'I can’t put into words what it means' - Hollie Doyle rides Royal Ascot winner

Hollie Doyle joined Hayley Turner and Gay Kelleway in the Royal Ascot history books as she claimed her first win at the prestigious meeting on Scarlet Dragon in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes.

Doyle had to be at her best to find a safe passage for the 33-1 shot, who found enough in the closing stages to go past Deja and favourite West End Charmer.

The game handicap success also continued a fine week for trainer Alan King, with his three Royal Ascot runners resulting in two wins and a second.

A jubilant Doyle said: "He’s a strong traveller and you need that sort of horse underneath you to do those kind of manoeuvres, especially at this track. I was lucky.

“I knew him very well. I won the Old Rowley Cup on him and I just had to sit and suffer on him that day. When he gets those gaps he really flies through them."

Scarlet Dragon's win put Doyle alongside Turner and Kelleway as just the third female jockey to win a race at Royal Ascot, an achievement that delighted the 23-year-old.

Hollie Doyle: 'This was amazing for me'Credit: Edward Whitaker

She added: "This means a huge amount to me. You walk into Ascot every year with really high hopes and try to picture in your head what it’s like to ride a winner here, but it’s very hard to come across winners, as I've learned."

Doyle has made a fast start to the delayed Flat season and this was her 15th winner, a haul bettered by only a handful of jockeys, and her first royal success was also a fitting one, with Doyle acknowledging the role of Scarlet Dragon's owner Henry Ponsonby early in her career.

She said: “It’s definitely the icing on the cake. I’ve got a lot of people to thank for my success recently. I can’t really put into words what it means.

“Mr Ponsonby owns Scarlet Dragon and when I was a 5lb claimer working at Richard Hannon’s he had a few in training there and he used to put me up on his horses. Luckily I got on Scarlet Dragon and that just led to more opportunities.

“He also had First Mohican, who was my first Glorious Goodwood ride, and little things like that help you get to the next level.”

Queen's Vase produces new St Leger favourite

Aidan O'Brien pocketed his seventh Queen's Vase and immediately set his sights on a seventh St Leger – as well as a potential clash with Stradivarius next year.

That is a measure of the regard he has for Santiago, who is favourite for the Doncaster Classic after a decisive two-and-three-quarter-length defeat of Lingfield Derby Trial second Berkshire Rocco.

"He did it really well," said jockey Ryan Moore. "He relaxed and travelled nicely and he quickened up well.

"The form looks fairly solid, the second horse ran a good race at Lingfield and the third horse won a Listed race here on King George day."

Santiago strides to victory under Ryan Moore in the Queen's VaseCredit: Edward Whitaker

O'Brien has long had staying trips in mind for Santiago and said: "He's a lovely, straightforward horse, he travels well and we always thought he would stay well. He's an easy horse to train and get fit.

"We thought he was going to be an ideal Leger horse, so we'll give him another run somewhere between now and then. The Irish Derby is going to come too quick for him and we'll see about Epsom. We'll see what the lads want to do but he'd be a horse you'd like to take your time with this year."

In the longer term, O'Brien hopes Santiago could be the sort to challenge Stradivarius's domination of staying races in 2021.

"He could be a Cup horse next year and we'll keep that a little bit in our mind," the trainer said.

"He'll get better from three to four. It’s not an easy thing to find a Cup horse, so if they do come along we always give them a chance to get there. We thought this horse would get further."

New star is born for Burke

How on earth do you replace an outstanding filly like Laurens? Karl Burke may just have found a way.

The six-time Group 1 winner was a tremendous flagbearer for his Middleham yard in the last three seasons and her retirement to stud left a big gap.

It could be filled by Dandalla, who showed she could have her own future at the highest level by blitzing the field in the Group 2 Albany Stakes under Ben Curtis.

Dandalla stretches out to win the Albany with easeCredit: Edward Whitaker

"We knew she had a good engine," Burke said of a two-year-old who won on her Newcastle debut and has been attracting comparisons with her former stablemate for a while.

"She's always shown plenty of toe and a good turn of foot," the trainer said. "My daughter Lucy has earmarked her since Christmas.

"She rides her out 90 per cent of the time and she came on one day a good few months ago and said 'I hate to say it but she really reminds me of Laurens'."

Comparing the pair, Burke said: "She's more precocious than Laurens, who hadn't even set foot on the course in June of her two-year-old career. She has more speed. Laurens had a high cruising speed but this filly's got a very good turn of foot.

"The turn of foot she showed today we've seen many times on the gallops. It was always the plan to go to Newcastle and here. Races like the Morny wouldn't be out of the question now, we'll certainly be looking at Group 1 races anyway."

Dandalla was a first Royal Ascot winner for Curtis, who said: "It's on every jockey's to do list. I’ve been coming down here for a while now and not really getting too involved, so to finally get a winner is unbelievable.

Dandalla streaks clear in the Group 3 Albany StakesCredit: Edward Whitaker

"I don't care, crowd or no crowd, I'm in racing to ride winners and ride big winners and try to improve myself year on year. I've had two Group 3 winners this year and now a Royal Ascot winner and I’m going to go in and pinch myself now for a second.

"We knew she had speed, she showed that at Newcastle. When I put her into it she came alive. The rest was history, she went away and demolished them."

Former jump jockey Wayne Kavanagh was stretchered from the paddock after dislocating his left knee when leading up prior to the race.

Kavanagh was escorting the Richard Hannon-trained Cirrus when the filly shied, causing Kavanagh to land awkwardly.

After being attended to in the paddock, Kavanagh was taken away but Hannon reported him none the worse for the injury.

He said: “She didn’t kick him or anything. She just turned on him and he jumped up and landed awkwardly and dislocated his knee, which he had done when he was riding. He’s okay, apart from the fact he’s dislocated his knee.”

Kavanagh rode 71 winners on the Flat and over jumps during his career, with his biggest success coming in the 2006 United House Gold Cup Chase at Ascot on the Seamus Mullins-trained See You Sometime.

'I don't think we'll see him in a handicap again'

Art Power's days in handicap company appear to be over after he proved far too good for his rivals in the Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap.

The 6-4 favourite was an impressive winner at Newcastle this month and proved equally dominant at Royal Ascot, earning quotes for the Group 1 Nunthorpe after his three-and-a-half-length win.

Silvestre de Sousa had the Tim Easterby-trained winner up there throughout and he quickened clear of Keep Busy and Dancin Inthestreet in style.

William Easterby, assistant to his father, said: “He’s a really nice horse. It was Alastair Donald’s [King Power's racing manager] decision where he went, so we left it up to him and it’s all worked out well.

Art Power is much too good in the opening sprint handicapCredit: Edward Whitaker

“We’ve always liked him. We took our time with him last year and it seems to have paid off now. I think that could be the end of his handicap days.

“He goes on good ground really well but he has won on soft, so we didn’t mind the rain at all.

“I don’t think Dad will want to overface him too soon, but I think things like that [the Nunthorpe] or the Abbaye could be of interest to him."

Betfair Sportsbook and Paddy Power have introduced Art Power at 14-1 for the Nunthorpe Stakes at York.

It was a first win at this year's royal meeting for De Sousa, who said: “When I went out there, in my mind I was hoping to get a lead but he was so quick off the gates no-one could give me a lead, so I just rode the race from the front.

"He's a very talented horse and I don't think we'll see him in a handicap again. I'd like to see him next year in a Group 1 around here."

For all the latest Royal Ascot odds, tips and must-have daily promotions click Royal Ascot or go to racingpost.com/royal-ascot