By Tom Frary
Bouncing out of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, Ballydoyle's Trinity College (Dubawi) made all to turn Thursday's G3 Hampton Court Stakes into a procession. Sent off the 5-2 favourite having been fourth in that Chantilly Classic, the son of the 1,000 Guineas heroine Hermosa (Galileo) was placed on the front end from the outset and had plenty left when asked to kick in the straight by Ryan Moore.
Surging to the line to record a 3 1/2-length success from the 2,000 Guineas fourth Tornado Alert (Too Darn Hot), he completed a Group-race treble on the afternoon for trainer and jockey. Glittering Legend (Too Darn Hot) was a further length away in third. The race was robbed of one of the main protagonists at the start, as Jackknife (Kameko) became upset in the stalls.
After taking the Norfolk with Charles Darwin and the Ribblesdale with Garden Of Eden, Aidan O'Brien was once again enjoying another red-letter day at the meeting, with Moore now on 90 Royal Ascot wins.
“He's a lovely, straightforward horse and his trip is a mile and a quarter,” he said of the winner. “He could go to America and there is an American Derby he could run in, but the problem is it is only in a couple of weeks, so we will have to see how he is, it could be too soon.”
“He's a good member of the team,” he added of the TDN Rising Star who has taken time to come into his own having been second in the G3 Eyrefield Stakes at two and runner-up in the Listed Blue Riband Trial prior to his Jockey Club effort. “I would say he is improving. We always thought he was a high-enough class horse last year as a two-year-old, but things just didn't fall for him. He has probably matured and got stronger now.”
Moore added, “It's great to get to 90. I've rode for great people for a lot of years and a lot of people who put in a lot of hard work and sweat. Obviously having Aidan in my corner is also a massive help. Trinity College is out of a very good mare and we are learning about him. His mother sort of came out of nowhere and got better as a three-year-old and he's a Dubawi–they usually progress.”
Trinity College carries the St Leger-winning colours of co-owner Paul Smith and he said, “This is really special. I think this is Ryan's first winner in my colours. Trinity College ran a super race in the French Derby. He was really strong from the front end there. Ryan got a great possy and quickened off the bend. It was quite an impressive run. He is a progressive horse who seems to like all surfaces. He gets the trip well, so it does open a lot of doors now.”
Saeed bin Suroor said of Tornado Alert, who was boosting the Derby form, “He is improving. We will see how he comes out of this, but we will look for a Group 3 race.”
James Fanshawe said of Glittering Legend, “He ran really well. He got a bump early on, which just set him alight a bit, but he dropped his head really well and kept on well. Unfortunately, I think he's off to Hong Kong now, but he's done really well. I think it will turn out to be a good race.”
Pedigree Notes
Trinity College is the second foal out of the aforementioned Hermosa who also captured the Irish 1,000 Guineas and was runner-up in the Coronation Stakes at this meeting in 2019. She is out of the G2 Prix du Gros-Chene winner Beauty Is Truth (Pivotal), whose other Group 1-winning Galileo progeny are the Matron Stakes and British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes heroine Hydrangea and the Rawson Stakes scorer The United States.
Hydrangea, who is also responsible for Dubawi's Listed Hurry Harriet Stakes winner and G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes-placed Wingspan and the recent Listed Tetrarch Stakes winner Officer, is also a full-sibling of the dams of the G3 Musidora Stakes scorer and Oaks runner-up Whirl (Wootton Bassett) and the Coronation Stakes third Sounds Of Heaven (Kingman). Hermosa's 2024 filly is by Whirl's sire.
Thursday, Royal Ascot, Britain
HAMPTON COURT STAKES-G3, £150,000, Royal Ascot, 6-19, 3yo, 9f 212yT, 2:04.30, g/f.
1–TRINITY COLLEGE (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Hermosa (Ire) (G1SW-Eng, G1SW-Ire, G1SP-Fr,
$1,148,803), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Beauty Is Truth (Ire), by Pivotal (GB)
3rd Dam: Zelding (Ire), by Warning (GB)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. O-P Smith/Mrs
Magnier/M Tabor/D Smith; B-Coolmore; T-Aidan O'Brien;
J-Ryan Moore. £85,065. Lifetime Record: GSP-Ire, 9-3-2-0,
$265,085. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Tornado Alert (Ire), 128, c, 3, Too Darn Hot (GB)–Bint
Almatar, by Kingmambo. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK
TYPE. O/B-Godolphin; T-Saeed bin Suroor. £32,250.
3–Glittering Legend (GB), 128, g, 3, Too Darn Hot (GB)–Eastern
Belle (GB), by Champs Elysees (GB). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE.
(67,000gns Ylg '23 TATSOM). O-Mr Boniface Ho Ka Kui;
B-Hascombe & Valiant Stud Ltd; T-James Fanshawe. £16,140.
Margins: 3HF, 1, NK. Odds: 2.50, 9.00, 11.00.
Also Ran: Tiberius Thunder (Ire), Great David (GB), Sea Scout (Ire), Arabian Force (Ire), Reyenzi (Fr), Emit (Ire), Detain (Ire), Stardrop (GB), High Stock (GB). Scratched: Al Shababi (GB), Jackknife (GB).
IMPRESSIVE! TRINITY COLLEGE WINS THE HAMPTON COURT STAKES! #ROYALASCOT pic.twitter.com/7wFTbPOU2I
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 19, 2025
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