One must look back to 1950 to find a winner with longer odds than Ten Bob Tony in the Queen Anne Stakes.
The 50-1 outsider caused a major upset in the opening race of Royal Ascot for 2026, with the ten-day back-up proving advantageous for the five-year-old gelding, whose chestnut coat shone brilliantly in the fine British weather.
Opera Ballo, with 2000 Guineas-winning jockey Billy Loughnane in the saddle, set the initial tempo at $4.40/16.5. Ten Bob Tony then followed up his victory in the Group 3 Tattenham Corner Stakes (1408m) on June 6 with this Group 1 success over 1609m.
Trainer Ed Walker’s confidence was vindicated by the result, despite questions from his peers about running the son of Group 1 Lockinge Stakes (1609m) winner Night Of Thunder at such a long price.
“Have a go,” Walker remarked.
“He came out of the Epsom run in great shape. It felt like he hadn’t raced, and I knew Ascot would offer excellent ground for the meeting’s first race, regardless of the weather.
“The track is immaculate, and we opted to ride him patiently. We decided to take our chance.”
This marked the sixth Royal Ascot win for Walker and the fourth for jockey Kieran Shoemark.
“He travelled superbly, and our intention was to ride him for the mile today,” Shoemark stated.
“He is clearly in a fantastic run of form. I am surprised, but of course, delighted.”
More Thunder ($3.50/7-2), trained by William Haggas, finished strongly for second place. Opera Ballo, whose streak of three consecutive wins was broken, secured the third spot.
The favourite, Notable Speech ($3.20/11-5), finished outside the main placings in sixth.
Walker and Shoemark are set to combine forces again with the last-start Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup (2112m) winner, Almaqam, in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (2004m) on Day 2 of Royal Ascot.
For those seeking value after this surprise result, consider the comprehensive racing odds available at leading online bookmakers.