Latest news with #TimeForSandals
New Paper
21-06-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Shock wins rock Royal Ascot G1's
ASCOT Cercene and Time For Sandals brought smiles to the faces of bookmakers on the fourth day of Royal Ascot on June 20, springing huge shocks in the two Group 1 races. Cercene was at 33-1 ($160 on the Singapore tote) the longest price winner ever in the £725,750 (S$1.26 million) Coronation Stakes (1,600m). The Australian-owned filly by Australia fought back under Gary Carroll to beat French favourite Zarigana (Mickael Barzalona). The win gave Irish trainer Joe Murphy, who had only had one previous runner at the meeting, his first Group 1 hurrah and easily his most prestigious win, and it comes on arguably the biggest stage. "This is 50 years of work, that's what it is, of love and care, and all for the owners we have, all our people, it's just a whole group of people together," said Murphy, 70, who has been training since 1977. "This is heaven on Earth." For Carroll, it was his third Royal Ascot winner but also his first ever Group 1 winner anywhere, and due reward for flying back to Berkshire after riding in Ireland on Thursday. "Hugely good horses are very hard to come by and sometimes only one comes along in a lifetime and I guess mine has," he said. Harry Eustace has got a real taste now for Group 1 races at Royal Ascot. After breaking his duck with Docklands in the opener - the Queen Anne Stakes (1,600m) on Tuesday - he added a second in the £725,750 Commonwealth Cup (1,200m) with Time For Sandals, a shock 25-1 winner ($144). Before her stunning win, Time For Sandals, a filly by Sands Of Mali, had one debut win at Kempton and four placings in five starts. "I don't know, it has not landed yet," said Eustace. "You have to be very careful with Ascot. If you get your hopes up, it can bite you back." For his father James, who Harry took over from, it was "magic". "It is so wonderful," said Eustace senior, who also enjoyed success at Royal Ascot, and whose younger son David is having a great start to his Hong Kong training career. "We tried to get Harry to go to university, we succeeded initially and he went to Edinburgh. "He had two good years and a lot of fun before he dropped out and then took off for Australia and the racing bug bit." For jockey Richard Kingscote, it was a seventh Royal Ascot winner, but first at Group 1 level, ending a run of 67 defeats at the meeting. "I've had some nice horses but this will do the world of good," he said. "I'm delighted to ride a good winner for Harry, he's a gentleman, it's a happy yard." Godolphin's Charlie Appleby was looking to end his three-year losing run, but hot favourite Shadow of Light never featured. AFP
The Irish Sun
21-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Royal Ascot punters win ‘life-changing' sum from £1 stake after run of freak results ‘not seen in years'
SEVERAL Royal Ascot punters were celebrating winning 'life-changing' sums from a £1 stake - after a run of freak results not seen in years. Those who took on and conquered the Tote Placepot on Friday were duly rewarded with a colossal payout. Advertisement 1 Cercene, left, was a shock 33-1 winner of the Coronation Stakes Credit: Shutterstock Editorial If you managed to pick a horse to place in the first six races and stuck a quid on it, you'd have won £26,424.30. Bookies were laughing as huge outsiders such as 33-1 Cercene won the Coronation Stakes. While 25-1 roughie Time For Sandals nabbed the Commonwealth Cup ahead of the likes of the well-fancied Shadow Of Light, Jonquil and Babouche. Favourite backers were licking their wounds after getting one over the layers on Thursday. Advertisement But it was definitely 1-0 to the bookies on day four after just two favourites - Ethical Diamond and Amiloc - won. There were just 18.15 winning units on the Placepot. And the £26,000 dividend was one of the biggest seen in years. However, the benchmark was set in 2022 when, on one day there, the dividend was £79,125.50 to a £1 stake. Advertisement Most read in Horse Racing Comment Exclusive Kev Matthews, Head of Racing at Tote, said: "Days like this are what the Tote Placepot is all about – a small stake can lead to a life-changing return. "Friday's dividend of over £26,000 is a perfect example. "We saw plenty of favourites turned over and a real mix of results, which gave Placepot players a rollercoaster ride all the way through to the final leg. "Huge congratulations to those who landed it." Advertisement The Placepot, which requires punters to pick a placed horse in each of the first six races, remains one of the most popular bets in British racing. With tens of thousands playing every day at Royal Ascot, today's results demonstrate the unique excitement and potential rewards of pool betting. FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. . Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here. Advertisement
Daily Mail
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Harry Eustace expresses unbridled joy after winning at Royal Ascot as a rookie trainer - saying 'I promise you we will celebrate'
Harry Eustace wanted to get his words out but all he could manage was a nod of the head in agreement. Had this really happened again? The answer, most definitely, was yes. Time For Sandals, his little three-year-old filly, had just completed the second part of week that, in all likelihood, has just transformed his career. Winning a Group One at Royal Ascot, for a rookie trainer, could be dismissed as luck but to do it twice in the space of four days indicates serious talent. Eustace had started the meeting that matters above all with a bang, when Docklands won the Queen Anne Stakes, but things got even better for the 37-year-old, who only started training in 2021; Time For Sandals might have been a 25/1 shot but she hit the line as powerfully as an odds-on favourite. There was heartbreak for connections of 28/1 runner-up Arizona Blaze, who wondered what might have happened had they been drawn on the far side of the track with Time For Sandals, but none of that diluted the wonderment which consumed Eustace. He's certainly bred for this job. His father, James, was an institution in Newmarket and won the 1998 Royal Hunt Cup here; his uncle, David Oughton, landed the Golden Jubilee Stakes in 2005, when Ascot was staged at York, from Hong Kong, where Harry's younger brother, David, now trains. Having the genes is one thing, being able to performer is another. Eustace dropped out of Edinburgh University, where he was studying chemistry, to pursue his dream of training good horses and the last four days, unequivocally, have shown that was the right call. 'People are waiting for you to prove you can do it – and we have done it twice this week,' said Eustace, whose other runners at Ascot this week finished second and fifth. 'This is the big marquee meeting of the entire year. To win here is the greatest stage and it's enormous for us. 'I won't take any of it for granted. I have been very lucky growing up with Dad. But it's tough. This is a sport and an industry in which it is a marathon, not a sprint. You have to keep going. 'I promise you we will celebrate it because you never know if it's going to be a little while between drinks!' This, in essence, is what it is all about: joy. Everywhere you looked, you could see what everyone is in this for: from Richard Kingscote, who partnered Time For Sandals, to Kieran Shoemark, who emerged from a period of turbulence to take the Sandringham Stakes on 22/1 shot Never Let Go. 'It has been a tough six weeks,' said Shoemark, who lost his job as one of John and Thady Gosden's main riders after losing on Field Of Gold in the 2000 Guineas. 'I had an opportunity that put me on the map and it is my job to remain there now.' Staying on the map is something that Willie Mullins will never have to worry about but even this winning machine looked like he was savouring Ascot success for the first time (it was actually his eleventh win) when Ethical Diamond blitzed the field in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes. Then, of course, there was Joseph Murphy, who sent out the 33/1 winner of the Coronation Stakes. He and jockey Gary Carroll are pillars of this sport in Ireland, the kind of men who keep the wheels turning on a daily basis but rarely get the credit they deserve. 'It's a lifetime's ambition to have a Group One winner,' said Murphy, who is now 70. 'This is 50 years of work – that's what it is. It's love and care, and all for the owners we have, all our people. It's just a whole group of people together. This is heaven on earth.'
RTÉ News
20-06-2025
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Royal Ascot wrap: Ethical Diamond sparkles for Willie Mullins in Duke of Edinburgh Stakes
Ethical Diamond made it a momentous day at Royal Ascot for Willie Mullins when powering down the outside to win the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes in the hands of Ryan Moore. Mullins and his wife Jackie had taken part in the royal procession before racing and his dual-purpose performer had no trouble in justifying 3-1 favouritism. Fourth last year, he was 2lb higher having also finished fourth in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham - but the result barely looked in doubt and he came home two lengths clear of Mutaawid and Naqeeb Harry Eustace's fine Royal Ascot continued when Time For Sandals blazed her way to Commonwealth Cup glory. The Newmarket handler struck for the very first time in Group One company with Docklands in the Queen Anne Stakes and wasted little time doubling that tally with a filly who was registering just her second career victory - and first since her debut last year. Sent off at 25-1 in the hands of Richard Kingscote, she cruised to the front on the far side with a furlong to run and showed great resolve to edge out Arizona Blaze by a neck with the supplemented Rayevka half a length further back in third. Venetian Sun backed up Karl Burke's confidence in her ability with a dominant display in the Albany Stakes. Ante-post favourite in the build up to the race following an impressive winning debut at Carlisle, she was sent off at 7-1 in the end with Burke having drawn a blank with several other fancied juvenile runners this week. She also had to overcome what looked a disadvantageous draw in stall one under Clifford Lee, yet despite having no cover, she was in front with a furlong to run and pulled a length and a half clear of Awaken and Balantina.
Powys County Times
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Time For Sandals pulls off Commonwealth Cup shock
Harry Eustace's fine Royal Ascot continued when Time For Sandals blazed her way to Commonwealth Cup glory. The Newmarket handler struck for the very first time in Group One company with Docklands in the Queen Anne Stakes and wasted little time doubling that tally with a filly who was registering just her second career victory – and first since her debut last year. Sent off at 25-1 in the hands of Richard Kingscote, she cruised to the front on the far side with a furlong to run and showed great resolve to edge out Arizona Blaze by a neck with the supplemented Rayevka half a length further back in third. 'It's the first time she's had a fast horse to follow, I don't want to say (we were) very confident, but we felt like we hadn't seen the best from her for one reason or another,' said Eustace. 'The voice is in dire straits, I can assure you of that! She's always shaped to be pretty good and at home we felt we had excuses for her; she never ran a bad one, she was always right there but hadn't quite put it all together. 'We were always confident in a race like this where there would be fast horses taking her along, that's really what she needed; don't get me wrong, we didn't dream that we'd get here, but she was always pretty good.' He added: 'It's been extraordinary (the meeting), but that's the team at home, it's all the little things all the way through and I can't thank them enough. The owners will be in there, they're relatively new, this is the second ever horse they've had and they're pretty lucky people.' Kingscote – who won the Derby for Sir Michael Stoute on Desert Crown in 2022 – said: 'I've had nice horses to ride since Sir Michael retired, it was always going to be a year of building back up, I had a nice bit of support and I'm delighted to get on a filly like her. 'Last year she was a very unlucky placed horse in the Super Sprint and she progressed all the way through. She was unlucky last time I felt. 'She did a spectacular piece of work a couple of weeks ago at Newmarket and I'm delighted to ride Harry a big winner because he's a gentleman and his yard is such a happy yard. 'I'm delighted, he's a lovely man and his staff are always so positive and happy so it's great to get them a nice winner. He's only just trained his 100th winner, so I'd say two Group Ones at Royal Ascot is pretty special to him.' Arizona Blaze may have been 28-1, but did not surprise trainer Adrian Murray with his huge performance, with the Irish handler now eyeing a tilt at York's Nunthorpe Stakes later in the summer. 'Big run, but he never runs a bad race. He always turns up on the day so I'm delighted with him,' said Murray. 'He's very reliable. When he came home the last day he was a bit flat within himself, so he probably was a bit under the weather when he ran, we put that behind us and we were very confident of a good run. 'It was a huge price, I couldn't believe it! 'I think we'll go for the Nunthorpe, he's in the July Cup as well but I think we'll look at York.'
