Royal Ascot: Khaadem ($148.90) delivers big surprise in Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes
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Triple Time won the first Group 1 of the 2023 Royal Ascot meet, the Queen Anne Stakes, at odds of 34-1, but that was nothing compared to the last Group 1 of the meeting, the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, captured by 73-1 shot Khaadem on Saturday.
Seven-year-old Khaadem was racing for the 29th time while ridden for the first time by Jamie Spencer, who sat chilly on his mount near the back of the field while racing in a pack of horses on the stands side of the straight course. Spencer chose the right horse to follow, the mare Sacred, who rallied steadily and took the lead a furlong out in this six-furlong dash. Khaadem and Spencer, though, always appeared to have her measured, and Khaadem overtook Sacred in the final yards to win by a neck.
During a five-day meeting rife with upsets, Khaadem’s $148.90 win wasn’t close to the longest price: Valiant Force on Thursday paid $240.70 landing the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes.
Khaadem had some credentials: a Group 2 winner who’d twice been fourth in Group 1 sprints. Owned by Fitri Hay and trained by Charlie Hills, Khaadem had raced at least once in Dubai the last three winters and never showed his best there. After finishing 13th of 15 in the Nad al Sheba Turf Sprint on March 23 at Meydan Racecourse, Khaadem returned to action with a third-place finish in a listed race at Salisbury before turning in the performance of his life.
“Khaadem does have his quirks, but most sprinters do,” Hills said. “It’s just amazing that we’ve got to where we have now at his age. I have always had massive faith in this horse, that’s why I’ve kept him for so long.”
Highfield Princess, the 3-1 favorite, always was prominent in the group of horses on the far side of the course and finished third, with the Australian horse Artorius fourth after finishing third in this race a year ago. Big Invasion, the lone American runner, checked in 13th but had better luck than Cannonball, who reared and dropped his rider at the start.
Khaadem is by Dark Angel out of White Daffodil, by Footstepsthesand. He snuck up on everyone Saturday.
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