BBC Sport: Royal Ascot 2012 was the ‘most outstanding in modern times’

by Paulick Report Staff | 06.25.2012 | 7:28am

The 2012 Royal Ascot meeting both started and ended with a bang, with the two best horses in the world remaining undefeated–one emphatically, and the other by a narrow margin.

Frankel romped to a spectacular 11-length victory in the opening race of the meet, the Queen Anne Stakes (Eng-I). Black Caviar closed out the week with a victory that was just as dramatic, hanging on to win the Diamond Jubilee (Eng-I) by a diminishing head.

In between those two champions there were several more outstanding performances, from So You Think in the Prince of Wales’s, to Estimate providing The Queen with a long-awaited Royal Ascot victory in the Queen’s Vase.

» Read more at

New to the Paulick Report? Click here to sign up for our daily email newsletter to keep up on this and other stories happening in the Thoroughbred industry

Cheryl

Truly the best race meeting in the world! 7 G1 races, 7 G2s and 4 G3s, plus some extremely competitive handicaps.

I was lucky enough to be there on Tuesday to see Frankel confirm his dominance – very much an “I was there” moment.
Don Reed

Great article. Anyone know what odds BC went off at? Usually that’s mentioned, but the BBC writer went on an adjective bender (can’t blame him) & the prices got squeezed out. Or did I overlook them?
Tinky

BC went of at 1/6 on course. But by far the most interesting aspect of the betting was this: there was more wagered on her on Betfair than the TOTAL aggregate amount wagered on-track on the ENTIRE Belmont Stakes day card.

Think about that. A deeply prohibitive favorite, and yet because of the dynamism of exchange wagering (e.g. the ability to hedge and arbitrage), huge sums were wagered. It is a classic illustration of the vast superiority of such systems vis-a-vis pari-mutual systems.
Beach Bum

What I was able to see of it was thrilling and beautiful–if there were any breakdowns, those eluded me. And, with the successful 2+ mile runs, etc., a telling commentary on breeding, training, and a drug-free racing environment. ‘Nuff said.
Cheryl

One horse broke down – THE NILE, trained by John Gosden, in the St James’ Palace Stakes on the Tuesday of the meeting. He was sadly fatally injured.
Don Reed

Thanks! These facts boogle the mind. One can imagine the disappointment of the contra-bridge jumpers.
Glimmerglass

It’s a real treat to see how well done their boutique meet is conducted with huge fields, excellent video quality, and a precision that conveys a degree of excitement from start to finish for the entire card. I’m glad that TVG provided on-site coverage with good commentary yet again.

Props should be given on this side of the pond for the success of George Strawbridge Jr. including his first Ascot victory with ‘Gatewood’ in the Wolferton Handicap.

Additionally he had a few other runners hitting the board in thrilling races. Black Caviar only nosed out Mr. Strawbridge’s ‘Moonlight Cloud’ for the win in the Jubilee Stakes and his ‘Thought Worthy’ was a narrowly edged out 3rd in the King Edward VII Stakes. The trigger was pulled far too early with his runner ‘Aiken’ in the Hardwicke Stakes as he could’ve won that race.
Wrenbird4

I believe it was 1/9 for the US wagers.
Wrenbird4

Oh yes and just some trivia, over 8.5 million was bet on BC in Britain alone!
Podesta

TVG coverage of Royal Ascot was excellent and full marks to Simon Brey for some great interviews. Facts, information, insight just what we wanted and needed. What a difference from the incessant day to day betting crap we get on American racing.
Don Reed

Bravo!
Don Reed

Lifetime Achievement Oscar goes to the title below, “1 Comment Collapsed”!

Disqus, take a bow. Each day, a new facet of electronic OOPS!
Don Reed

We here in the USA are currently going NUTS over a proposed return of our annual Breeders’ Cup to a grossly inadequate racetrack called Monmouth Park (N.J.)

What a wonderful relief it is when the intials “BC” – see in print – stands for a triumph enjoyed by millions – not the presentation of a pre-destined Amateur Hour racing event that turned into The Perfect Imbroglio (in 2007. You may well remember “George Washington”).
Don Reed

Well, then, bet the rent! Seriously, for a country (U.S.) that ignores the superior (by seven leagues) racing Down Under, that indeed is an impressive figure. Not to mention, a potential betting fiasco of titanic proportions. But they went ahead and did it, anyway.