Royal Ascot Day 5 recap: Rebel’s Romance nabs first Ascot win

The 2025 Royal Ascot meet wrapped up on Saturday with three final group stakes. Fan favorite Rebel’s Romance starred in the Hardwicke (G2), while Lazzat proved unwavering in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee (G1).

Hardwicke (G2)

During a long and decorated career, two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) winner Rebel’s Romance has won races in the United States, Dubai, England, Germany, Hong Kong, and Qatar. The globetrotting gelding had never won (or even raced) at Royal Ascot, but that changed on Saturday when the seven-year-old Godolphin homebred posted a comfortable victory in the 1 1/2-mile Hardwicke (G2).

“People often ask me about Rebel’s Romance and, as I say, ‘if you’re not asking me about Rebel’s Romance, you don’t watch racing’, because he is a worldwide superstar,” said winning trainer Charlie Appleby. “As I said to Mick Fitzgerald on the way in, when he stopped me for an interview, I’ve got a picture of this fellow on my bedside table. He means that much to us all.”

Favored at 11-10 in the World Pool, Rebel’s Romance stayed in the clear while racing in third and fourth position for much of the journey. William Buick allowed the son of Dubawi to take command in the homestretch, and while Al Riffa launched a determined challenge in the final furlong, Rebel’s Romance was always moving strongest and prevailed by 1 3/4 lengths in 2:28.23 over good-to-firm turf.

“It erupted when he hit the front—he is a fan favorite,” said Buick. “He travels the world and is recognized everywhere. We have won more than £10 million in prize money. He has been around the block and is a top-class racehorse.

“You don’t find many top-class horses with a will to win like he has. I always say he always finds a way. We gel well together. He is my best friend.”

Ghostwriter took third place, followed by Palladium, Sunway, Tabletalk, Al Aasy, Burdett Road, Bellum Justum, Space Legend, Epic Poet, and Candleford.

Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee (G1)

The final Group 1 race of the Royal Ascot meet produced a thrilling outcome as Lazzat held off a charge from Japanese raider Satono Reve to win the six-furlong Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee in determined fashion.

Lazzat entered off a decisive 5 1/2-length triumph in the Prix Servanne at Chantilly in France, prompting last year’s Prix Maurice de Gheest (G1) winner to start as a 9-2 chance in his British debut and his first start since being purchased by owner Wathnan Racing. His relatively short odds in a 14-horse field proved warranted as Lazzat led all the way under jockey James Doyle before turning back Satono Reve’s bid to score by half a length in 1:11.30.

The triumph at Royal Ascot brought Lazzat’s lifetime record to 8-for-11. He’s never lost a race running shorter than 7 1/2 furlongs.

“Lazzat won at the top level as a three-year-old in the Maurice de Gheest in Deauville, but after having been all the way to Australia and Hong Kong, I was a bit scared that it was going to be tough,” said winning trainer Jerome Reynier. “We have obviously been trying him over a mile to open his options, but he is a pure sprinter and we will stick to the sprinting distances over straight courses in the future.

“That was a pretty tough challenge [from Satono Reve]. I have been watching all his races, and he always comes late. James had a really good feeling with the horse and, when the Japanese horse came to him, Lazzat put his ears back and tried again—he said there was no way he was going to pass him today.”

Satono Reve, the even-money choice of World Pool bettors after winning the Takamatsunomiya Kinen (G1) and finishing second in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize (G1), fell just shy of becoming the first Japan-based runner to win at Royal Ascot. Flora of Bermuda, Nighteyes, Iberian, Jasour, Inisherin, Run to Freedom, Great Generation, Storm Boy, Grand Grey, Elite Status, Annaf, and Topgear completed the order of finish.

“We had all bases covered and Jerome was very confident,” said Doyle. “He said all week, ‘don’t worry about the ground, everything is fine'. We mapped the pace out and thought if I end up leading, I end up leading, and he said, 'don't worry, he won't stop.’

“I could feel him [Satono Reve] coming all right, but you won’t get a more genuine horse than Lazzat. He really pinned his ears back when he joined me, and he was always going to see him off.”

Following the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee, Lazzat ducked out from underneath Doyle and ran loose around the course for some time, delaying the next race. Fortunately, Doyle was uninjured, and Lazzat was soon apprehended.

Jersey (G3)

The group stakes racing at Royal Ascot wrapped up with the Jersey, a seven-furlong sprint for three-year-olds. World Pool bettors dismissed Noble Champion as a 32-1 longshot after going winless in three starts against easier competition during the spring, but the Ed Walker trainee improved dramatically in the Jersey to spring a major upset.

“It has been a great week. We have had a few blips, but we are thrilled,” said Walker. “I am just so pleased for this horse. We had massive belief in Noble Champion coming into this year, and for one reason or another, we have just not got it right.

“He had a setback in January, which messed up our prep for the Greenham; he needed that run. We always thought he was a Guineas horse. We really believed in him, but we thought we’d go a sensible route and ran in a conditions race at Goodwood over a mile. There wasn’t much pace, and he was keen and just got it all wrong.

“We then brought him back to six furlongs at Newbury because he had showed so much speed at home. We even thought we might end up supplementing him for the Commonwealth Cup, but that didn’t work, and finally, the trainer got it right!  Noble Champion is as good a workhorse as we have had; he has such a high cruising speed and is just a very smart horse.”

Noble Champion showed his cruising speed at Royal Ascot. Always prominent while racing in second place under jockey Kieran Shoemark, Noble Champion soon took over from pacesetting Spy Chief and drew clear despite drifting left to dominate by 3 1/4 lengths in 1:24.99. Spy Chief held for second place, followed by Comanche Brave, Remmooz, Yah Mo Be There, Seagulls Eleven, Pellitory, Dhitjari, Marvelman, Brian, Caburn, California Dreamer, Saracen, Benevento, and One Smack Mac.

“Ed has always held Noble Champion in the highest regard,” said Shoemark. “He has a lot of ability and, for one reason or another, things just haven’t gone right this year.

“The stiff seven furlongs here at Ascot, with a nice strong pace, has really seen him at his best. He was in a lovely rhythm, and it was just a matter of time—when I pressed go, he really hit the line strong.”

Coolmore, John and Thady Gosden, Moore top the meet standings

Coolmore partnerships ranked as the leading owner at Royal Ascot with five wins, three seconds, and four thirds. Their minor placings broke a tie with Wathnan Racing, which recorded five wins and six thirds. Coolmore has ranked as the leading owner at Royal Ascot six times, including the last three years in a row.

John and Thady Gosden topped the trainer standings for the second time with five wins, four seconds, and one third. Their runner-up finishes gave them the edge over Aidan O’Brien of Coolmore, who posted five wins, three seconds, and three thirds.

Jockey Ryan Moore led all riders at the royal meeting for the 12th time with seven wins, three seconds, and four thirds. His win tally was two more than runner-up Oisin Murphy.