IT was first blood to Ballydoyle at Royal Ascot as Circus Maximus gave his all to win the Queen Anne.
The four-year-old, who won last year’s St James’s Palace Stakes in similarly gutsy fashion, edged out Terebellum in a driving finish under an action-packed Ryan Moore.
There was very little pace in the early stages, with Circus Maximus and Marie’s Diamond towing the field along on the stands rail.
As the pace lifted, Frankie Dettori would have sensed victory on Terebellum, who made a move 2f out that looks all over a race-winning one.
But Circus Maximus (4-1f) has become a hard horse to beat since Aidan O’Brien fitted him with blinkers, and he rallied to collar the John Gosden-trained filly on the line.
There were some hard luck stories in behind in a messy race – with the well-punted Mohaather weaving his way through for a never-nearer seventh – but the cream rose to the top in the first Group 1 of the week.
More to follow…
