James McDonald has joined Mark Zahra on the Royal Ascot winners’ list with victory in the Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot aboard Crimson Advocate

A winner of the opening Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes over 1000m on this card two years ago before finding life tough in the King Charles III Stakes over the same trip the following season, Crimson Advocate ($8) returned to Ascot for a third bite of the cherry.

Stepped up markedly in trip, the four-year-old returned to action with a pleasing second-place finish behind Soprano in the Listed Snowdrop Fillies’ Stakes (1600m) at Kempton prior to scoring in the same class at Goodwood second time out this season.

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“Coming into it, the questions were whether she would relax well enough and if she ran a stiff mile, but she ticked all those boxes,” McDonald said.

“She relaxed and gave me a beautiful ride. She was fantastic. She was bubbling underneath me the whole way and, the further the race went, the more she actually gave me,”

“When William (Buick aboard $2,25 favourite Cinderella’s Dream)] committed a furlong and a half from home, she was still on the bridle.

“She accelerated so quickly. She obviously has speed over five furlongs and, now she is stretching out over a mile, it bodes well for the future.”

The gravity of being successful on the Royal Ascot stage was not lost on the 119-time group one winner.

“It is really special to be here,” he added.

“Royal Ascot is the most amazing carnival. Any opportunity to come to Royal Ascot, you take it with both hands, and it’s just a special place to be part of.”

McDonald rode Nature Strip to victory in the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) at Royal Ascot in 2022.

- With RAS NewsWire