Another three winners on day 2 sees Irish bred horses winning 50% of the races so far at Royal Ascot. Proceedings opened with Ishvana (IRE) proving her 1,000 Guineas run was far from a fluke when winning the Group 3 Jersey Stakes under Seamie Heffernan. Ishvana is trained by Aidan O’Brien for his wife Anne Marie who also bred the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor out of Song Of The Sea (by Bering). Following the race Anne Marie O’Brien paid tribute to her father Joe Crowley who picked out Song Of The Sea at Goffs November Sale in 2006; at €26,000 she was a shrewd purchase. It was the start of a great day for the team at Ballydoyle as So You Think landed his fifth European Group 1 and his tenth in all when slamming his rivals in the Prince Of Wales Stakes. The New Zealand bred son of Coolmore stallion High Chaparral is a wonderful horse with magnificent presence and should make a fine stallion.

The second Irish bred winner was Prince Of Johanne (IRE) who landed the Royal Hunt Cup for Yorkshire trainer Tom Tate. It was a second big handicap win for the son of Johannesburg following victory in the Cambridgeshire last season and winning jockey John Fahy will have fond memories of the 6yo. Prince Of Johanne was bred in partnership by TJ Rooney and Corduff Stud and went through the sales ring twice in Goffs. He was bought as a foal firstly by Blandford Bloodstock for €105,000 and he returned to Goffs Orby Sale the following year where he was bought by Demi O’Byrne for €275,000.

The Irish bred treble was completed by Duntle (IRE) in the Listed Sandringham Handicap. Bred by the Rodgers family Airlie Stud and trained by David Wachman for the Niarchos family, Duntle travelled strongly and could have been named the winner some way out. The daughter of Danehill Dancer was giving jockey Wayne Lordan his second Royal Ascot winner following Lolly For Dolly last year.