Ten Bob Tony Stuns 50-1 Queen Anne Stakes Win — Racing Post
Ten Bob Tony won the Queen Anne Stakes at 50-1, and racing post put the Royal Ascot opener at 2.30pm in the hands of a huge outsider. The result arrived in the meeting’s traditional opening event and immediately reset the shape of day one.
For a race that often frames the week, the price was the story as much as the winner. Ten Bob Tony was not among the market leaders, yet he got the job done in the opening Group One and left the favourites to sort through the rest.
Queen Anne Stakes at 2.30pm
Opera Ballo went forward early and First Conquest tracked close behind him, while Notable Speech was fourth in the early stages and Damysus also challenged. That gave the race an orderly look before Ten Bob Tony finished strongest at the line at odds of 50-1.
The field had been billed around horses with stronger recent profiles. Notable Speech arrived after winning the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury by two lengths and carried 14 consecutive starts at the highest level, with five wins from his previous 13 outings at that level. He had not won in Great Britain since the Sussex Stakes later in 2024, and he had also finished fourth behind Docklands in this race last year.
Notable Speech and Charlie Appleby
Charlie Appleby had not saddled a Group One winner at this meeting since Naval Crown in the Jubilee in 2022. Notable Speech also brought a notable record into the race after winning the 2,000 Guineas in 2024 and collecting five Group One or Grade One races in total before this meeting.
That made the Queen Anne Stakes more than a routine opener. Field Of Gold had won last year’s St James’s Palace Stakes, and More Thunder had been second across the line behind Notable Speech in the Lockinge, so the race contained recent top-level form even before the 50-1 result landed.
Royal Ascot day one moves
The day also carried strong interest in the juvenile race, where Aidan O’Brien was looking for a third win in four years and a record-extending 12th success. Ryan Moore was declared aboard Confucius on Sunday morning, while Wayne Lordan rode Great Barrier Reef after his unbeaten Group Three win at the Curragh last time.
Confucius had won a maiden at Naas in May after being beaten on his first start. The 22-runner field also included Cut A Dash, Night In Vegas, Ruler’s Pride at £550,000, Royal Heritage and Siouxsperb, giving the opening day a crowded set of form lines even before Ten Bob Tony’s price blew open the Queen Anne Stakes.
