Can anything get close to Coroebus in the St James's Palace Stakes?

Royal Ascot preview, clues and tips including Nature Strip, New Energy and Royal Scotsman

By Graham Cunningham

Horse Racing

Mon June 13, 2022 · 2y ago

‘One drama that can never be written.’

So goes the slogan gracing a series of stylish posters on the London Underground this year but the File is taking a leaf from one of wrestling’s biggest shows ahead of British racing’s summer showpiece.

The event in question starts with 30 fierce competitors doing battle in a confined space and trying to eliminate rivals one by one by tossing them over the top rope.

Yes, it does sound a lot like the Hunt Cup and the Wokingham but there are any number of Royal Rumbles on the menu at Ascot this week and GC breaks down the best of them in the first of five Royal Ascot Cunningham Files.

Baaeed v the greatest

Baaeed - set to star on the opening afternoon

It’s far too early for comparisons with Frankel and – given that the GOAT crushed 125-rated Excelebration by eleven lengths to leave jaws dropping on this day in 2012 - it will surely still be too early if BAAEED dominates the 2022 Queen Anne in the way he ought to.

The unbeaten Haggas star faces nothing rated higher than 118 and, with former champ Palace Pier retired and last year’s Guineas runner-up Master Of The Seas absent, the stars are aligning for a royal procession.

That said, if you have the four do you really need the one? Real World was brushed aside in the Lockinge but he beat the rest decisively and it’s worth recalling how he bloomed on his sole visit to Ascot in last year’s Hunt Cup if you’re contemplating a seismic shock or a sensible forecast play.

Verdict: Stage set for a Lockinge reprise

Golden Pal v LONGINES Timing

Golden Pal scorches to victory at Del Mar

Wes Ward has brought some exceptional sprinters to Ascot over the years but insists that GOLDEN PAL is “the fastest of the fast” ahead of the King’s Stand.

The clock backs him up – as the Uncle Mo colt can glide through molten fractions for fun in the States – but doing it round a bend on flat tracks and doing it up Ascot’s unforgiving hill can be two different things.

Remember how GP faltered when run down late in the 2020 Norfolk and the fierce grip he took before fading in the 2021 Nunthorpe? And remember last year’s King’s Stand, when Que Amoro, Winter Power and Battaash took a flamethrower to their chances by blazing through early splits of 13.12s, 10.57 and 11.01s?

Golden Pal can replicate those numbers if Irad Ortiz lets him but the Puerto Rican needs to pump the brakes a little if he wants his Pal to see the job right through.

Verdict: Irad needs a clock in his head

Nature Strip v Unfinished Business

Nature Strip in winning action

“I don’t know a lot about Aussie form” is the stock line for many a pundit in cases like Nature Strip’s but there is an alternative stance which goes as follows:

NATURE STRIP hails from a nation where the sprint pool is extremely deep; he’s shown himself among the elite in that pool with eight G1 wins, the latest a runaway Randwick success in April; that form makes him the highest rated sprinter in the world; and his brilliant trainer Chris Waller has had a seven-year Ascot itch since Brazen’s Beau’s narrow defeat in 2015.

Logic suggests Golden Pal is going to put spaces in this year’s King’s Stand field before halfway. But Ortiz will have a right battle on his hands if James McDonald is on his tail entering the final furlong. And if you said that Nature Strip is the most accomplished Aussie raider to come to Ascot bar the mighty Black Caviar then I certainly wouldn’t argue.

Verdict: Advance Australia Fair

British Sprinters v International Handicappers

Twilight Calls (centre) in action

Ratings experts feel all of them have a lot to find with the Aussie and the American but playing away is never a ‘gimme’ and at least one of them is going to hit the board at a price.

Step forward TWILIGHT CALLS. The ante-posters have snaffled the big prices but Henry Candy’s gelding is still improving after two fine efforts this season and, with a bit more luck, he could be lining up as the winner of the Palace House and Temple Stakes.

His canny old trainer is adamant that a blazing pace on summer ground is perfect and, although he has plenty to find on bare form, the feeling remains that Twilight might just come calling late to have a say in this.

Verdict: Twilight in the zone for another PB

Aidan v A Perfect Ten

Whisper it softly but Aidan O’Brien’s Ascot hand doesn’t look as strong as usual. Correction, it looks about as strong as last year’s. Love and Point Lonsdale saluted twelve months ago but that was Ballydoyle’s lowest Royal meeting return since 2014 and G1 pickings could be slim this week unless Kyprios aims up in the Gold Cup.

Still, it’s a rare Ascot that doesn’t see at least one O’Brien juvenile winner and BLACKBEARD looks the chosen one to give his handler a tenth Coventry success. The No Nay Never colt reached the level needed to go close in the Coventry by forging clear in G3 company at the Curragh and, with three runs behind him, he looks bound to be in at the finish.

The fact that impressive Ascot winner Noble Style hasn’t made the cut reduces the strength of the British challenge but the bloke who was the go-to man for Ascot juvenile races before Aidan came along might have a say here.

ROYAL SCOTSMAN showed plenty of promise on his debut behind Noble Style before bolting up in a fast time at Goodwood and Paul Cole (along with son Oliver) might just have another smart one on his hands.

Verdict: Scotsman ready for the Royal stage

Coroebus v The Round Mile

Coroebus comes home in front in the 2000 Guineas

Guineas winners have a strong St James’s Palace record. Yes, Haafhd and Makfi faded and Cockney Rebel got injured, while Night Of Thunder couldn’t cope with a rampant Kingman.

However, Frankel followed up his HQ win at Ascot and Rock Of Gibraltar, Henrythenavigator, Gleneagles, Galileo Gold, Churchill and Poetic Flare did likewise with most taking in the Irish Guineas (and the French version for the rugged PF) in between.

COROEBUS has 10lb and more in hand of Tuesday’s rivals on Timeform ratings judged on his Guineas defeat of Native Trail but it is worth noting that all his four races have been in a straight line at Newmarket and his trainer shelved a plan to take him to Newbury for the Greenham in favour of a racecourse gallop At HQ.

Is there any reason to think he won’t handle going clockwise? Not really, though traffic could be an issue if he’s dropped out from stall 2. Either way, Irish handler Sheila Lavery adds some NEW ENERGY to the mix here and the way this colt shaped to chase home Native Trail in the Irish Guineas – tanking along under more patient tactics – makes him one of the more interesting day one longshots.

Verdict: Energy a lively New shooter

British Racing v Itself

Chris Waller enjoyed huge success with Winx

You know your sport is in strife when the guv’nor starts working against company policy and the BHA’s CEO Julie Harrington booted a crucial issue firmly back into the long grass when declining to back a plan to trim 300 cards from the fixture list last week.

Ascot provides British racing with a wonderful chance to shine on the global stage again – and Nature Strip’s trainer Chris Waller set the scene perfectly in this week’s Luck On Sunday - but in order to keep the watching world in awe of British racing’s summer showpiece we have to avoid the sort of balls-ups that have caused red faces over the last year.

From last year’s Ascot stalls incident which saw Stunning Beauty declared a runner even though Silvestre de Sousa wasn’t aboard as the gates opened to the Eclipse day dead-heat debacle and last week’s Derby-day fireworks fiasco.

The person who never made a mistake never made anything and it was good to see the Buick horse headbutt incident dealt with promptly and efficiently at Epsom. Time will tell what this week brings - but a gaffe-free Ascot would be very welcome in the current climate.

Verdict: 10/11 each of two

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