ASCOT (England), June 17: Zafeen, an 8-1 chance trained by ex-England soccer player Mick Channon, landed the Group One St James’s Palace Stakes on the opening day of Royal Ascot on Tuesday.

It was the eighth success at the Royal meeting for Channon dating back to 1993 when Great Deeds won the Windsor Castle Stakes.

Zafeen had been an unlucky runner-up in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket and then ran inexplicably poorly in the Irish equivalent, prompting the colt’s owners to replace jockey Steve Drowne.

Darryll Holland took the mount on Tuesday, scorched into the lead two furlongs (400 metres) from home and held off the fast-finishing Kalaman, the 5-2 favourite ridden by Johnny Murtagh, by a length.

Channon said: “My name is up there but this is a team effort.”

Results

St James’s Palace Stakes, a group one race for three-year-old colts, run over one mile (1.6 kms) 1. Zafeen 8-1 (ridden by Darryll Holland) 2. Kalaman 5-2 favourite (Johnny Murtagh) 3. Martillo 12-1 (William Mongil) 11 ran.

Distances: one length, three lengths.

Winner owned by Jaber Abdullah, trained in England by Mick Channon.

Value to the winner: 156,600 pounds ($263,400).

Queen Anne Stakes, a group one race for four-year-olds and upwards, run over one mile (1.6 kms) 1. Dubai Destination 9-2 (ridden by Frankie Dettori) 2. Tillerman 16-1 (Richard Hughes) 3. Right Approach 20-1 (Kieren Fallon) 10 ran.

Distances: four lengths, three-quarters of a length.

Winner owned by Godolphin, trained in England by Saeed bin Suroor.

Value to winner: 145,000 pounds ($243,900).—Reuters