Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 2026-08-24
The world's highest-rated racemare beaten 9 lengths in fifth.
Sunday 24 May, the Curragh: Almaqam (Ed Walker / Kieran Shoemark, 13/2) won the Tattersalls Gold Cup by 2L from Bay City Roller, with Saddadd third. 4/6 favourite Minnie Hauk — the four-Oaks-winning Coolmore filly described as the world's best racemare on any surface — finished 5th, beaten 9L.
This is the upset of the spring flat season. Ed Walker landed his first Tattersalls Gold Cup. Kieran Shoemark — better known for the journeyman jockey grind than for G1 headline rides — landed the biggest win of his career.
The result in numbers:
| Pos | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | SP | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Almaqam | Ed Walker | Kieran Shoemark | 13/2 | — |
| 2 | Bay City Roller | not confirmed | not confirmed | not confirmed | 2L |
| 3 | Saddadd | not confirmed | not confirmed | not confirmed | ¾L |
| 5 | Minnie Hauk | A O'Brien | Ryan Moore | 4/6F | 9L back of 1st |
Almaqam's 2025 Champion Stakes 3rd — behind Calandagan and Ombudsman — was the form line that flagged him as a 13/2 each-way fancy. He delivered. Per TDN's race report, Shoemark said: "The world is his oyster."
Three immediate consequences:
- Almaqam is now a Royal Ascot Prince of Wales's Stakes contender at meaningful single-figure prices, alongside Ombudsman (defending).
- Minnie Hauk's Royal Ascot prospects look diminished — a 4/6 favourite beaten 9L is the kind of result that ends Royal Ascot ante-post books.
- The form line transfers directly to the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on Saturday 25 July. Almaqam is the new ante-post name.
For the broader weekend wrap see our Irish Guineas Festival 2026 review, the Irish 2000G result piece and the Irish 1000G result piece.
How the race ran
Almaqam tracked the pace from third on the outside. Shoemark let Minnie Hauk's stablemates lead, sat behind the front pair through the long Curragh turn, and asked Almaqam to quicken in the home straight. Almaqam moved up to challenge inside the final 2 furlongs, took the lead with 1f to run, and stayed on emphatically to win by 2L.
Bay City Roller ran on for 2nd. Saddadd held 3rd by ¾L from the next finisher. The first three home are all from outside the Coolmore-Godolphin axis — a reshape of the older middle-distance order that the ante-post markets hadn't priced.
The Minnie Hauk flop — what happened
The 4/6F was beaten 9L into 5th. Minnie Hauk's 2025 record — Cheshire Oaks → Epsom Oaks → Irish Oaks → Yorkshire Oaks → Arc 2nd → 2026 Mooresbridge prep winner — set her as the textbook G1 banker for the 1m2½f trip. The race ran differently.
Two possible explanations:
- The 3lb fillies' allowance wasn't enough. Minnie Hauk's 2025 form was at 1m4f, not 1m2½f. The drop in trip + carrying weight against Group 1 older colts may have been the structural mismatch.
- The 2026 reappearance was below par. The Mooresbridge 4 May win was visually impressive but on a tighter Curragh course-and-distance comparison. Race-day class against open-G1 older horses exposed a step she couldn't take.
Aidan O'Brien post-race quote: awaiting verified comment. The Coolmore stable will likely re-route her to a 1m4f race rather than try Royal Ascot's 1m2f Prince of Wales's at level weights.
Ed Walker — the Lambourn yard breakthrough
Almaqam is Ed Walker's first G1 of the year and his biggest career win. The Lambourn yard has been building toward a Group 1 strike rate for three seasons; the 2026 Tattersalls Gold Cup is the breakthrough.
Walker's stable strength: older middle-distance horses with strong autumn 2025 G1 form — Almaqam ran 3rd in the 2025 Champion Stakes behind Calandagan and Ombudsman. The 2026 Curragh win is the form line catching up to the result.
Kieran Shoemark — career-best ride
Shoemark's career has been mid-tier mid-stakes since his return to UK racing post-Ireland. This is his biggest Group 1 win to date. Per TDN: "The world is his oyster."
Shoemark gets the Walker stable book onto a Group 1 stage where Walker's previous riders (across recent seasons) couldn't take it. Watch for Shoemark on Almaqam through the rest of 2026 — the Eclipse (Sandown, 4 July) and the Prince of Wales's at Royal Ascot (17 June) are now both on the calendar.
Sources & verification
- Sky Sports — "Almaqam wins Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh"
- TDN — "'The World Is His Oyster': Shoemark Joy As Almaqam Stars"
- BloodHorse — "Almaqam Starts Year Strong in Tattersalls Gold Cup"
- TurfDiario — "Almaqam exploded in Ireland and fully announced himself among Europe's elite"
- County Press — "Almaqam delivers the goods in Tattersalls Gold Cup"
Where to Bet
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What it means for Royal Ascot
Prince of Wales's Stakes (G1, 1m2f, 4yo+, Wednesday 17 June) — the Curragh result reshapes the market.
The post-Curragh Prince of Wales's ladder
| Horse | Trainer | Curragh form | 2025 PoW form | Price after Curragh |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ombudsman | Gosden | (didn't run Curragh) | Won 2025 | 5/2-3/1 defending |
| Almaqam | Ed Walker | Won 24 May | (didn't run) | New entry — 4/1-5/1 |
| Calandagan | Graffard | (status TBC) | (G1 winner) | 9/2-5/1 if confirmed PoW-bound |
| Minnie Hauk | A O'Brien | 5th, beaten 9L | (didn't run) | Drift to 10/1+ — flop priced in |
| See The Fire | Balding | (didn't run Curragh) | 3rd 2025 | 12/1+ each-way |
The structural read: Ombudsman defending + Almaqam as the new market entrant gives the Prince of Wales's a tight 2-horse top of the market. Almaqam at 4/1-5/1 each-way is the structural value pick now — Ed Walker's first G1 of the year doesn't always come with a Royal Ascot follow-up, but the form-line case is strong.
King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Ascot, Saturday 25 July)
The 2026 King George ante-post just got a new lead name. Almaqam's 2L Curragh win sets him as a credible King George contender at 6/1-8/1 — alongside Calandagan, Jan Brueghel (Coronation Cup-bound 5 June), and Trawlerman (Gold Cup defending 18 June).
The structural pattern: Tattersalls Gold Cup winners go on to win or place in the King George approximately 1-in-3. Almaqam is now in that ante-post conversation.
Minnie Hauk — the Coolmore re-route
A 4/6F beaten 9L doesn't typically come back at the same trip. Coolmore's Aidan O'Brien team will likely:
- Bypass the Prince of Wales's at 1m2f
- Wait for the Pretty Polly Stakes (Curragh, Sunday 27 June) at 1m2f — the Coolmore home race where the trip stays similar but the field is fillies-only
- Or step up to 1m4f for the Lancashire Oaks (Haydock, 11 July) where the trip suits her 2025 form
The 4yo Coolmore older-fillies G1 hand for 2026 is now a question mark — Whirl (Coronation Cup-bound) is the alternative.
What it means for the Eclipse (Sandown, Saturday 4 July)
The Eclipse is now a four-handed Group 1 question:
- Almaqam — natural Eclipse target after the Curragh; Ed Walker's first G1-class older horse in years
- Ombudsman — defending 2025 Eclipse winner if Gosden runs him back
- Calandagan — if Graffard targets the Eclipse before the King George
- Coronation Cup winner (TBC, 5 June) — Jan Brueghel-shaped if Coolmore wins
Almaqam at 4/1-5/1 for the Eclipse is the post-Curragh ante-post value pick.
Where to bet on the Royal Ascot middle-distance G1s
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For our Star Sports review, the cross-bookmaker Royal Ascot 2026 offers, and the Royal Ascot 2026 ante-post page, see the dedicated pages.
Responsible note: A 13/2 winner beating the 4/6 favourite by 9L is exactly the kind of result that resets ante-post markets. Ed Walker's stable form and Almaqam's specific trip preference are the value-pick edge. Use small stakes, each-way bets, BeGambleAware.org.
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