Royal Ascot dream comes true for Kevin Stott on Kevin Ryan’s Hello Youmzain

No wonder the North Yorkshire rider was shaking his head in disbelief, and wiping away tears of pride, after a quickfire big race double at a track where he had never ridden a winner previously.

Now he is a Group One winner – the dream he talked about in Saturday’s edition of The Yorkshire Post – after Kevin Ryan’s Hello Youmzain won the six furlong Diamond Jubilee Stakes in a pulsating three-way finish.

And, 35 minutes later, Stott and his mount Hey Jonesy, again trained at Hambleton by Ryan, clung on in a photo-finish to take the Wokingham Stakes, one of the most competitive races of the year.

Vindication for Stott, and his patience, after being ‘jocked off’ Hello Youmzain last year in favour of a higher-profile jockey, only his brilliance denied Dettori a big race clean sweep on Royal Ascot’s final day.

The Italian had earlier won the Coventry Stakes on Campanelle; the Coronation Stakes aboard Alpine Star (the only Group One to have previously eluded him at the meeting) and the St James’s Palace Stakes on Palace Pier.

In the Diamond Jubilee, Hello Youmzain and Stott, a former schoolboy footballer who once had trials at Tottenham Hotspur, were fastest out of the stalls.

Yet, as Dettori came to challenge on the ultimately third Sceptical, Hello Youmzain rallied and just had enough to repel Ryan Moore on the fast finishing Dream Of Dreams.

Or, to put it another way, Stott had just beaten two of the best jockeys in the world on a horse, Hello Youmzain, who will head to Newmarket’s July Cup, ironically the only Group One race in the country to have eluded Dettori.

It was also an international win – the horse is now owned Nicolas de Chambure in France and Brendan Lindsay of Cambridge Stud in New Zealand.

They stayed up all night to watch the race.

And, when Pallister Racing’s Hey Jonesy held off North Yorkshire rival Summerghand from the David O’Meara yard, the emotion of the day caught up with Stott, who hails from Denmark.

“I never rode a winner at Ascot, let alone Royal Ascot, before today,” he said. “Getting jocked off Hello Youmzain after winning two Group Twos on him – it obviously happens in racing quite a bit; James Doyle is amazing, such a good rider – it hurt, but it was the owner’s decision.

“Sometimes that happens, but I was very fortunate to get back on him.

“The owners said to Kevin he could choose the jockeys and he put me back on him. I am so delighted; to have my first Royal Ascot winner and then to have another one.”

And while he had spoken on Friday about being unpertubed by the absence of spectators, it did ultimately hurt that his family were not present.

“It is very emotional. It means so much, and to my family at home in Denmark as well watching it,” he added.

“They aren’t here, I can’t fly out to see them, they can’t fly over here – it means a lot that they are watching at home.

“It has been absolutely amazing. I don’t know what to say really – I can’t find the words. An hour ago I didn’t think this would ever happen, and now I’m standing here with two Royal Ascot winners, things that you could never dream of. My first Group One as well. I am speechless.

“I’m 25, 26 in July. I was born in Denmark, raised in Denmark, Mum is Danish and Dad English. I went to school over there. I said to Dad when I was 16 that I wanted to ride horses, and within a week he had flown me over here and dropped me off at Kevin Ryan’s yard, and I have been there ever since really.

“I have been in England nine years. My family at home are all horsey people; my Dad used to ride a lot in Scandinavia and went to India, Africa, places like that. One brother trains, the other rides around Scandinavia.”

And then Stott’s thoughts turned to the NHS – and the decision of every jockey to donate their day’s riding fees to the National Health Service.

“We all appreciate the NHS staff so much, for us to donate all our riding fees today, it is literally just one day’s work of a month, the NHS staff are so amazing,” said the rider who then spoke of the sport’s gratitude towards the country’s “true heroes”.

The double was also reward for the Ryan family who have been getting up at 4am to drive racehorses the length of the country. Their whole team had worked hard for this moment.

“In my opinion, he (Stott) is one of the most up-and-coming young jockeys out there and has just proved it on the biggest stage,” said the trainer’s son and assistant Adam.

Yet there was no time for celebration. Kevin Stott then drove home and then onto Redcar where he won yesterday’s opener on Paul Midgley’s Sambucca Spirit. It was a weekend that he will never forget. Or racing.