Ten Bob Tony Shocked the World and Opened Royal Ascot with a Historic Upset

At 50/1, the Ed Walker trainee captured the Queen Anne Stakes (G1) and became the highest-priced winner of the race since Garrick in 1950

BERKSHIRE, England (Special for Turf Diario).– Royal Ascot usually begins with great stories. Some are written beforehand, featuring established favorites and highly-reputed contenders. Others appear when no one expects them. And this Tuesday, in the race that kicked off the most important meeting in European racing, it was one of those improbable stories that stole all the headlines.

At odds of 50/1, Ten Bob Tony produced one of the biggest upsets in recent memory by capturing the Queen Anne Stakes (G1-1600m, turf), the event that traditionally raises the curtain on the festival and which, on this occasion, brought together several of the best milers in training.

Trained by Ed Walker and ridden with incredible cold blood by Kieran Shoemark, the son of Night of Thunderbecame the highest-priced winner of the race since Garrick (Wyndham) triumphed in 1950.

The pre-race build-up pointed mainly toward Notable Speech (Dubawi), recent winner of the Lockinge Stakes (G1) and the race favorite, while strong expectations were also held for the pacesetter Opera Ballo (Ghaiyyath) and the rising More Thunder (Night of Thunder). However, none could respond when the outsider's devastating late surge appeared.

While Opera Ballo set strong fractions from the start, Shoemark opted for a completely different strategy. He allowed Ten Bob Tony to travel last among the nine runners and waited patiently for the right moment to launch his bid.

As the initial effort began to take its toll on the frontrunners, Ten Bob Tony made steady progress along the grandstand side of the track. With a furlong left to run, he reached Opera Ballo, while More Thunder attempted to advance through the center. The trio locked in a thrilling finish, though it was Walker's representative who found more reserve in the decisive strides to prevail by half a length over More Thunder, with Opera Ballo finishing third after a highly commendable performance.

Behind them, Notable Speech disappointed once again at Ascot and finished sixth, confirming one more time that this venue does not seem to suit him, just as had occurred last season.

"It's an unbelievable story," Walker acknowledged. "This was the first horse Simon Sadler ever owned, and now he's won a G1 at Royal Ascot. We had agreed to ride him very dropped in and try to pass horses in the final furlong. Kieranwas brilliant and had the exact patience needed."

The victory also carried a powerful emotional element for owner Simon Sadler. The horse is named after his father's nickname, known in Blackpool as Ten Bob Tony due to an old market stall he ran years ago.

"I'm shaking. I have tears in my eyes. We never thought something like this could happen," Sadler confessed. "My father isn't here because he is unwell, but he surely watched it. I'm sure he wagered more money than I did."

Shoemark did not hide his emotion either after securing one of the most important triumphs of his career.

"Winning a G1 in the first race on the first day of Royal Ascot is something very special," he noted. "The horse traveled ever so smoothly. At no point did I feel the pace was collapsing in front; he was simply running exceptionally well. He has experience at this level and today he showed exactly what he is worth."

The defeat left mixed feelings in several camps. William Haggas showed satisfaction with More Thunder's runner-up effort, while Charlie Appleby considered Opera Ballo's performance highly meritorious, having been forced to face a strong headwind for a large part of the journey.

Regarding Notable Speech, Appleby was definitive: "There's something about Ascot. He doesn't look like the same horse when he runs here. He tried, but he just doesn't respond the same way."

For Ten Bob Tony, however, Ascot will remain forever as the stage where he achieved the greatest milestone of his racing career. Just ten days after winning the Tattenham Corner Stakes (G3) at Epsom, he made the leap into the elite and wrote one of the most unexpected pages in the recent history of Royal Ascot.

And it was just the first race of a week that has only just begun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnTSPjniyWE