The opening classic of the British flat season had an open look to it beforehand but the unbeaten colt Bow Echo turned the race into a procession as he stormed home from one of the joint favourites Gstaad, winning by two and three quarter lengths. The other joint favourite, the Godolphin owned Distant Storm, finished third.
The locally trained winner proved popular with the sun-drenched crowd as they welcomed him back into the winner’s enclosure. Trainer George Boughey was enjoying his second classic success at the track, having won the 1000 Guineas, with Cachet in 2022. It was a first classic winner for jockey Billy Loughnane who turned 20 years old just two months ago.
In the race Loughnane, drawn nearest the stands of the 14 runners, took an early position towards the back of a tightly grouped field. He followed the Godolphin second string King’s Trail into the race and, travelling sweetly, brought Bow Echo out into daylight with three furlongs of the mile still to go.
He quickly sprinted into a challenging position and by the two furlong pole was leading. From that point only the runner-up Gstaad could mount any sort of challenge but he never looked like getting on terms as Bow Echo asserted and drew away, staying on strongly.
The winner was quickly installed even money favourite with Paddy Power for Royal Ascot’s showpiece 3-year-old mile event, the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Bow Echo is a son of Darley stallion Night Of Thunder, who himself won the 2000 Guineas in 2014, out of an Invincible Spirit mare, Aristocratic Lady.
