Royal Applause  Royal Applause is a retired British Champion Thoroughbred racehorse and active sire. He was undefeated in four races as a two-year-old in 1995, including the Group One Middle Park Stakes, the Group Two Gimcrack Stakes and the Group Three Coventry Stakes. He was rated the second best colt of the year behind Alhaarth. After a disappointing three-year-old season, he returned as a four-year-old in 1998 to become European Champion Sprinter, when he won four of his seven races including the Group One Haydock Sprint Cup the Group Three Duke of York Stakes and the Group Three Cork and Orrery Stakes (now a Group One race). He went on to become a successful stallion and is based at the Royal Studs at Sandringham, Norfolk. Royal Applause is a dark-coated bay horse with two white socks who stands 15.2 hands high. He was bred at his owner Maktoum Al Maktoum’s Gainsborough Stud near Newbury in Berkshire, England. His sire Waajib was a miler who won the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot in 1988. As a stallion, he stood for the Coolmore Stud before being sold to Japan's Shadai Stud in 1995. He was shuttled between Japan and Australia for four seasons before dying at Amsterdam Airport while being returned to Ireland in January 1999. He was not a great success, siring the winners of fewer than 150 races, with Royal Applause being easily his best offspring . Royal Applause’s dam Flying Melody was a successful racehorse who went on to be an excellent broodmare. Apart from Royal Applause she produced the European Champion Two-Year-Old Filly Lyric Fantasy and the Dewhurst Stakes winner In Command. As a descendant of the broodmare Oola Hills, Royal Applause was also related to Pappa Fourway and Park Top. Royal Applause was trained throughout his career by Barry Hills at Lambourn. During his two-year-old season he was ridden by Walter Swinburn, who lost his job as Maktoum Al Maktoum's retained jockey at the end of the year. In his comeback year of 1997 Royal Applause was ridden in all his races by his trainer’s son Michael Hills  Royal Applause made his debut in a five furlong maiden race at his local course Newbury in May.