter Horses, had 4,967 Thoroughbred wins. His horses earned more than $301 million from 30,607 starts, including 1,105 stakes wins of which 637 were in graded races.
He trained 26 Eclipse Award champions, including three crowned Horse of the Year. He was inducted into the Horse Racing Hall of Fame in 1999.
