Royal Ascot preview: Donn McClean highlights five Irish horses not to be missed at Royal Ascot

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Sceptical (Denis Hogan)

Sceptical is not exactly under the radar any more, but he could be a big player in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes on Saturday.

Sent off at 25/1 on his racecourse debut at Dundalk last October, Denis Hogan’s horse shaped encouragingly there, keeping on well to finish a close-up third behind Yale. Then he won his next three, a maiden and two handicaps, and in the space of just over three months he rose to the top of the Irish sprinters on official ratings.

We didn’t know for sure that he could be as good on turf as he is on Polytrack – his first four runs were all at Dundalk – but he put that imponderable to bed with a scintillating performance at Naas last Monday, on the day that racing resumed in Ireland, coming clear of his rivals under his talented young rider Joey Sheridan to win the Listed Woodlands Stakes by three lengths.

A son of Exceed And Excel out of Jealous Again, who blew her rivals away in the Queen Mary Stakes in 2009, it is remarkable that Sceptical was picked up by James McAuley for £2,800 at the Goffs UK horses-in-training sale at Doncaster last August. Easy in hindsight. The King’s Stand Stakes and the Diamond Jubilee were both under consideration by connections this week, but they have decided to skip Tuesday’s race and focus exclusively on the six-furlong contest on Saturday. Sceptical is two for two over that trip, and the fact that his dam is a Royal Ascot winner is no negative.

Wichita (Aidan O’Brien)

Hopefully they both make it there now, because the re-match between Wichita and Pinatubo in the St James’s Palace Stakes on Saturday could be one of the highlights of the meeting.

Aidan O’Brien’s colt came out on top in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket last week, when they finished second and third respectively behind Kameko, and there is every chance that that form will be confirmed on Saturday. Pinatubo was the outstanding two-year-old last season, but it was always possible that Wichita would take a big step forward this year as a three-year-old, and it always looked like he was holding the Godolphin colt in the Guineas.

The No Nay Never colt was relatively lightly raced last season, and he probably wasn’t suited by the soft ground when he finished third behind Pinatubo in the Dewhurst Stakes last October. He could improve again from his Newmarket run, and his sire, a son of Scat Daddy, won the Norfolk Stakes in 2013.

Millisle (Jessica Harrington)

It might be worth giving Millisle another chance after her disappointing run in the 1000 Guineas. It never really happened for Jessica Harrington’s filly at Newmarket. She travelled well early on just behind the front rank, but she just lost her place when Under The Stars and Love moved up on her outside.

It wasn’t the distance that beat her at Newmarket, she was beaten before the distance ever became an issue. It just wasn’t her running. That said, we know how good she can be over six furlongs, so Friday’s Commonwealth Cup is a good option for her. A stiff and truly-run six furlongs could be ideal.

The Starspangledbanner filly was very good last year in winning the Cheveley Park Stakes over six furlongs. She showed a serious turn of foot to come from the rear and win that Group 1 contest decisively, and that is a style of racing that can be seen to good effect on Ascot’s straight track.

More Beautiful (Aidan O’Brien)

More Beautiful impressived in winning the opening fillies’ maiden at Naas on Monday.

Quickly into her stride, Aidan O’Brien’s filly moved comfortably in the front rank through the early stages of the races. She eased to the front and over to the far rail as they raced inside the two-furlong marker and, when Seamie Heffernan gave her a squeeze, she came clear of her field, asserting her superiority.

You couldn’t have asked for a more pleasing debut from the War Front filly. She is out of Maybe, who won all five races that she contested as a juvenile, including the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes. It looks like the Albany Stakes is her Royal Ascot target.

Admiral Nelson (Aidan O’Brien)

Five winners last year took Aidan O’Brien’s Royal Ascot tally to 70 and saw him crowned leading trainer at the meeting for the fifth time in a row and the 10th time in total.

He has won the Coventry Stakes nine times, more times than any other trainer in the history of the race, and it may be that Admiral Nelson will bring up his 10th on Saturday.

The Kingman colt impressed in winning his maiden on his racecourse debut at The Curragh on Friday. Only second highest in the betting of the three Ballydoyle colts in the race that evening, he travelled really easily through his race just behind the leaders on the far side, and he picked up nicely when Wayne Lordan asked him to, leaving the impression that he was winning with a fair bit more in hand than the one-length winning margin.

It would be a quick turnaround for a racecourse debutant, but it appeared that he didn’t have a hard race on Friday, and that fact that the Coventry Stakes has been moved to the last day of the week is obviously helpful. He should be a big player in the race if he takes his chance.

For more from Donn, visit www.donnmcclean.com

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