ASCOT — Dawn Approach won the St. James's Palace Stakes on the opening day at Royal Ascot following a thrilling race and a photo finish with Toronado Tuesday. The win followed Declaration of War's victory in the Queen Anne Stakes at the expenses of Kentucky Derby champion and race favorite Animal Kingdom. Dawn Approach, ridden by Kevin Manning, confirmed his current run of form with a stunning finish. On a very humid day, the 2,000 Guineas winner was trailing in fifth after the final turn. He was squeezed in the home stretch, but fought until the end to win by a short head. The horse trained by Jim Bolger bounced back superbly after a poor run at the Derby at Epsom earlier this month. “It was so disappointing in the Derby. It was a big blow to everybody,” Manning said. “Once I got my head in front and Richard (Hughes, on Toronado) was fighting me, he was always holding on. He's a real battler. I wasn't sure I'd won but I thought he had.” Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford said Dawn Approach's win will help restore the stable's image following a doping scandal that led to an eight-month ban in April for one of its trainers, Mahmood Al-Zarooni. “This is the biggest race of the whole week and it matters,” he said. “It is massively important and massively important to Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin. I can't describe how great this win feels right now. It's a great day in Godolphin's history.” Toronado finished ahead of Mars. In the Queen Anne Stakes, Animal Kingdom finished at the back of the field in what was expected to be his last race before retirement. Ridden by Joseph O'Brien and trained by Aidan O'Brien, Declaration of War won by three-quarters of a length ahead of Aljamaaheer. Gregorian finished third. “He came back to what we always thought he would be,” Aidan O'Brien said. “He has a lot of speed so we waited as long as we could. He's a big powerful horse and when we produced him, he put his head in and was through.” Ridden by Johnny Velazquez, Animal Kingdom finished 11th out of 13 horses in the prestigious race — a straight mile. Animal Kingdom won the Derby in 2011 and the $10 million Dubai World Cup this year. The versatile colt was hoping to cap his career in style by claiming one last victory, which would also have secured a Group One victory on three different track surfaces. But he was never in this race. The four-year-old Declaration of War was briefly blocked in traffic but was unstoppable after moving up to the front, sweeping away the disappointment of his run in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury last month. After the traditional procession down the course led by Queen Elizabeth II, a minute's silence was held for Henry Cecil, the renowned trainer who died last week at 70. Knighted by the Queen in 2011, Cecil was champion trainer in Britain 10 times. He capped his career by training one of racing's all-time great horses, Frankel, who was retired last year after winning all 14 of his races. — AP
