Southern Hills Provides Gleneagles With Royal Ascot Victory

St. James’s Palace Stakes victor Gleneagles gained his first Royal Ascot winner as a sire when his first crop son Southern Hills (2c Gleneagles - Remember You, by Invincible Spirit) broke his maiden in spectacular style by taking the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained colt was beaten close home last time out in a Navan maiden, but had clearly impressed at home, judging by his Ascot assignment and his debut at Listed level in May. Ryan Moore held the chestnut up on the nearside, making headway from two furlongs out and led approaching the final furlong marker. Running on gamely under pressure, he scored by half a length.

Aidan O’Brien was quick to heap praise on his old friend Gleneagles, commenting after the race, “Southern Hills is a fast horse. These Gleneagles are fast and brave, those are the two traits his stock seem to have. I think five or six furlongs will be his trip, he's got a lot of speed and I'm not sure he'd get much further.”

A Coolmore homebred, Southern Hills becomes the second winner from two runners out of the Group 3 placed mare Remember You, while he is the third winner overall by his first season sire. Gleneagles was a top-class juvenile himself, notching four successive wins, culminating in Group 1 glory in the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes. A four-time top-level winner in total, he commands €30,000 this season.