With the biggest week of the racing calendar beckoning upon us we have decided to look back at Richards five winners at the Royal meeting to date:
TORONADO (2014) – QUEEN ANNE STAKES (GROUP ONE)
Having won the Group One Sussex Stakes the previous year at Goodwood, TORONADO looked a likely candidate to supply Richard Hannon Jnr with his first Royal Ascot success. He came to the Group One Queen Anne Stakes having his first run of the season and been off the track for almost 300 days. He still duly obliged under Richard Hughes when beating VERRAZANO to give Richard his first Group One success and first Royal Ascot win. Since his retirement TORONADO has been standing at Haras de Bouquetot in France where his first two-year olds have got off to a strong start with victories for YOLO AGAIN and BAYLAGAN.
BAITHA ALGA (2014) – NORFOLK STAKES (GROUP TWO)
Richard didn’t have to wait too long for his second Royal Ascot victory when BAITHA ALGA won the Group Two Norfolk Stakes just two days later in the same colours as TORONADO for Al Shaqab Racing. The Norfolk Stakes is a race which Richard Hannon Snr had much success throughout his career (three wins) so it was a fitting result with Richard claiming victory in his first season.
OSAILA (2015) – SANDRINGHAM HANDICAP (LISTED HANDICAP)
It was OSAILA who put Richard on the winners’ board at the festival in 2015. After previously winning a Group 3 at the track and holding some impressive form she had the penance of carrying top weight of 9-7. Throughout the race she ran in to trouble and things didn’t seem to go her way before a masterful run by Frankie Dettori to win by a nose. It was a scinitillaitng race that captured the excitement of Royal Ascot get the week off to a good start.
ILLUMINATE (2015) – ALBANY STAKES (GROUP THREE)
After OSAILA got the week of to a great start ILLUMINATE managed to cap it off with a victory in the Group Three Albany Stakes under stable jockey Richard Hughes. After winning impressively first time out ILLUMINATE went in to the race as favourite. She obliged by showing a great turn of foot to win by a length and a quarter. She went on the win at Group Two level and finish second in the Group One Cheveley Park Stakes for connections Denford Stud.
BARNEY ROY (2017) – ST JAMES’S PALACE STAKES (GROUP ONE)
Up against a very strong three-year-old crop BARNEY ROY went to Royal Ascot facing the challenge of dual 2000 Guineas winner CHURCHILL. Having finished second behind the Ballydoyle horse in the 2000 Guineas BARNEY ROY managed to overturn the tables at Royal Ascot to prove himself as one of the leading three-year olds of the season and supply Richard with one of the biggest wins of his career.