Jayarebe wins the Hampton Court Stakes for trainer Brian Meehan with Sean Levey aboard. (Megan Coggin)
Ascot Racecourse Press Release
ASCOT— A memorable week for jockey Sean Levey and trainer Brian Meehan gained another highlight after they teamed up with Jayarebe, winner of the G3 Hampton Court Stakes.
Meehan saddled 80/1 shot Rashabar to win the G2 Coventry Stakes on Tuesday, while Levey made his mark on the same day when guiding Rosallion to victory in the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes.
Sent off a 7/1 chance, Jayarebe raced in mid-division before improving into a challenging position on the home turn. Meanwhile, the 2/1 favourite King’s Gambit was niggled along at the back of the field by William Buick and, while the pair made strong progress in the home straight, the winner had already flown.
Jayarebe was three quarters of a length in front at the line, with Andrew Balding’s Bellum Justum almost two lengths further back in third.
Meehan said: “Sean got him in a great position. He was able to get a breather in and that was key. That never happened at Chester, which was his undoing, along with the track.
“Once he got the position, Sean was able to just take back, get a little breather. That man is riding out of his skin at the moment, it’s so impressive the way he’s riding. He knows the horse really well, as he comes in every week.
“Jayarebe is getting better – he is still lightly raced. The red hood was a good addition today. It’s more about exuberance – when he was saddled, he was calm, his body temperature was good, so we’re going in the right direction.
“He’s a superstar horse and what more does he have to do? He’s on the up. I said to his owner that we wanted to explore the autumn campaign, with some international races, so we’ll stick with the plan, although the Eclipse is a possibility.”
Levey said: “Jayarebe has been doing all the right things at home. Chester didn’t suit him. He has a huge stride, I think it’s something like 26ft, which is a massive stride for a horse like this. We know he stays; I got a great break from [stall] 12 and I committed early because I knew he’d stay strong to the line.
“This week is about having the horses that have a chance of winning. They are so hard to find here, it’s so competitive. When you have a horse and you know how good it is, and it’s in the right race and doing everything right at home, then you can ride them with confidence.
“It comes across like I’m riding well but I’ve had the horses this week. So far so good, two big chances have won and there are still more to come, so fingers crossed.”
He added: “I am delighted for Brian to get two on the board at Ascot. His horses are coming back into the fold, and he’ll have nice ones to look forward to.”
Harry Charlton said of King’s Gambit: “It looked like a disaster from furlong one. We were in the worst possible position on the Round Course, and he’s run monstrously well to get anywhere near them. You can see how good he is, and we’ll enjoy him down the line.”
5.40pm Hampton Court Stakes (Group 3)
1 Jayarebe (Iraj Parvizi) Brian Meehan 3-9-02 Sean Levey 7/1
2 King’s Gambit (Mohammed Jaber) Harry Charlton 3-9-02 William Buick 2/1F
3 Bellum Justum (King Power Racing) Andrew Balding 3-9-02 10/1
12 ran
Brian Meehan – 9th Royal Ascot winner
Sean Levey – 3rd Royal Ascot winnerSectional times: https://royalascot2024.racenewslive.co.uk/sectional-times/
