Alex Hammond is getting ready for Royal Ascot and she marks your card with her thoughts on the big meeting next week.
Royal Ascot never fails to start with a bang - who wins the Queen Anne Stakes?
The meeting gets under way with this one mile straight track Group 1, so the meeting starts as it means to go on.
Given the sparse-ish time that Charlie Appleby is famously having, it could seem foolish to hope he could put a quieter than ideal recent record at the Royal meeting behind him with Notable Speech or Opera Ballo but what a strong hand to hold for the trainer in the first race of the week. Both have identical official ratings with the former a year older than his stablemate.
The way Notable Speech won the Lockinge I’d want him in my team because he overcame a mazy run to win at Newbury in impressive style. By adding that race to his already impressive CV he booked his slot on a stallion roster and the vibe after Newbury was that he may be packed off to his second career without being seen again. However, if he comes here and wins again, he’ll be even hotter property in the breeding sheds.
Does Bow Echo have a real race on his hands in the St James's Palace?
He absolutely does. He’ll meet Irish 2000 Guineas winner Gstaad and French winner Rayif but whether they beat George Boughey’s Newmarket winner remains to be seen. There’s also a non-Guineas winner that could cause him problems. Talk Of New York won the Heron Stakes at Sandown last time (see free video replay, below), a race his trainer Charlie Appleby took with Opera Ballo the previous year. Talk Of New York is learning to race more efficiently and he proved he stayed the mile trip that day. He’s progressive. Best not ignore French Guineas fourth Puerto Rico either as he is sure to have stepped forward for his reappearance at Longchamp. It’s all set to be a sensational contest.
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Ombudsman versus Daryz is what Royal Ascot should be all about... who grabs the honours in Wednesday's big clash?
Ed Walker is keen to pitch Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Almaqam against those two heavyweights, and Minnie Hauk is just clearing her throat to remind us that she’s a live contender for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes too despite her flop in that Group 1 at the Curragh last month.
Ombudsman is the solid choice having won this so well last year and he’s such an excellent and admirable racehorse. However, Daryz has plenty of French swagger and the Arc winner showed that a drop back from a mile and a half was no problem for him when hacking up in both the Prix Ganay and Prix Aga Khan IV (d’Ispahan) in his two starts this season. His trainer Francis-Henri Graffard said a couple of months ago that he wasn’t working back from the Arc this year, but that this was his A-Race. Graffard has sent out two winners at Royal Ascot to date with Watch Me in the 2019 Coronation Stakes and Calandagan in the 2024 King Edward VII Stakes and he will be hopeful of a successful week in Berkshire.
Who takes home the Gold Cup trophy next week?
Could it be the masked crusader? You’ll know by now that I’m referring to 2024 Gold Cup runner up and last year’s winner Trawlerman who hasn’t raced since winning the Long Distance Cup on Champions Day at Ascot last October. On more than one occasion this year I’ve been asked whether the eight-year-old gelding has been retired as it had gone incredibly quiet on that front. However, it emerged this week that the John and Thady Gosden trained horse has been suffering with a rare condition that effects his eyes, but despite that he will reappear at Ascot to defend his staying crown. John Gosden has explained that the horse has become extremely sensitive to bright light and therefore he has been exercised in the equine version of skiing goggles and has been moved to one of the darkest stables at his home at Clarehaven in Newmarket. They have been granted permission from the BHA to allow Trawlerman to wear the goggles in the preliminaries at Ascot, which will be quite the sight.
Now, I once tried to fit one of my labradors with ear defenders to minimise the distress she experienced during fireworks season but that wasn’t a tremendous success. If only you could explain to them that it’s for their own good!
Scandinavia is Sky Bet’s 5/4 favourite on his step up to this trip for the first time for Aidan O’Brien who has the most successful record of any trainer in this prestigious contest with nine victories to his name.
Which sprinters are on your radar?
The Australian raiders always add extra depth to the top sprints at Royal Ascot and Overpass is 9/4 favourite with Sky Bet to win the King Charles III Stakes on Tuesday on his first visit to the Northern Hemisphere. He’s not a regular over this 5-furlong trip through but the stiff nature of Ascot should negate that. He’s also entered in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes later in the week.
I’m not jumping off the Venetian Sun ship after her easy win at Haydock last time out but she’s 15/8 favourite to win the Commonwealth Cup on Friday and I’d also like to have Coppull as an each way play in that race at 14/1. He missed taking her on in the Sandy Lane owing to the track switch after the course drama and is attractive at a proper each way price.
There’s an exciting global feel to the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes on Saturday with horses entered from Australia, Japan, and France. It was a 1-2 for France and Japan in this last year with the absent from this year’s meeting Lazzat and Satono Reve who is 4/1 second favourite to go one better for Japanese trainer Noriyuki Hori this year. The favourite is another Aussie trained speedster, Joliestar for trainer Chris WaRoyal Ascot never fails to start with a bang - who wins the Queen Anne Stakes?
The meeting gets underway with this one mile straight track group 1, so the meeting starts as it means to go on.
Given the sparse-ish time that Charlie Appleby is famously having, it could seem foolish to hope he could put a quieter than ideal recent record at the Royal meeting behind him with Notable Speech or Opera Ballo but what a strong hand to hold for the trainer in the first race of the week. Both have identical official ratings with the former a year older than his stablemate.
The way Notable Speech won the Lockinge I’d want him in my team because he overcame a mazy run to win at Newbury in impressive style. By adding that race to his already impressive CV he booked his slot on a stallion roster and the vibe after Newbury was that he may be packed off to his second career without being seen again. However, if he comes here and wins again, he’ll be even hotter property in the breeding sheds.
Can you give us a handicapper or three to consider for the meeting?
I just gave a little internal chuckle at that request. I’ll stick firstly with one I’ve touted all season. St Anton, who is entered for the Britannia and if he wins my work here is done. He was a horse I put up at the start of the season and so far, he’s won two of his three starts.
Last year’s Cesarewitch winner Beylerbeyi has been running over a variety of trips and he’s ripe for a big win soon, I hope. He’s in both the Ascot Stakes over two and a half miles and the Copper Horse Handicap over 1m 6f on Tuesday. I’d prefer him in the former.
Linwood is another horse I’ve been following and he’s in the Royal Hunt Cup. His win in the Spring Cup at Newbury was eye catching, and he has “Straight Track” Spencer on board to assist him in this cavalry charge. The horse is bound to step out of handicaps at some point, and it may not be far away if he runs well next week.
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