20-1 Pledgeofallegiance strikes for Sir Mark Prescott and Luke Morris

It had been 28 years since Sir Mark Prescott last graced the Royal Ascot winner's enclosure but he made a triumphant return with Pledgeofallegiance's gallant strike in the Ascot Stakes.

Prescott was last successful at the meeting when Pivotal got up to win the 1996 King's Stand in the final stride, but the shrewd trainer could breathe easily this time as the young stayer pulled off his latest master plan with metronomic ease.

Pledgeofallegiance sat second behind Boher Road before taking up the running two furlongs out and found plenty to hold off the late run of Divine Comedy by half a length. He returned a 20-1 shot under Luke Morris.

"I'd honestly forgotten it was so long ago," Prescott said. "This had been in the pipeline since last year and it was the obvious race for him. The owners were very good to go along with it and I was very lucky.

"I like feeling like we've been part of the thought process and it's not just because you have a good horse – I like feeling like I've had a little bit of an input. When those plans go right you're churlish if you don't enjoy them.

"Normally when I have one of these concocted things, the temptation to be a clever dick overcomes me and I overthink it and it goes wrong, but today it went right."

Sir Mark prescott after Pledgeofallegiance's win in the Ascot Stakes

A happy Sir Mark Prescott following Ascot Stakes gloryCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

It was a fifth success from 13 starts for Pledgeofallegiance, who went some way to justifying the 450,000gns he cost owners Victorious Racing at the yearling sales in 2021.

"He's a very nice horse," Prescott said. "The only thing he's ever done wrong in his life was cost all that money as a yearling because then the expectation is so high. If he couldn't win the Derby, the next best thing was to win at Royal Ascot, so I'm very grateful he has.

"He's a lovely, big staying horse and he's very genuine. The tactics were right, we had enough room to get where we wanted. I can't remember a race going so well since Alborada got to the pacemaker and High-Rise didn't in the 1999 Champion Stakes."

Morris ended his own eight-year drought at the meeting and was full of praise for both his mount and the trainer, with whom he memorably teamed up with to land the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe with Alpinista in 2022.

"It's been a long time since I last rode a winner here so to have a winner for Sir Mark means a huge amount," he said. "I've been with him for 13 years now, we've had some great days and hopefully there's more to come.

"We've only got a few bullets to fire throughout the week so to get one of them to land is fabulous. We got a beautiful, smooth trip around and he was on his game today. When I needed him he was hugely courageous."

Pledgeofallegiance has the option of reappearing in Saturday’s Queen Alexandra Stakes. The last horse to win that race after success in the same year's Ascot Stakes was Simenon in 2012.

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