Hollie Doyle and boyfriend triumph twice on British Champions Day

 

Hollie Doyle and her boyfriend Tom Marquand have claimed two victories each on Champions Day at Ascot.

Doyle’s double was historic because it was her first Group One success.  Glen Shiel, however, won the British Champions Sprint Stakes.

After winning the Long Distance Cup on Trueshan (16-1), this was a 203-1 double for her.

Marquand, on the other hand, emerged winner in the day’s big race, the Champion Stakes. The jockey crossed the finishing line first ahead of others on the William Haggas-trained Addeybb (9-1).

He then won the Balmoral Handicap with the Jessica Harrington-trained Njord (15-2), ahead of Doyle on Solid Stone.

Addeybb, a six-year-old horse, had finished second last year behind Magical before emerging winner this time around with a clear victory leaving Skalleti and Magical in second and third consecutively.

The Revenant also went one better this time around, claiming the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes for jockey Pierre-Charles Boudot. The horse which finished runners-0up 12 months ago is being trained by Francis-Henri Graffard.

Doyle continued her impressive form to emerge a two-time female British winner on Britain’s richest race day. She had broken her own record for winners ridden by a woman in a year three days earlier.

She recorded a comfortable seven-and-a-half-length victory on Trueshan from the Alan King yard. This was the first feat to be achieved by a woman on Britain’s richest race day.

However, there was a nervy moment for her, having to wait before the Archie Watson-trained Glen Shiel was declared the winner in a photo finish battle with the 80-1 outsider Brando.

Glen Shiel, the July Cup winner, was smartly out of the stall and took the lead but couldn’t give more in the final half-furlong, leaving it for Brando to challenge to the line.

Reacting to her feat, Doyle, who couldn’t believe she won, described it as incredible.

 

Written by: Oladipupo Mojeed