Crystal in the black for Trim duo at Royal Ascot
The father and son combination of Gerry and Colin Keane teamed up to land the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot today as Crystal Black romped to victory in stunning style.
It was a first ever Royal Ascot winner for the Trim pair with the 11/1 shot opening the day at 6/1 before drifting in the market with Willie Mullins 7/4 favourite Ethical Diamond sent off expected to win under Ryan Moore.
However Crystal Black, which is owned by the Wear A Pink Ribbon syndicate, had other ideas and under a brilliant ride from Colin Keane romped home two and a quarter lengths clear of Davis O'Meara's Epic Poet in second who was a neck ahead of Ziggy and a further head clear of the favourite.
The Keane's six-year-old landed his first two starts of the season at the Curragh and was stepping up to 1m4f for the first time in his career.
Having been assigned a tricky draw in four, Keane settled Crystal Black in rear and began to unleash a withering run down the outside at the two-furlong pole alongside Ethical Diamond.
Once hitting the front inside the furlong marker, the winner stayed on powerfully to land a first Royal Ascot winner for the Trim trainer.
"It's unbelievable. I often dreamed that I'd have a Cheltenham horse some where along the way, but I never thought I'd have a Royal Ascot horse, but we got him," Keane told ITV after the race.
"Early on he gave us plenty of hardship. He was wrong early on last year, but when he came right he had a great finish to the year and he has progressed ever since.
"This year he has had a trouble free run the whole way. He was supposed to run in the Lincoln, but looking back now maybe it was the best thing that he didn't.
"I messed up with the passport and he wasn't in on time. He probably would have needed the run badly. He still needed the run when he won the first day, so that was five weeks later, so maybe that was the best thing that ever happened.
"He (jockey and son Colin) is not too bad either. He gave him a great ride, he knows the horse inside out, he rides him the way he wants. He let him creep into the race, if they went fast early he was going to give him his chance, it is all about him finishing and he finishes well," concluded the trainer.
On his way back to the winners enclosure jockey Colin Keane told ITV that this winner meant as much to him as any he has had before.
"It's brilliant. We were fortunate enough to get him last year at the sales for a great bunch of lads and he has been a dream for them," said the Trim man.
"He has done a lot of winning, so we weren't sure had he done too much winning, but he's probably a group horsed in a handicap.
"That is as good a kick as I have got out of riding a winner, especially for the old man (his father and trainer Gerry Keane). I can't put into words (what it means to Gerry Keane) and I sure he won't be able to either, but it is a very special day," concluded Keane junior before joining the celebrations.
Read an article written by the Meath Chronicle's Tom Gannon for the Irish Field about the syndicate and how they came to buy the horse here.