Hong Kong Jockey Club Palace House Stakes |
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| Group 3, Newmarket 14:55 £85,000 guaranteed, 5f, Class 1  |
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1 Rumstar 7/1
2
She's Quality 20/1
3
Clarendon House 12/1
11 ran Distances: 1¼l, 2½l, hd
Time: 57.72s (fast by 0.28s)
Rumstar is the star!⭐️
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) May 3, 2025
An impressive winner of the Hong Kong Jockey Club World Pool Palace House Stakes! 🥇#ITVRacing | @NewmarketRace |@rob_hornby18 | @jportmanracing pic.twitter.com/xO4hGAl2d4
A big day for the little yard—and a bigger one for Rumstar, who delivered the performance of his career and spark scenes of delight for trainer Jonathan Portman and jockey Rob Hornby.
Drawn on the wing in stall one and sent off a 7-1 shot, the son of Havana Grey was waited with early but always travelled sweetly. As the field hit the rising ground and the tempo lifted, it was Rumstar who surged—smooth through the gears, quickening past the Irish raider She’s Quality and galloping clear for an emphatic length-and-a-quarter success.
A return to the Rowley Mile, where he had lit up the Cornwallis Stakes as a juvenile, proved just the ticket.
“He’s stronger, he’s happier, and that was very satisfying,” said Portman. “It’s been a long wait since October but we’ve had this race in mind. He’s clearly trained on well and we think we’ve got him right where we want him.”
There were smiles all round, not least from the owner—who was still reeling from the trainer’s bold call earlier in the week.
“I had to ask permission to enter him for the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot—£4,000 entry fee,” Portman admitted with a grin. “The owner still hasn’t quite recovered from the shock… but after today, it looks like we’re committed!”
Bookmakers responded, slicing Rumstar into 25-1 from 50s for the royal meeting, where he could step into Group One company.
“Is he a genuine Group One sprinter? Maybe not on paper,” Portman said candidly. “But with sprinters, you never really know. They improve, they surprise you, and right now, he deserves to take his chance.”
The Rowley Mile has long been kind to Portman—and with Rumstar in this kind of mood, it might not be the last time we see him blazing up the straight at HQ.
Palace House Stakes (Group 3)
£85,000 guaranteed, 5f, Class 1
11 ran
Going: Good, Good to Firm in places
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (1) Rumstar 5 9-9 Jonathan Portman Rob Hornby 7/1
2 (9) 1¼ She's Quality 4 9-6 Jack W Davison James Ryan 20/1
3 (6) 2½ Clarendon House 7 9-9 Robert Cowell Sean Levey 12/1
4 (11) hd Washington Heights 5 9-9 Kevin Ryan Tom Eaves 7/2F
5 (3) 2¼ Twilight Calls 7 9-9 Richard Spencer Jamie Spencer 14/1
6 (7) hd Tropical Storm 3 9-0 Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy 5/1
7 (2) ½ Seven Questions 4 9-9 Robert Cowell Luke Morris 28/1
8 (5) hd Beautiful Diamond 4 9-6 K R Burke Clifford Lee 9/2
9 (10) nk No Half Measures 4 9-9 Richard Hughes Ryan Moore 4/1
10 (4) nk Pepsi Cat 6 9-6 Steph Hollinshead David Egan 50/1
11 (8) hd Democracy Dilemma 5 9-9 Robert Cowell Tom Marquand 20/1
