Royal Ascot 2024: Rosallion swoops to win the St James's Palace Stakes

Rosallion (5-2) swooped fast and late to collar Henry Longfellow (11-2) and run out a fine winner of the St James’s Palace Stakes on the opening day of Royal Ascot 2024.

Richard Hannon’s three-year-old – who bounced back from defeat in the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket to win his own Classic in the Irish version at the Curragh last month – grabbed another Group One victory under Sean Levey.

Ballydoyle trainer Aidan O’Brien tried to dictate the race with Unquestionable leading and stable-mate Henry Longfellow, under Ryan Moore, in his slipstream for much of the mile contest. But Rosallion was settled in the pack before making his move. After the turn for home Henry Longfellow – the son of Dubawi who won his three juvenile starts before disappointing in French 2,000 Guineas at ParisLongchamp last month – came through to take over from his stable-mate. It looked a perfectly-timed ride by Moore as he pushed his partner clear. But Rosallion came storming through and got up to score by a neck. French Guineas winner Metropolitan stayed on to be third three lengths back with the front-running Unquestionable fourth. The disappointment of the race was Newmarket Guineas winner and the 6-4 favourite Notable Speech, who was always in rear under Liverpool FC fan William Buick and couldn't quicken and trailed in seventh of the eight runners.

Rosallion had been a length-and-a-half behind Notable Speech in the Classic at Headquarters at the start of last month. But with back-to-back Group One successes, the talented son of Blue Point has improved past his rivals. He proved himself the leading miler in Europe with victory at Ascot and will now likely head for the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood where he will take on the older horses and possibly meet today's other Group One hero, Queen Anne Stakes winner Charyn.

Wiltshire trainer Hannon won the St James's Palace Stakes with Barney Roy in 2017 and his father and predecessor Richard Hannon senior also grabbed victory for the Herridge Racing Stables with Canford Cliffs in 2010.

The delighted handler, who trains Rosallion for owner-breeder Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, said: "We’ve always thought he was an extremely good horse, and he’s proved it before this. I’m just delighted. I always thought he was going very well and we gave Sean a blank canvas to do what he thought was right. I love being a part of these races but winning them is very hard. Quite often you call these horses something that they're not, because you want them to be the best horse you've trained – and quite often you are disappointed. That's an occupational hazard. But this lad has never let me down. That one day at Doncaster (Champagne Stakes)... I still can't explain it. I don't know how we messed it up, but that's behind us now.

"He's in the Sussex (at Goodwood), he's in all those big races, and I can't wait. He's already done enough for me if he never does another... It's not about being proven right either, it's about the work that goes into these horses from everybody at home. We've been watching him all winter, this kind of makes it a shorter winter."

Winning jockey Levey added: "I knew it was going to be a bit tactical. He had to be good today and I just knew the stiff track would suit me, and boy was he good. He travelled so well and he picked up strongly – when he has something to aim at he tries. I'm hoping one day they go a really good gallop and he gets to show his true potential because at the moment he’s shown how versatile he is."