James McDonald claimed a fifth Royal Ascot win of his career, scoring aboard the Wathnan Racing-owned Crimson Advocate in the G2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes on the second day of the meeting.
American-bred Crimson Advocate, trained by John and Thady Gosden, was down the track in the King’s Stand Stakes at the same meeting last year but atoned for that defeat with a fast-finishing success under the Kiwi-born, Australian-based jockey on Wednesday.
“It’s so special that I can’t really put it into words,” McDonald said after the win.
“Even when you don’t have a chance and you’re riding here it’s such a huge thrill; it’s one of the best carnivals anywhere around the world, it’s very elegant, very special, it’s so meaningful and I just can’t thank enough people for the opportunity to be on this big stage.”
Wathnan Racing, whose global bloodstock operation is guided by Australian Olly Tait, has now won three races at Royal Ascot this week.
The G1 Prince of Wales’ Stakes, the feature race of the day, was taken out by Godolphin’s Ombudsman, a son of Night of Thunder, who is also trained by the Gosdens.
