By Tom Frary
If ever there was a G1 Queen Anne S. set up for an outsider than it was Tuesday's renewal and ultimately it was the Johnson Houghton-bred 8,000gns buy-back Accidental Agent (GB) (Delegator {GB}) who delivered the upset at 33-1 to kick off Royal Ascot week 2018 in this “Win And You're In” GI Breeders' Cup Mile qualifier. Having put up two eye-catching efforts over this course and distance on soft ground, the bay was only sixth when put to the biggest test in the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury May 19 but his connections still aimed high for an edition which starred no milers of distinction. Anchored with one behind early, he gradually worked his way between more-vaunted rivals and to the lead 50 yards out under Charlie Bishop to provide his trainer and jockey with a first top-level and Royal success as a blanket was laid in behind. Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper), who beat him in the Balmoral H. here in October, was a half length back in second, a neck in front of Lightning Spear (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) who was in turn a nose ahead of his Listed Paradise S. conqueror Century Dream (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}). There was another half length to the US raider Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) in fifth, while Benbatl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) attracted a wave of support into 11-4 favouritism but after racing prominently faded to 10th. “This is just ridiculous,” Eve Johnson Houghton said. “My mum bred him, we have the mare in the field and nobody wanted to buy him. I thought I was tilting at windmills and dreamt about being third but he loves Ascot and had a chance. I can't believe it has happened and for it to happen for my mum is incredible.”
Bred by Gaie Johnson Houghton, whose husband Fulke trained 10 Royal Ascot winners between 1965 and 1988, most notably with the 1979 King's Stand S. hero Double Form (Ire), Accidental Agent was a fairytale waiting to happen as he was named after Eve's grandfather John Goldsmith, who wrote the book “Accidental Agent: Behind Enemy Lines with the French Resistance” and was in the Special Operations Executive (SEO) during the war. Having been unable to get any kind of price for him at Tattersalls October Book 2 as a yearling, the Johnson Houghton family had little to lose by racing him in their colours and he provided them with instant return when successful in Newmarket's £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction S. in October 2016. Kept to handicaps thereafter, he scored over seven furlongs at Kempton in September before running second in the Listed Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Cup over that trip at Newbury in September. Sticking at that distance to beat Lord Glitters in the prestigious Challenge Cup heritage handicap here in early October, he was fourth behind that rival in the Balmoral on Champions Day and may have been past his best when eighth in the Listed Hyde S. over a mile back on Kempton's Polytrack in November. Leaving that form behind and resuming his progression on his comeback when third to Century Dream in the Listed Paradise S. over this track and trip on an easy surface May 2, he was understandably largely ignored after appearing to be outclassed in the Lockinge. What he did bring to this party was his track experience and when the group 1 winners Benbatl, Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Recoletos (Fr) (Whipper) all began to flounder approaching the two-furlong pole it was clear that the race was cracked wide-open.
Inside the last furlong, the race was primed for a shock with Lightning Spear promising to make it third time lucky in this as he loomed alongside Century Dream, but Lord Glitters and Yoshida were also coming and Charlie Bishop had to remain positive as he hunted them all down. On a day when Dettori and Buick shone yet again, the Herefordshire-born Bishop was the first to strike and the moment was not lost on him. “I'm glad I'm getting the opportunities and am good enough to deliver–to get a group one winner, let alone a Royal Ascot winner, is incredible,” he said. “I've been riding out at Eve's for quite a few years and when I first went there she said she couldn't promise me rides, but thought I should stick my head down and see what happens. From there she got some better horses and things took off. Hopefully, there are a lot more to come. I never dreamt I could come this far. Along the way I've had a bit of belief in myself, but you have to just keep grafting and hoping for the best. It was great to ride my first winner, then to lose my claim, and while it went a bit quiet for a while I kept working away and hoping for the best. Luckily things have taken off again.”
Eve Johnson Houghton was committed to coming here despite the Newbury performance and said, “This horse takes so much getting ready and getting fit. I knew he wasn't fully fit first time out and then second time out [in the Lockinge] we just had tiny setbacks. I did say to mum, 'whatever happens, I have got him here as well as he can be. He is the best horse he can be. If he's good enough he's good enough; if he's not he's not.' Charlie [Bishop] and the horse have grown together. I said 'just go and enjoy it' and he said that he was going to so I said could he please make sure I did too. He certainly did.”
David O'Meara was getting into the frame yet again at a meeting he performs well in with Lord Glitters, who represents Geoff and Sandra Turnbull of Mondialiste (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) fame and who was sent here instead of Wednesday's Royal Hunt Cup. “He has a huge engine and I think like a lot of the horses in the race, he would have preferred a stronger gallop but I'm delighted with him,” he said. “He was the lowest-rated horse in the race, but he's run a blinder. He really likes it at this track and he always seems to run well here, but I don't know where we will go next–we'll talk to the owners.” David Simcock said of Lightning Spear, “Lightning Spear has run really well again, but he does seem to sometimes flatten up the hill here as he hasn't sustained his run. I'm very proud of him and he's run very well. I think the other two horses came from off the pace, which helped them but I'm very pleased. We'll go for the [G1] Sussex Stakes [at Goodwood Aug. 1] with him now. Jose Ortiz said of Yoshida, “It was a great run and I thought at one stage that he might have a chance of winning. He travelled really well and I'm pleased with the performance.”
Accidental Agent is the first foal out of the Johnson Houghton mare Roodle (GB) (Xaar {GB}), whose best performance was a sixth in the 2009 G3 Princess Margaret S. here. Out of the same connections' listed-placed and G3 Oak Tree S. fourth Roodeye (GB) (Inchinor {GB}), she is a half-sister to the four-times graded-stakes scorer Prize Exhibit (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) whose best moment came in the GII Monrovia S. and who was also third in the GI Del Mar Oaks. The third dam Roo (GB) (Rudimentary) was also homebred and managed a second in the Listed Firth of Clyde S. before producing four black-type performers including the G1 Prix Morny runner-up Gallagher (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}). This is also the family of Godolphin's smart Quick Wit (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), the G2 Gimcrack S. hero Bannister (GB) (Inchinor {GB}) and the G1 Middle Park S. winner Astaire (Ire) (Intense Focus). Roodle's as-yet unraced 2-year-old filly by Champs Elysees (GB) is named Madame Tantzy (GB), while she also has a yearling filly by Due Diligence.
Tuesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
QUEEN ANNE S.-G1, £647,500, Ascot, 6-19, 4yo/up, 8fT, 1:38.85, g/f.
1–ACCIDENTAL AGENT (GB), 126, c, 4, by Delegator (GB)
1st Dam: Roodle (GB), by Xaar (GB)
2nd Dam: Roodeye (GB), by Inchinor (GB)
3rd Dam: Roo (GB), by Rudimentary
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN.
(8,000gns RNA Ylg '15 TAOCT). O/B-Mrs R F Johnson Houghton
(GB); T-Eve Johnson Houghton; J-Charles Bishop. £367,197.
Lifetime Record: 14-5-2-1, $792,621. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Lord Glitters (Fr), 126, g, 5, Whipper–Lady Glitters (Fr), by
Homme de Loi (Ire). (€25,000 Ylg '14 AR14; €270,000 4yo '17
ARJUN). O-Geoff & Sandra Turnbull; B-SCA Elevage de
Tourgeville & Mme Hilary Erculiani (FR); T-David O'Meara.
£139,213.
3–Lightning Spear (GB), 126, h, 7, Pivotal (GB)–Atlantic Destiny
(Ire), by Royal Academy. (260,000gns Ylg '12 TAOCT). O-Qatar
Racing Ltd; B-Newsells Park Stud (GB); T-David Simcock.
£69,671.
Margins: HF, NK, NO. Odds: 33.00, 20.00, 10.00.
Also Ran: Century Dream (Ire), Yoshida (Jpn), Beat the Bank (GB), Recoletos (Fr), So Beloved (GB), Rhododendron (Ire), Benbatl (GB), Oh This Is Us (Ire), Deauville (Ire), Limato (Ire), Suedois (Fr), Zonderland (GB).
Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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