The familiar red and white silks of the Rogues Gallery arrived in the Royal Ascot winners enclosure as Rogue Diplomat landed the Royal Hunt Cup.
The son of Calyx is now six from 14 in his career, with a record of 161111251 under Harry Davies. He went down by a nose in seasonal debut in the Lincoln, before suffering for room in the Spring Cup. He failed to fire in listed company, but Davies delivered him with aplomb on the biggest stage of all.
The majority of the field appear to favour the far-side, despite the meeting thus far appeasing those drawn high. Rogue Diplomat came through on the near-side rail, powering away to win by a length.
Speaking to the Press Association after, via the Racing Post, winning rider Harry Davies said: “It’s a little bit overwhelming. It’s such a special meeting and I’m just so happy to get my first winner here, it’s a big thing.
“James has been a great supporter of mine in these big handicaps. I’ve been lucky to get on some progressive horses, and that’s what you need. This is all just a little bit much at the minute.”
“To have a Royal Ascot for my team and them is fantastic” – James Owen
James Owen has developed into an excellent operator across both of racing codes, and was thrilled with his Ascot winner. Speaking to the Press Association, via Sporting Life, Owen said: “He was our first runner in the Lincoln, and he ran a blinder. It didn’t happen at Newbury as he got stopped a couple of times. We took him to France as I know this horse is pattern class. If we hadn’t gone to France he would have been second favourite.
“It just didn’t work in France. We thought it might have been the bend or the travel, but we put it down to the ground.
“We were fifty-fifty today whether we were going to run here today or not. But they put water on overnight and at the end of the day there is only one Royal Ascot.
“All the owners were keen, and there are a lot of them. They are a great bunch and they have supported me basically since they have started. To have a Royal Ascot for my team and them is fantastic.”
Owen concluded: “A first Royal Ascot winner for us is massive. But they have all been running well, and we still have a few more darts to come.”