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King Charles III's horse Reaching High was well-beaten on the opening day of Royal Ascot, as Ascending won the Ascot Stakes by a head.
The horse, ridden by Ryan Moore, was the hot favourite before the runners set off at the historic Flat race meeting, at 11/4 to claim the £57,000 first-place prize ahead of going to post.
Trained by National Hunt superstar trainer Willie Mullins, Reaching High was bred by the late Queen Elizabeth II out of Estimate, who won the Ascot Gold Cup in 2013.
Reaching High is the first horse owned by a reigning British monarch to be schooled in Ireland.
Mullins retained the honour of Champion Trainer in April at the end of the National Hunt season, after beating rival Dan Skelton on the final day at Sandown.
Reaching High was unsettled ahead of the race, and had to be led into the stalls on a sweltering hot day at the historic racecourse.
King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla were present at the historic racecourse to watch Reaching High - who was some way off the chasing pack
Ahead of the race, the King exchanged words with royal jockey Ryan Moore in the paddock
Instead, Ascending (white and red stripes) claimed the top prize by a head beating Nurburgring
He has only run once this season, beaten in a photo finish by Not Just Any Eagle at Leopardstown.
For much of the race, Reaching High was mired in the mid-pack by the right-hand rail, as Liari led the runners around the two-mile, four-furlong circuit.
Moore jostled for position after the final turn, but could not find a route through as Ascending pulled away, dogged by Nurburgring, who finished second.
Comfort Zone finished third, followed by Leinster, and Divine Comedy in fifth place.
