16 June 2023 , 12:51
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Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Javier Castellano will have his first ride in Britain next week when he makes his debut at Royal Ascot.
The Venezuelan-born rider has enjoyed a fantastic 2023, winning two of America’s Triple Crown races. He clinched the first Kentucky Derby victory of his career on Mage at Churchill Downs in May and then added the Belmont Stakes to his tally on Arcangelo in New York five days ago.
He is set to partner the filly Cynane in Wednesday’s Queen Mary Stakes for New York-based Englishman Tom Morley. “Javier rides the vast majority of the horses in my barn,” said Morley, whose uncle was the late Ascot Gold Cup-winning trainer David Morley.
“He has done a lot of work with this filly in the mornings and rode her on debut. He wouldn’t miss this for the world.
“He was the one who said to me after the race, ‘We must go to Ascot. I had so much horse at the finish of the race’.”
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Cynane beat a Wesley Ward-trained newcomer who cost $700,000 on debut at Belmont Park to book her place on the trans-Atlantic trip. She is a 14-1 chance with William Hill.
“She won incredibly impressively, beating a three quarter of a million dollar horse of Wesley Ward’s, which I always think is a good benchmark," said Morley.
“That filly was favourite and honestly could never get near my filly. Wesley’s came out of the gate a length in front of us but within 100 yards the race was over.
“She has a real staying pedigree but is very fast as well so I have no concerns about her trip. She should love the ground.”