Away win for Middlesbrough fans has syndicate dreaming of Royal Ascot glory

Middlesbrough FC did not make it to Wembley this year but the club might score a notable victory at Royal Ascot instead.

A syndicate of the Championship side's supporters are dreaming of Albany Stakes glory next month with bargain buy Lady Ayresome, after she followed up a recent course-and-distance success to land the 5f Hilary Needler Trophy.

The filly, bought privately for just €5,000 as a yearling, earned a 20-1 quote for that Ascot race from Paddy Power after she battled on bravely to score by three-quarters of a length under Kevin Stott.

Watch Lady Ayresome win the Hilary Needler

"That was brilliant," said Graham Frankland, who heads the syndicate. "We couldn't have wished for better. We came here more in hope than expectation but she's a game filly and she stuck her head out for us."

Lady Ayresome, who gave trainer Kevin Ryan his fourth Hilary Needler success, is named after Middlesbrough's former ground, Ayresome Park.

She is the third horse to carry the Riverside Racing Syndicate colours and Frankland said: "There are 20 in the syndicate, mainly family and friends, and we're a group of Middlesbrough fans.

Riverside Racing: 'There are 20 in the syndicate, mainly family and friends, and we're a group of Middlesbrough fans'Credit: David Carr

"Through the message boards we started talking about starting a racing syndicate and we started with nothing two and a half years ago.

"Lady Ayresome was very cheap. We bought her privately from Rathbarry Stud. It was an online sale they had last year because of Covid and I saw an opportunity to get something for us and we paid €5,000 for her. So we're very happy that she's got to this stage and we're hoping it hasn't finished yet, that she's got more to come."

The 5f Queen Mary is often the Royal Ascot target for Hilary Needler winners but Frankland said: "She'll not run over five furlongs, I wouldn't have thought. She's a six-furlong horse, which is why this track suits her. If we went to Royal Ascot, it would be the Albany.

"It would be a dream come true to have a runner there. We started off with nothing two and a half years ago and this filly has given us something to really look forward to. But today is all about the excitement we've had of running in a race like this."

Sunset star

John Quinn, who took the 2019 Hilary Needler with last week's Temple Stakes winner Liberty Beach, landed the colts' equivalent with another potential star two years on.

Temple Stakes winner Liberty Beach (far side) won the Hilary Needler Trophy in 2019Credit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Tipperary Sunset will head to Royal Ascot after making it two wins from two starts, seeing off Robjon by three-quarters of a length under Jimmy Sullivan in the 5f bet365 Continental Two Year Old Trophy.

"We've always liked him from breaking him in," said Quinn. "He's a lovely mover with a nice mind and his early work was good.

"He'll go to Royal Ascot, he'll be put in the Norfolk and the Windsor Castle. He's a good colt. He was going away at the line and he's well worth his chance."

Quinn has won juvenile races at Royal Ascot with The Wow Signal and Signora Cabello in the last seven years and said of Tipperary Sunset: "A stiff five furlongs would probably be his trip, though Jimmy Sullivan said he wasn't stopping. He'll handle better ground as well."

Sullivan was equally impressed with the winner and added: "He does everything right. He was quick out of the gates and he travels well. I was able to hold on to him a bit and give him a good breather and he just had enough to get home. He's quite a nice two-year-old. He's still learning the job and hopefully he can improve."

Sullivan also took the £15,000 7½f handicap on the Michael Dods-trained Byron's Choice, who defied 10st to catch the front-running Sibaaq close home.

The jockey said: "He had a big weight to carry, so having a bit of size about him helped him."

Ben Curtis went one better than Sullivan with a treble on Trevolli, Colony Queen and Bawaady.

Replays, results and analysis

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