King Charles appears to have discovered the Royal Family's next equine star after Portcullis delivered a devastating debut performance at Newmarket's Wood Ditton race.
The three-year-old colt, bred by the monarch and jointly owned with Queen Camilla, overcame a troubled start to triumph by an emphatic five-and-a-half lengths.
What made the victory particularly extraordinary was the manner in which it was achieved, with the horse stumbling as he left the stalls and conceding considerable ground to his competitors.
Despite these early setbacks, Portcullis produced what observers described as a complete annihilation of the field.
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Punters had shown little faith in the royal runner before the off, with Portcullis drifting significantly in the betting from an initial price of 4-1 to 7-1 at the start.
That scepticism from the market appeared justified when the colt made a hash of his exit from the stalls.
The stumble cost Portcullis several lengths, leaving jockey Ryan Moore with substantial ground to make up in the one-mile contest.
King Charles appears to have discovered the Royal family's next equine star after Portcullis delivered a devastating debut performance at Newmarket's Wood Ditton race
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Moore found himself immediately at a disadvantage, trailing the field as the Class 2 race got underway.
Yet what followed would prove the doubters spectacularly wrong.
As the race progressed, attention increasingly focused on the royal runner as he began to find his rhythm.
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Portcullis hoses up in the Wood Ditton pic.twitter.com/oDEB0CJ8DK
Portcullis picked up pace impressively and moved through the field with remarkable fluency while his nine opponents were being pushed hard by their riders.
Moore barely had to move a muscle as the pair glided past the competition in the £10,000 contest.
When the jockey finally asked his mount for an effort, the response was extraordinary.
The Gosden-trained colt accelerated away from the field like a genuine force of nature, ultimately crossing the line with daylight between himself and his nearest pursuer.
Trainer John Gosden expressed his delight with the performance, saying: "He's done it well. He was a little confused in the gates but it was impressive to find his way back into the race."
Portcullis picked up pace impressively and moved through the field with remarkable fluency while his nine opponents were being pushed hard by their riders
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Gosden added: "I couldn't be happier with the horse. He was unable to race last year due to some niggling issues."
The trainer revealed that Moore believes Portcullis could handle stepping up in distance, noting: "Ryan said a mile and a quarter would be within his compass."
Looking ahead, Gosden outlined a cautious approach: "We'll probably go to a novice with a penalty next then, if he wins that, we start shooting higher.
"I'd prefer to have a small step first before attempting the high jump."