Hardwicke Stakes |
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| Group 2, Ascot 15:05 £250,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 3f 211y, Class 1 |
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Rebel’s Romance is being primed for another tilt at the Hardwicke Stakes, with Charlie Appleby once more mapping out an international campaign for one of the sport’s most durable and widely admired performers.
A stalwart of the Godolphin operation and a familiar flagbearer for Moulton Paddocks, the eight-year-old continues to defy the passage of time. His victory on Meydan’s Super Saturday card in February, the 21st of a distinguished career, served as further confirmation that his appetite for competition remains undiminished.
Rebel’s Romance takes the Dubai City Of Gold (G2)!
— IFHA's Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (@worldsbesthorse) February 28, 2026
pic.twitter.com/MSMMKOCuNy
Connections resisted the temptation of a high-profile clash with Calandagan on Dubai World Cup night, instead opting to keep their powder dry for a return to Ascot in June, where conditions and timing are expected to play more to his strengths.
Appleby told the Press Association: “He’s heading to the Hardwicke. I didn’t think he could beat Calandagan in the Dubai Sheema Classic which is why we didn’t take him over there for World Cup night and I think the Hardwicke is the right spot to start him back off again.”
Rebel’s Romance’s international résumé is already well established, with three victories in the United States, including two in the Breeders’ Cup Turf. He came close to adding a third at Del Mar last November, underlining both his consistency and adaptability at the highest level.
This season, America may again feature prominently on his itinerary, with Appleby outlining a long-held ambition to target the Sword Dancer at Saratoga, a race that has taken on added significance following its renaming in honour of the late Christophe Clement.
Appleby added: “My long-term plan is to try and win the Sword Dancer in America. I’ve always wanted to win the race with him and we tried it a couple of years ago (in 2023) but he never got there after clipping heels in the trial race for it.
“It would be a nice race to go and win with a horse like him.”
For a horse who has already travelled far and achieved much, the prospect of further international success remains both realistic and entirely fitting.
James Owen is daring to look ahead, and in Wimbledon Hawkeye he possesses a colt who has already carried him a long way, with the promise of more still to come.
A Royal Ascot breakthrough is now firmly in his sights, the Hardwicke Stakes pencilled in as a mid-summer target for a horse who has steadily built a profile of substance. By Kameko, he made his mark early, landing the Royal Lodge at two before confirming his class on the international stage last season when striking in the Nashville Derby at Kentucky Downs, a deserved reward for a series of commendable efforts in deeper waters.
Ascot, however, remains unfinished business. He ran with credit there twelve months ago, finishing fourth, and returns this year with both experience and expectation on his side.
Owen said: “The first aim will be the Hardwicke and we just need to decide whether we go straight to Royal Ascot or have a prep run beforehand.
“He’s had a nice break after a busy campaign last year and I’m really looking forward to this season with him.
“Each year he has put me on the map and hopefully can continue to do that.”
What follows may well hinge on what unfolds in Berkshire. Having already sampled the demands of international competition, including a closing effort at the Breeders’ Cup, options remain open should he continue on an upward curve.
Owen added: “That will pave the way to whether we go abroad with him again or if it all clicks we could stay here and look at some nice targets closer to home.”
For now, the path leads to Ascot, where both horse and trainer will seek to take another step forward on racing’s grandest stage.
Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2)
£250,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 3f 211y, Class 1
entries
Going:
HARDWICKE STAKES WINNERS
Group: 2
Trainer: Charlie Appleby
Jockey: William Buick
Owner: Godolphin
Age/Wgt: 7 / 9-03
Group: 2
Trainer: George Scott
Jockey: Callum Shepherd
Owner: Victorious Racing
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-03
Group: 2
Trainer: William Muir & Chris Grassick
Jockey: P J McDonald
Owner: —
Age/Wgt: 6 / 9-03
Group: 2
Trainer: A P O'Brien
Jockey: Ryan Moore
Owner: M Matsushima & Mrs J Magnier & M Tabor & D Smith
Age/Wgt: 6 / 9-03
Group: 2
Trainer: David Menuisier
Jockey: William Buick
Owner: Christopher Wright
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-12
Group: 2
Trainer: John Gosden
Jockey: Frankie Dettori
Owner: HH Sheikha Al Jalila Racing
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-12
Group: 2
Trainer: Roger Varian
Jockey: Andrea Atzeni
Owner: Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum
Age/Wgt: 5 / 9-01
Group: 2
Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute
Jockey: Ryan Moore
Owner: Sir Evelyn de Rothschild
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-01
Group: 2
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien IRE
Jockey: Seamie Heffernan
Owner: Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Sue Magnier
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-01
Group: 2
Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute
Jockey: Olivier Peslier
Owner: H M The Queen
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-01
Group: 2
Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute
Jockey: Pat Smullen
Owner: Khalid Abdullah
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-01
Group: 2
Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute
Jockey: Ryan Moore
Owner: Highclere Thoroughbred Racing
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-01
Group: 2
Trainer: Lady Cecil
Jockey: Johnny Murtagh
Owner: Sir Robert Ogden
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-00
Group: 2
Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute
Jockey: Ryan Moore
Owner: Khalid Abdullah
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-00
Group: 2
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien IRE
Jockey: Ryan Moore
Owner: Michael Tabor & Sue Magnier
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-00
Group: 2
Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute
Jockey: Ryan Moore
Owner: Highclere Thoroughbred Racing
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-00
Group: 2
Trainer: John Gosden
Jockey: Jimmy Fortune
Owner: Anthony Oppenheimer
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-03
Trainer: Aidan O’Brien IRE
Jockey: Johnny Murtagh
Owner: Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-00
Group: 2
Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute
Jockey: Richard Hills
Owner: Hamdan Al Maktoum
Age/Wgt: 6 / 9-00
Group: 2
Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute
Jockey: Richard Hills
Owner: Hamdan Al Maktoum
Age/Wgt: 5 / 9-00
Group: 2
Trainer: Mark Johnston
Jockey: Willie Supple
Owner: Hamdan Al Maktoum
Age/Wgt: 6 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: Saeed bin Suroor
Jockey: Frankie Dettori
Owner: Godolphin
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: David Elsworth
Jockey: Richard Quinn
Owner: Seymour Cohn
Age/Wgt: 5 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: Mark Johnston
Jockey: Kevin Darley
Owner: Abdulla Buhaleeba
Age/Wgt: 6 / 8-12
Group: 2
Trainer: Henry Cecil
Jockey: Willie Ryan
Owner: Plantation Stud
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: Mark Johnston
Jockey: Olivier Peslier
Owner: Mick Doyle
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-12
Group: 2
Trainer: Mark Johnston
Jockey: Olivier Peslier
Owner: Mick Doyle
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-12
Group: 2
Trainer: Paul Cole
Jockey: Pat Eddery
Owner: Athos Christodoulou
Age/Wgt: 6 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: Saeed bin Suroor
Jockey: Gary Stevens
Owner: Godolphin
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-12
Group: 2
Trainer: Kevin Prendergast IRE
Jockey: Michael Kinane
Owner: Oliver Lehane
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: John Dunlop
Jockey: John Reid
Owner: Erik Penser
Age/Wgt: 5 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: Terry Mills
Jockey: John Reid
Owner: Terry Mills
Age/Wgt: 5 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: Geoff Wragg
Jockey: Ray Cochrane
Owner: Exors of late Sir Robin McAlpine
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: Michael Stoute
Jockey: Pat Eddery
Owner: Maktoum Al Maktoum
Age/Wgt: 5 / 8-12
Group: 2
Trainer: Michael Stoute
Jockey: Pat Eddery
Owner: Maktoum Al Maktoum
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-12
Group: 2
Trainer: Guy Harwood
Jockey: Ray Cochrane
Owner: S Harada
Age/Wgt: 5 / 9-00
Group: 2
Trainer: Guy Harwood
Jockey: Pat Eddery
Owner: Khalid Abdullah
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: John Dunlop
Jockey: Willie Carson
Owner: Hamdan Al Maktoum
Age/Wgt: 5 / 8-12
Group: 2
Trainer: Henry Cecil
Jockey: Steve Cauthen
Owner: Prince A A Faisal
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: Michael Stoute
Jockey: Pat Eddery
Owner: H H Aga Khan
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: Clive Brittain
Jockey: Lester Piggott
Owner: The Marquess of Tavistock
Age/Wgt: 6 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: Fulke Johnson Houghton
Jockey: Steve Cauthen
Owner: G J Chittick
Age/Wgt: 5 / 8-12
Group: 2
Trainer: Frank Dunne IRE
Jockey: Brian Rouse
Owner: Frank Dunne
Age/Wgt: 5 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: Henry Cecil
Jockey: Lester Piggott
Owner: Garo Vanlan
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: Harry Wragg
Jockey: Brian Taylor
Owner: Sir Phillip Oppenheimer
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-12
Group: 2
Trainer: Francois Boutin FR
Jockey: Philippe Paquet
Owner: Gerry Oldham
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-00
Group: 2
Trainer: Ryan Price
Jockey: Brian Taylor
Owner: Robert Sangster
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-09
Group: 2
Trainer: Maurice Zilber FR
Jockey: Yves Saint-Martin
Owner: Mrs H H Hausmann
Age/Wgt: 4 / 8-12
Group: 2
Trainer: Vincent O’Brien IRE
Jockey: Lester Piggott
Owner: Mrs George F Getty II
Age/Wgt: 4 / 9-00
* run at York
