Jim Goldie celebrated a first Royal Ascot success after his progressive sprinter American Affair (11/1) landed the Gr1 King Charles III Stakes under Paul Mulrennan on Day 1 on Tuesday.
A significant improver through the handicap ranks since the beginning of last season, American Affair did not enjoy the rub of the green when fifth in the G2 Temple Stakes at Haydock Park.
Paul Mulrennan drives American Affair to a superb win (Pic – Megan Coggin)
However, with no trouble in running today, the five-year-old moved into contention before digging deep to fend off a sustained challenge from Frost At Dawn (28/1) by a neck. Regional (9/1), second in this race 12 months ago, finished third.
Goldie has had horses hit the frame at Royal Ascot before, including Sir Chauvelin in the 2018 Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes.
Goldie said: “I have trained the family for three generations, so it’s very sweet. This horse’s grandfather [Orientor] had his day here [at the Shergar Cup], so we’re pretty lucky that we can breed horses like that.
“American Affair is just getting faster. We went seven furlongs at Wetherby in his maiden, but we’ve learnt to run him over the right trip. We took him back to five and he is just getting better and better.
“I was quite confident he could do it today. He has the talent. I knew he was probably one of the fastest horses in the race, but it’s how you control that. We’ve come down a day early, got him relaxed and it all fell into place. It means a lot.”
Mulrennan said: “It all went pretty smooth, I got a lovely tow along there. We just tweaked a couple of things today – we put a hood on him. The last day nothing went right at Haydock. Jim has always had a lot of faith in American Affair, and he is a good horse.
“I first won his maiden on him over seven furlongs around Wetherby, which is hard to believe. And then he started getting sharper and sharper. I rode him one day at York over seven and he proper latched on and I said to Jim ‘I think this lad could be a sprinter’. He has just got quicker as he’s got older, as do a lot of sprinters.
“I am a northern jockey. I am riding Monday-to-Friday horses. To get here, just to come here and have a ride here is special. This is our Olympics. You’re riding with Ryan Moore, Christoph Soumillon and William Buick, the best jockeys in the world. The best horses, trainers, owners are all here – it’s a big stage.
“At this stage of my career, I probably have more years behind me than I have in front of me. It is hard enough to get rides here, so it’s nice to come down here and have a ride, but to win a Group 1 here is very special. The last time I had a Royal Ascot winner [Dandino], I had jet black hair!
“Jim has been very good to me the last few years. He is a master trainer. He can get inside a horse’s head. He is not afraid to tweak things around, run them over different trips and that’s what I’ve learned off him – it is an amazing sport.
“We are not spending massive money at the sales. A lot of them are homebred horses. They are not the most straightforward all of them but fair play to Jim and all his team, they keep churning out winners year after year.”
Winning breeder and part-owner John McGrandles said: “American Affair is probably the only horse here with a Glasgow postcode in his passport!I got the mare from Jim after she’d finished racing. We had two foals out of her but unfortunately lost her. We’ve got another mare by Orientor as well, and she’s gone back to Washington DC, just hoping we might do it again. We keep the mares at home; I have been involved with horses since I was six. My wife is a veterinary surgeon – and we’re off to the Highland Show tomorrow with sheep! This horse is the biggest winner we’ve had, yes. And the horse’s stable name is Charlie and he’s won the King Charles!”
Runner-up Frost at Dawn’s trainer William Knight said: “I thought the stiff five furlongs really suited her and it’s just annoying to not get the win. I’ve always had belief in this horse and campaigned her aggressively in that sense and we’ll continue to do so. I think she’s run a blinder there today and we’ll stick at five furlongs – that’s her trip.”
Ed Bethell said of third-placed Regional: “He is an amazing horse. He has taken his owners on an amazing journey and I’m hugely appreciative of the horse and Callum [Rodriguez]. Obviously, I would have loved to win, but this is horse racing and the winner and second were faster than us and that’s the bottom line. I entered him in the Prix Maurice de Gheest and I would like to go there – a flat six furlongs at Deauville on some nice ground would probably play to his strengths and then we’d like to go to the Sprint Cup.”
Henry Dwyer said of last year’s winner Asfoora, who dead-heated for fifth: “Oisin [Murphy] was just of the opinion we got stuck on the wrong part of the track. Even though she loomed at the 150-metre mark like she had a fair chance, she probably just felt the pinch for having to do a fair bit to get into the race. There’s not much for us at home so it will be Goodwood, York and beyond hopefully.”
- King Charles III Stakes (Group 1)
1 American Affair (Barraston Racing & J Goldie) Jim Goldie 5-9-07 Paul Mulrennan 11/1
2 Frost At Dawn (Abdulla Al Mansoori) William Knight 4-9-04 Mickael Barzalona 28/1
3 Regional (Future Champion Racing Regional) Ed Bethell 7-9-07 Callum Rodriguez 9/1
20 ran 3/1F Believing (11th)
- Jim Goldie – 1st Royal Ascot winner
- Paul Mulrennan – 2nd Royal Ascot winner
Sectional times: Royal Ascot 2025
