Shane Stafford meets King Charles after Cercene’s Royal Ascot win

Rockhampton-born racing identity Shane Stafford was on course to watch his Irish-trained filly race to victory at Royal Ascot. He details the conversation he had with King Charles after the incredible win.

Gary Carroll riding Cercene wins The Coronation Stakes at Ascot Racecourse on June 20. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse)

Horse racing is built on dreams but never in his “wildest” did former Rockhampton racing and cattle identity Shane Stafford conjure up being presented with a winner’s trophy at Royal Ascot by King Charles.

That’s exactly what happened last weekend in London, some 16,032km away from his Rockhampton birthplace, when Stafford stood proud after his Irish-trained filly Cercene (33/1) won the GR 1 Coronation Stakes (1600m) at one of world’s most prestigious racing carnival theatres.

Speaking on Monday night from his property in Tipperary, Ireland, Shane admitted that the Classic win of Cercene was just starting to “sink in”.

Understandably so, as when dabbling in training on a hobby basis during the ’90s from his then Richmond base, Shane was more akin to winning country races for meagre prize money at tracks such as Duaringa, Monto, Winton and Mt Isa.

It’s a world away from winning the 675,000-pound ($1,410,318) GR 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.

While totally surprised, I sensed from our telephone conversation that Shane, arguably better known in Central Queensland cattle circles than that of racing, remained just his plain knockabout self and was not overawed by the occasion.

“It is simply unbelievable as you would never dream of owning the winner of a Gr 1 race in Ireland and meeting King Charles,” he said.

Gary Carroll aboard Cercene (yellow) in The Coronation Stakes on day four of Royal Ascot 2025. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse)

“Remarkably from my point, we had a good old chat. He spoke about his visits to Eidsvold Station and I couldn’t believe it.

“I grew up in Monto nearby and he (King Charles) brought up about the Joyce family who ran Eidsvold Station. He asked if I knew them, which I do very well, and told him so and we discussed their famous cattle.

“He was just so easy to talk to,” Shane said, while still trying to take in the enormity of the occasion.

Since the fairytale win of Cercene (33/1), Shane, a true-blue Aussie character, has become highly sought after by the world’s racing media, particularly so from its Australian arm.

“It is so good to hear from a racing contact from Rockhampton where I was born in 1963,” he said.

“I can tell you something, I have had some telephone calls from the racing media.

“Actually, Callaghan Park was always a favourite racecourse of mine.

“As a matter of fact, I was in Rocky in January and drove past the original family home in Hutton Street, North Rockhampton.”

It could be said that Shane, who mixes his time in Ireland as well as in North Queensland from where he operates the successful cattle livestock business Stafford Stock and Property at Ayr, has Rockhampton racing “royalty” in his veins.

Gary Carroll celebrates after riding Cercene to victory in The Coronation Stakes. (Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images for Ascot Racecourse)

His uncles were none other than the late outstanding Rockhampton jockey and later trainer Maurice Stafford and Ron Stafford, who has also passed, a successful trainer and later steward.

Maurice Stafford rode Gay Cavalier to win the 1971 Rockhampton Newmarket, while Ron’s son David trained the 2012 Rockhampton Cup winner Writer.

“Ron trained a very good two-year-old for me in Rocky called Petite Vista, which went on to win at Doomben for us,” Shane said.

“I did a bit of jockeying as an amateur myself in the early ’80s. Always just loved the racing.”

It became patently obvious to me that Shane shared his feelings of the euphoric win of Cercene with that of his trainer, the Irishman Joe Murphy, 70, who gained his first GR 1 success.

“There had been a big offer to buy Cercene but it has been rejected as I did not want my trainer to lose the horse,” he said.

That speaks volumes for Shane and not surprisingly so as loyalty has long been a code of ethics in cattle and thoroughbred dealings in the Queensland bush.

Now the boy at heart from Rocky may chase more GR 1 glory with a likely late entry to be put in for the $835,716 GR 1 Irish Oaks (2400m) at The Curragh on July 17.

“Cercene has thrived since the win at Ascot so we may go down the Oaks path but only if the filly is right,’’ Shane said.

That indeed provides pleasant dreams for Shane and in no way could they be classified as “wild” ones.