Royal Ascot’s Biggest Surprise Winners

There have been some big shots who’ve passed the post first at Royal Ascot

It’s always an emotional moment watching a horse fly past the finishing post, but even more so when it’s a horse that – according to the bookmakers – stood no chance of winning.

While the experts do generally get it right, every now and again a brilliant performer slips through the net. Whether it’s a winner with huge odds, a newcomer to the sport, or a jockey performing near miracles, each time is heart-stoppingly exciting.

Here are some of the most notable moments when the bookmakers and crowds alike were genuinely surprised at Royal Ascot.

Frankie Dettori and his Magnificent 7 (1996)

Not all of the winners on the card at the September Ascot meeting in 1996 were long odds, the chances of just one man winning every single race were slim to none. However, on the 28th of September 1996, Frankie Dettori would prove himself as he had so many times before. Defying the odds, he went on to win all seven races on the card.

His first ride was on Wall Street, a fitting name for the number 1 horse in a lineup that would cost the betting industry more than £30million. Wall Street went off at 2/1 odds, making him the favourite for the Cumberland Lodge Stakes.

Next was Diffident, going off at 12/1 after a string of poor results. A slowly run Diadem Stakes went in his favour though and Dettori stole that win as well.

Mark of Esteem, Decorated Hero, Fatefully and Lochangel all snagged wins in the following races, leaving Dettori going into the last with a record-breaking day at stake.

Fujiyama Crest was the horse that everybody’s dreams rested on; the BBC even interrupted its usual coverage to show footage of on-course bookmakers slashing the price of Fujiyama Crest in anticipation of Dettori’s win.

They were right to do so, as Fujiyama Crest just held on to take the win. He lived until 2015 as the Dettori family’s pasture ornament.

Nando Parrado at the Coventry Stakes (2020)

One of the biggest-priced winners ever and certainly the biggest-priced winner of recent years was Nando Parrado. He failed to impress on his first time out at Newmarket but when it came to the 2020 Coventry Stakes, he had Frankie Dettori on board. As we now know, that ought to have given eagle-eyed punters a clue about his potential.

At odds of 150/1, it would certainly have been worth cashing in one of the Royal Ascot free bets offers that are so prevalent around the time of the festival.

Since then, Nando Parrado hasn’t gone on to win again, despite having a handful of near successes in – amongst others – several Group 2 races.

This record at Coventry earned him a place at the Irish National Stud though, so it’s possible that some of his progeny might follow in his footsteps at Royal Ascot in the not-too-distant future.

Fox Chapel at the Britannia Stakes (1990)

Before Nando Parrado, Fox Chapel held the record of the longest-odds winner at Royal Ascot, having set off at odds of 100/1. Looking back, those odds seemed pretty inviting even though there was seemingly no chance of Fox Chapel winning.

Before the Britannia Stakes, Fox Chapel had only won a single maiden race against just two other colts. While a win is a win, he couldn’t repeat the same feat during his next three outings -despite trainer Richard Hannon trying everything within his power to squeeze a win out of the horse.

Hannon sent him around three different racecourses to see if there was a direction he preferred to run in, even going to Windsor’s unique figure-of-eight course. He put four different jockeys up, including an apprentice claiming 7lb to see if the weight would make the difference.

He tried a step up from 6 furlongs to 7 furlongs and then a further step up to 1m2furlongs. Nothing worked; Fox Chapel it seemed, didn’t want to win.

Despite this, owner Tony Budge wanted his horse to be entered in the 1990 Royal Ascot. When he made the cut for the Britannia Stakes, Budge was elated. While he did make it in, Fox Chapel was a pound away from the handicap, so a 5lb claimer jockey was put aboard.

The extra weight seemed likely to play against him, as did the unfamiliar course length (the Brittania Stakes is run over 1 mile) and the unusually soft track. Despite all this, Fox Chapel somehow bolted to the front and stayed there, finishing first past the post and making Budge’s dreams come true.