Welsh trainer Grace Harris will once again take on horse racing's superpowers this week in front of the toffs and top hats at Royal Ascot. Harris's stable star Exclamation returns to Royal Ascot - which starts on Tuesday - giving the Monmouthshire trainer another opportunity to prove that a small Welsh yard can compete with the biggest names in the sport.
Affectionately known as "Eddie", Exclamation will bid to take on the sport's moneyed giants in front of a likely 60,000 racegoers when he runs on Friday in the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes. "Last year was a great experience for everyone involved and we're all looking forward to doing it again," says Harris, who runs her small training operation in Shirenewton, near Chepstow.
"He's probably better on a turning track, like Doncaster and Chester, but it would be wonderful if he does alright. When he won at Chester recently at the Boodles Festival, he was carrying top weight and he still won easily, so he's in good form. We shall see."
Bought for a cheap-as-chips £27,000 - small change or a couple of glasses of Pimm's by Royal Ascot standards - Exclamation has shown under Harris's guidance that heart and ability can bridge the gap between modest resources and the vast spending power of the sport's global giants. Now, after a series of impressive performances since his memorable Royal Ascot debut last year, the talented three-year-old is heading back to Berkshire on Friday, carrying renewed hopes.
Exclamation was run out of it last year, finishing 14th, and Harris knows exactly how difficult the challenge will be, but with some softer conditions she is confident "Eddie" will be more than steady. "He likes a bit of cut in the ground, so we will just have to see." With jockey Ashley Lewis in the saddle, Exclamation will give a Welsh flavour to Ascot on Friday, although it will not be the only race meeting likely to see some eye-catching fashion over the next fortnight.
Closer to home, Chepstow Racecourse stages its prestigious summer highlight Ladies Day on Saturday June 27, with seven races, style awards, and an afterparty DJ set.
Exclamation first captured attention when he finished a highly encouraging third in the prestigious Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster last year on debut. Despite a troubled start, he showed tremendous acceleration in the closing stages to suggest he possessed far more talent than his bargain price tag implied. That promise was reinforced by another strong display at Chester last year before he earned his first Royal Ascot invitation, an achievement that represented a landmark moment for Harris and her entire team.
For a trainer operating with little more than two dozen horses, simply competing at Royal Ascot - the Flat season's elite festival - was extraordinary. Yet Exclamation has continued to progress and arrives this year as a more seasoned and battle-hardened performer. His story has also become symbolic of Welsh racing's growing profile on the Flat as well as over the jumps.
While major training operations dominate the headlines, Harris believes smaller yards can still flourish if they find one exceptional horse capable of success. "Obviously, Welsh racing is doing really well in my eyes, and it was great, obviously, having the Bowen brothers doing so well," she says. "But I suppose for small trainers, whether you're in Wales or England, it is hard for small trainers to try and get noticed. So I don't think that's just a struggle in Wales, I think that's in sort of the whole country as well. You just need one good horse."
That philosophy has certainly proved true for Harris and Exclamation. Away from Ascot, the yard itself is also continuing to grow. Harris has enjoyed an excellent campaign so far, recording 15 winners across both Flat and National Hunt racing, and is targeting an even bigger total than last season. "We've got 15 winners so far this season, flat and jumps combined. So, we are really happy. We had 26 last year. So, we have got to try and beat that, the pressure is on to do it now."
There is further investment planned too, with additional stabling already approved. Harris remains committed to training both Flat and jumps horses, despite increasing commercial pressures pushing many owners towards Flat racing. "I love it. I wouldn't ever want to stop it, to be honest. I get the best of both." But for now, all attention turns to Ascot once again and another opportunity for Exclamation to continue his remarkable journey.
