Massaat's Docklands Prevails in Queen Anne Thriller

There is always a story at Royal Ascot and this year's meeting opener, the G1 Queen Anne Stakes, delivered an immediate slice of drama as Harry Eustace trainee Docklands (Massaat) provided the Newmarket conditioner with a thrilling first Group 1 triumph, by a pixel, despite Australian rider Mark Zahra dropping his whip in the closing stages of the straight one-mile test. The Queen Anne is a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Del Mar this coming November.

Last year's runner-up, who annexed the Britannia Handicap at this meet in 2023, was the last of 10 into stride and settled into a smooth rhythm off a moderate tempo towards the rear through halfway in this sixth Group 1 start. Weaving a passage into contention on the far side with a quarter-mile remaining, the 14-1 chance quickened smartly to seize a narrow advantage entering the final furlong and refused to yield as last year's G1 Irish 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace hero Rosallion (Blue Point) lunged late to call the judge's magnifying glass into early action.

Refai Alghraiban's 100-1 outsider and Alice Haynes nominee Cairo (Quality Road), who ran eighth last year, flashed home late to finish 1 3/4 lengths adrift of the protagonists in third.

“That was pretty sweet, but I have lost my voice I am afraid,” whispered Eustace in the aftermath of achieving a career high. “It was tough watching and the photo was tough. I wasn't happy with the pace early on and Docklands did his usual thing. He just stepped slow and I was cursing him to be honest, but he is just an absolute star. He has been an absolute legend for us and, if ever there was a track where you'd want a horse that's a specialist, it's here. At the furlong marker, I thought Rosallion was really coming at us, but God he was so brave that last furlong. He has been frustrating, but only because I feel he deserves to have won the odd race more than he has. You have multiple Group 1 winners in there and Guineas winners from last year. We were the most exposed horse, but he loves the track which is a big plus. The work and the effort that everyone at home puts into our horses is the reason we are here and I can't thank them enough. More importantly, I can't thank Terry [Henderson] and OTI enough. They got offered a huge amount of money after he won the Britannia, but they wanted to enjoy a good racehorse and roll the dice. Thankfully, it has paid off. He has the most unbelievable mind and constitution. He loves being a racehorse, he loves it every single day and he is very competitive.”

Mark Zahra's dream introduction to Royal Ascot almost turned into a nightmare when the antipodean jettisoned his whip in the closing stages. “I was so scared about the whip rules, I thought it would be easier to throw it away.” the rider joked. “It was a very slow speed and I just crept as much as I could. I got room at the right time and Docklands burst through and just kept responding. What an amazing feeling. I have to thank the boys that put me on him and it's one of the top days of my career, for sure. Hearing all the Aussies over the fence, even though the horse is English, you'd have thought he was Aussie by all the screams. This just started as a stop-off on the way to a trip to Ibiza, so to turn into a massive win like this is very special. Harry [Eustace] has been pumping me up the whole way and the closer we got, the more he filled me with confidence.”

Richard Hannon was almost inconsolable after the photo verdict was announced, but took Rosallion's defeat fully on the chin. “He is still a top-class miler, he's run a great race and I thought he had it there, but well done to the winners. It was an extremely good race, he did everything for the win and you can't ask for much more than that. He has done us proud, we are delighted and I'll be alright in 10 minutes. He's beaten an awful lot of champions in that race. He hit the front and has got done on the line, which is horrible.”

Cairo outran his triple-digit odds to mount a Group 1 podium for the first time since posting a second in 2023's G1 Irish 2000 Guineas. “It was a good run, he is a horse who has been placed in Group races and he deserves to be in a place like that,” reflected rider Silvestre de Sousa. “It was a shame there was not much of a pace on, but he still ran a blinder.”

Charlie Appleby, trainer of fourth over the line Notable Speech (Dubawi), said, “It is disappointing when you have a race like that and they've gone the pace they have, but that's racing. I've seen it many times before and we will see it plenty of times going forward. From our point of view, it was a bit hard to watch. He was sat there, travelling like he was, and you knew it was going to turn into a sprint. When you have to start manoeuvring left to right and they are sprinting, you know you are losing momentum and ground. We will put it behind us and I wouldn't walk away without taking a good strong view of the [G1] Sussex again.”

Pedigree Notes

Docklands is the latest of nine live foals and one of five scorers produced by an unraced half-sister to G2 Gimcrack Stakes, G2 Flying Childers Stakes and G3 Supreme Stakes placegetter Zilch (Zilzal) and the dual stakes-placed Silca Boo (Efisio). The April-foaled bay, whose second dam is G3 Flying Five Stakes winner Bunty Boo (Noalto), is a half-sister to GIII Bewitch Stakes victrix Ickymasho (Multiplex) and the multiple Group-placed Listed The Sofitel winner Harbour Views (Le Havre). Descendants of Bunty Boo also include Listed Hever Sprint winner Lightscameraction (Pastoral Pursuits).

WHAT A START TO #ROYALASCOT! PHOTO FINISH IN THE QUEEN ANNE STAKES… AND IT GOES TO DOCKLANDS! pic.twitter.com/SeG6nFmM2R

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 17, 2025

Tuesday, Ascot, Britain
QUEEN ANNE STAKES-G1, £793,625, Ascot, 6-17, 4yo/up, 8fT, 1:41.39, g/f.
1–DOCKLANDS (GB), 128, h, 5, by Massaat (Ire)
1st Dam: Icky Woo (GB), by Mark Of Esteem (Ire)
2nd Dam: Bunty Boo (GB), by Noalto (GB)
3rd Dam: Klairove (GB), by Averof (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (18,000gns Wlg '20 TATFOA; £16,000 Ylg '21 TATIRY). O-OTI Racing; B-Mickley Stud; T-Harry Eustace; J-Mark Zahra. £450,065. Lifetime Record: SP-Fr, 17-4-6-2, $1,181,278. *1/2 to Harbour Views (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), SW & MGSP-Aus, $376,983; 1/2 to Ickymasho (GB) (Multiplex {GB}), GSW-US, GSP-Can & SP-Fr, $343,403; and Harbour Views (Le Havre), SW & MGSP-Aus, $376,983. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Rosallion (Ire), 128, c, 4, Blue Point (Ire)–Rosaline (Ire), by New Approach (Ire). O/B-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum; T-Richard Hannon. £170,629.
3–Cairo (Ire), 128, h, 5, Quality Road–Cuff (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Refai Alghraiban; B-Coolmore; T-Alice Haynes. £85,394.
Margins: NO, 1 3/4, HF. Odds: 14.00, 2.50, 100.00.
Also Ran: Notable Speech (GB), Lake Forest (GB), Carl Spackler (Ire), Lead Artist (GB), Dancing Gemini (Ire), Diego Velazquez (Ire), Quddwah (GB). Scratched: Sardinian Warrior (Ire).