Royal Ascot

It was a great pleasure to be back in the saddle at Royal Ascot this year, having watched last year’s meeting from the grandstand.

It would have meant the world to me to land winners for Andrew Balding’s stable, as well as for Qatar racing, but unfortunately we hit the crossbar.

Perspective is everything and I was blessed to be given the opportunity to ride Shaquille to victory in the Commonwealth Cup. He’s been wonderfully trained by Julie Camacho and her team. They felt the horse deserved his chance in Group 1 company and they were correct.

Every Group 1 win is a massive personal accomplishment and I can’t thank the people who make it happen enough.

There are many prestigious races on the horizon to look forward to and hopefully I can keep riding at a high level.