Auguste Rodin seals 400th top-tier win for O'Brien

Auguste Rodin triumphed astatine Royal Ascot nether Ryan Moore to springiness trainer Aidan O'Brien his 400th top-level Group aliases Grade One triumph connected nan Flat.

The 13-8 favourite, victor of nan English and Irish Derbys past year, held disconnected French challengers Zarakem and Horizon Dore to triumph nan Prince of Wales's Stakes.

After an earlier triumph pinch Illinois, it sealed a double for O’Brien and Moore - who has equalled Frankie Dettori’s people of 81 winners astatine nan meeting.

Moore and Dettori are nan starring progressive jockeys astatine nan Ascot fixture, while nan precocious Lester Piggott holds nan all-time grounds of 116 victories.

It was a sixth Group One occurrence for Auguste Rodin, who claimed Irish Champion Stakes and Breeders’ Cup wins past play but besides suffered lacklustre defeats successful nan 2,000 Guineas and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

“He’s a awesome horse. A fewer times it hasn’t happened, but location were reasons each time,” said Moore.

Moore had secured his 80th Royal Ascot triumph arsenic 7-4 favourite Illinois won nan Queen’s Vase from Highbury successful a 1-2 for trainer O’Brien.

It was an eighth triumph successful nan title for O’Brien, which matches nan grounds of Sir Henry Cecil.

Big-spending owners Wathnan Racing - headed by Sheikh Tamim, nan emir of Qatar - bought respective horses for Ascot successful nan build-up to nan gathering and struck successful Wednesday’s opening Queen Mary Stakes.

The 22-1 chance Leovanni, trained by Karl Burke, stormed clear successful nan last furlong nether James Doyle, pinch Gavin Cromwell’s 50-1 chance Mighty Eriu successful second.

Running Lion (6-1) gave jockey Oisin Murphy his 2nd triumph of nan 2024 gathering successful nan Duke Of Cambridge Stakes.

Trainers John and Thady Gosden had nan first 2 home, pinch nan grey winning from stablemate Laurel, who was returning from a 396-day absence.