Circus Maximus defies drift to win Queen Anne thriller at Royal Ascot

The Aidan O’Brien bandwagon keeps on marching as Circus Maximus overcame a massive drift to win the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on Tuesday.

The well-bred son of Galileo set a strong early pace along with the predictable pacesetter Marie’s Diamond but he came under pressure and Frankie Dettori loomed upsides on Terebellum in cruise control.

Masterful Ryan Moore

Ryan Moore did not panic however, knowing full well he was on a horse that absolutely loves a battle, and battle back he did.

When Terebellum edged into a narrow lead, Circus Maximus really knuckled down and his stamina kicked into overdrive.

Last year’s St James’s Palace victor never knows when he is beat and he won the race in a thrilling photo finish.

The performance can be marked up a notch or two because the winner got very sweaty in the paddock which is not the norm for the horse so to overcome that and win was a remarkable feat.

It was a third Group 1 success for the horse who went off at a massive starting price of 4/1, after successes in the St James’s Palace and Prix du Moulin last term.

It promises to be a very profitable week for backers of Ballydoyle runners who have major chances such as Mogul, Japan, Russian Emperor, Anthony Van Dyck, More Beautiful and Wichita among others.

4/1 NAP landed

Circus Maximus was put up as the myracing.com NAP to get our week off to the perfect start.

Our Royal Ascot tips can be found on the website so get involved.

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