'It would have been nice to come back with the horse in tow' - Lazzat proves too hot to handle for Jubilee rivals - and James Doyle

What happened after the race was just as extraordinary as what happened during it.

France got the better of Japan in a glittering running of the week's second Group 1 sprint with the front-running Lazzat holding off the late charge of Satono Reve in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes, but last year's Prix Maurice de Gheest winner was not satisfied with his experience on the straight track and opted to take an extended tour after ejecting James Doyle.

Confusion reigned in the winner's enclosure as an unprecedented wait went on for the winning horse, rider and trainer Jerome Reynier, who was in hot pursuit of his first Royal Ascot winner out on track. Doyle returned first and took full responsibility for the mishap, while doffing his hat to some rather important onlookers.

"I did apologise to the King and Queen when I went to collect my prize," he said. "I told them I should have stayed in Pony Club longer than I did, so we had a good laugh about it! I have to say that’s a first for me. It’s a shame because it would have been nice to come back with the horse in tow."

It took until ten minutes before the scheduled off-time of the Jersey Stakes for Lazzat to enjoy his own round of applause, which was richly deserved after he had exacted a brutal front-running defeat on one of the strongest sprinting fields at the meeting in years.

Lazzat says goodbye to James Doyle following the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee StakesCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

While the horse and jockey's miscommunication after the line was put down to errant rug-throwing, their partnership looked supremely assured during the ferocious six-furlong dash. 

It was Doyle's first time riding the gelding, who was purchased by all-conquering owners Wathnan Racing last month, and the guns were ablaze from the moment the stalls opened as they freewheeled down the centre of the track. 

The pair stole a march on the pursuing runners at the two-furlong pole but were then challenged by Satono Reve, who leapfrogged the long-time ante-post market leader as favourite following a flurry of support. Joao Moreira's mount reached the winner's quarters in the final half furlong but could not get by. 

The independence and spirit Lazzat showed in ploughing a lone furrow towards Swinley Bottom was no surprise to his trainer, who was forced to take drastic action to wrestle him under control as a young horse.

"We gelded him as a two-year-old because we couldn’t really handle him," Reynier said. "He was very tricky to deal with. Now we’ve got a few regrets, but I don’t think he’d have been as good as a colt because he’s very strong-minded.

"We’re so proud of him and we wanted to be close to him. James was saying hi to the crowd and wasn’t paying attention to what he was going to do. He’s a funny character – that's why he's Lazzat and that's why he's a champion. I’ve been training champions like Marianafoot, Skalleti and Facteur Cheval and he’s our next big thing."

The trainer's last big thing was in action in the Prince of Wales's Stakes on Wednesday, with Facteur Cheval's defeat put down unequivocally to rider Flavien Prat. There were no such complaints this time. 

Jerome Reynier (centre) looks on as Lazzat runs amok at AscotCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

He said: "James didn’t know what to expect, so I told him, ‘You know how you won the first race today? Just do the same and that'll do it’. He rode him with plenty of confidence.

"When we were racing him over too far, we were fighting him too much and he wasn’t in his rhythm and happy, so now we’re going to stick to six furlongs and straight courses. He could be the best sprinter in Europe and maybe in the world if one day he fights Ka Ying Rising."

Lazzat chased home another Hong Kong superstar when ninth to Voyage Bubble over a mile in December, which came off the back of defeat to Lake Forest in the £4.8 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill in November.

Similarly audacious journeys and purses are on the horizon, including a return to Sha Tin for a match with the world's best sprinter, but not before a Deauville homecoming. 

"I’d love to take on Ka Ying Rising," Reynier said. "Maybe at the end of the year we can face him in his own town in the Hong Kong Sprint. The July Cup is coming soon, so we’ll bring him back home and probably wait to defend his crown in the Prix Maurice de Gheest. Then there’s the Sprint Cup and then the Champion Sprint back here."

Lazzat's first trip to Ascot was a memorable one. What will next time have in store?

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