ITV presenter finds himself in winners' enclosure as victorious owner at Ascot

21 June 2023 , 18:37

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Rishi Persad: enjoyed a Royal Ascot win as an owner (Image: PA)

ITV Racing’s Rishi Persad nearly had to interview himself after winning at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.

The presenter is one of the members of the Rogues Gallery Racing Club who struck with the filly Rogue Millennium in the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes.

Persad is regularly positioned in the winners’ enclosure to interview winning connections for the network.

But he was one of the winning connections after the success for the ‘non profit’ club, whose other celebrity owners are Vinnie Jones, DJ Luck and MC Neat and TOWIE star Elliott Wright.

“My brother-in-law Jack Mitchell rides a lot for the club so he asked me to do some work for them a few years ago, and I did,” Persad explained.

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“They offered me money or shares in horses so I took the shares because it would be more fun and one of the horses I got a share in was Rogue Millennium.”

Rogue Millennium, trained by Tom Clover, ran in last year’s Oaks and produced a huge performance to finish second in the Middleton Stakes at York after which Persad suggested the filly should drop back to a mile for the Duke of Cambridge.

With entries already closed Club founder Tony Elliott agreed to pay £13,000 to supplement the filly into the Royal Ascot race, which offered a first prize of £105,000, despite her never having run at a mile and she delivered Clover his biggest success.

Rogue Millennium: won the Duke of Cambridge Stakes (PA)

“I must admit I had been confident in the lead up to the race,” said Persad who also covers snooker, golf and tennis for the BBC.

“When she stood in the stalls I was getting a bit nervous. But through the race I was never concerned. It’s one of the best days I’ve had in the sport.

“I interviewed Tom and I interviewed Tony and I hope I did it professionally enough.”

Jon Lees