Royal Ascot 2025 Results: Winners & Recap
- Royal Ascot witnessed a major upset as Cercene, a 33-1 outsider, secured a thrilling victory in the Coronation Stakes.
- Joe Murphy, Cercene's Irish trainer since 1977, expressed his joy.
- Carroll, celebrating the unexpected win, said, "It's unbelievable.
Cercene, a massive 33-1 underdog, shocked the crowds at Royal Ascot, seizing victory in the Coronation Stakes, expertly guided by jockey Gary Carroll. Time For Sandals also surprised, triumphing in the Commonwealth Cup. joe Murphy celebrated Cercene’s win as a career culmination, while Richard Kingscote piloted the unlikely Commonwealth Cup champion. News Directory 3 delivers the inside track. Read the full recap; understand the upsets, and discover what the winning trainers had to say. Delve into the details of these thrilling races and analyze the unexpected results that shook up the horse racing world. Discover what’s next …
Cercene Triumphs at Royal Ascot, Time For Sandals Wins Commonwealth Cup
Updated June 20, 2025
Royal Ascot witnessed a major upset as Cercene, a 33-1 outsider, secured a thrilling victory in the Coronation Stakes. Jockey Gary Carroll guided the longshot to a half-length win,overcoming the French-trained favorite,Zarigana,who finished second. January took third place.
Joe Murphy, Cercene’s Irish trainer since 1977, expressed his joy. He described the win as the culmination of “50 years of work, of love and care.”
Carroll, celebrating the unexpected win, said, “It’s unbelievable. She’s very tough, she wanted to win. To do this at Royal Ascot is magic.” Despite the long odds, Cercene had previously shown promise with a third-place finish in the Irish 1,000 Guineas.
Friday’s other Group One race, the Commonwealth Cup, also saw a surprise victory. Time For Sandals,with odds of 25-1,landed the top spot,while favorite shadow Of Light finished fifth. Richard Kingscote rode Time For Sandals, nicknamed ‘Flip Flop,’ to victory from stall one for trainer Harry Eustace.
Eustace celebrated a Group One double, adding to his earlier win with Docklands in Tuesday’s Queen Anne Stakes. “It’s the hardest place on earth, but the horses have turned up in great shape,” Eustace said.
Charlie Appleby, trainer of Shadow Of Light, explained that the good to firm ground did not suit the horse, despite being last year’s champion juvenile and finishing third in the 2,000 Guineas behind stablemate Ruling Court.
What’s next
Racing enthusiasts will be watching to see if Cercene and Time For Sandals can maintain their winning form in future races, while questions remain about Shadow Of Light’s performance on different track conditions.