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Royal Ascot preview: What the trainers say
Check out the view from connections ahead of Friday's big-race action at Royal Ascot.
Inspiral team strike cautious note
Connections of Inspiral are under no illusions about the task facing the unbeaten filly on her belated reappearance in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. The daughter of Frankel was the undoubted star juvenile filly of last season, with a four-race campaign culminating with a Group One success in the Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket.
But having spent the winter months as ante-post favourite for the 1000 Guineas, the Cheveley Park-owned runner was slow to come to hand this spring and ultimately ruled out of the Rowley Mile Classic.
As a result, she is pitched in at the deep end on her first competitive appearance in eight months, with Guineas heroine Cachet and French Guineas victor Mangoustine among her rivals.
Cheveley Park’s managing director Chris Richardson said: “We’ve obviously been very patient, but she seems in good form. John Gosden and Frankie Dettori were happy when I saw her last week, so at this point in time we’re green for go. It is a tough race and it is first time out, but it’s the logical race for her and where we have to go, so we’ll all hope we see something. It will be exciting to see her back in action, for sure.”
John Gosden, who trains Inspiral in partnership with son Thady and also saddles Grande Dame, is hopeful the likely favourite is coming the boil.
He said: “It has taken a long time, but I think we are beginning to see the filly of last year. Hopefully she can put in a big performance.”
Cachet provided trainer George Boughey with a first Classic success in the 1000 Guineas in May, much to the delight of her owners Highclere Thoroughbred Racing, and she came within a head of following up in the French equivalent when touched off by Mangoustine.
Highclere’s Harry Herbert said: “I saw Cachet last week and she looks absolutely fantastic. She really looks like she is getting stronger all the time. George is very pleased with her work and James (Doyle) sat on her and did a piece of work and likewise, he was chuffed to bits with her, so fingers crossed. The faster the ground – we know she loves that. It is very much up her street. We are really excited. It is such a thrill to have done what she has done and heading into a Coronation touching wood, from what we are seeing at home, in as good or better form than she was.”
Mangoustine has not yet encountered quick ground, but trainer Mikel Delzangles does not expect a faster surface to be a problem.
He said: “She looks in great form and she is drawn in stall one, which is better than 12 I would say. I think she will be all right on the ground. They will water to make sure it is safe, I’m sure, and as long as it’s safe we’re happy. It is a hot race, but we would not expect to have an easy race in Ascot – that’s competition. She’s in great form and ready to do her best.”
Jessica Harrington bids to complete a remarkable Coronation Stakes treble with Discoveries, who is a full-sister to 2018 winner Alpha Centauri and a half-sister to Alpine Star, who struck gold in 2020. Discoveries was beaten five lengths into seventh place by Cachet at Newmarket and Harrington has kept her powder dry for Ascot since.
“It would be something if she could do it, wouldn’t it?” said Harrington. “She’s in great form and I think she’s appreciated a bit of warm weather. I didn’t think she gave her true running in the Guineas, one way or another, and I think this course will suit her. It would be really amazing if she could do what her two sisters did. We’re hoping for the best.”
Ralph Beckett saddles 1000 Guineas runner-up Prosperous Voyage, while American hopes are carried by the Graham Motion-trained Spendarella and Christophe Clement’s Breeders’ Cup winner Pizza Bianca.
The Motion-trained Sharing was runner-up to Alpine Star two years ago and hopes are high for Spendarella, who is unbeaten in three starts and tests the water at Group One level for the first time.
Motion’s assistant, Alice Clapham, said: “When they decided to bring her here, Graham wanted to freshen her up rather than running once more because she had run three pretty consistent races. She has ended up racing prominently because she breaks well, but I think she is pretty versatile and William (Buick) will be able to do whatever he likes with her. Sharing was a little more accomplished than this filly coming here. She had won at the Breeders’ Cup and had more experience, but this filly has done nothing wrong and has a great temperament.
“She’s done everything right, she’s taken pretty much everything in her stride and she’s been pretty well behaved with everything here – she’s a happy little horse. Coming over to Ascot is coming to be a big thing for a lot of owners in America now, so any time the horses come over and run well it’s a big question and a big relief.”
Power at right trip in Commonwealth Cup
Richard Fahey is excited to see Perfect Power return to what he feels is his natural game in the Commonwealth Cup.
A dual Group One winner over six furlongs as a juvenile last season, the Ardad colt successfully stepped up to seven on his return to action in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury in mid-April, prompting connections to roll the dice over the Rowley Mile in last month’s 2000 Guineas. After travelling well for a long way Perfect Power – who took the Norfolk Stakes at this meeting 12 months ago – faded into seventh place, but having been given plenty of time to recover from those exertions, the three-year-old is reported to be in rude health ahead of his return to sprinting in Friday’s six-furlong feature.
“I feel dropping him in trip is the route he needs to go and I’m not disappointed I missed the St James’s Palace Stakes. This looks the ideal race for him,” said the Musley Bank handler.
“I wasn’t really tempted for the St James’s Palace, not after the Guineas. He didn’t have an easy run in the Guineas, but he has bounced right back and he is in great form. We are very pleased with him. I see him as a sprinter now – six or seven furlongs is his trip.”
Fahey is keen to see how Perfect Power fares at Ascot before considering future targets, adding: “There is the Maurice de Gheest, there is a decent seven-furlong at York and there is the Foret over seven furlongs – all the decent sprints. Let’s see how we get on and work away from there.”
Perfect Power is joined at the head of the betting by a fellow northern challenger in the Karl Burke-trained El Caballo, who following four successive wins on the all-weather successfully switched to the turf in the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock – a key trial for the Commonwealth Cup. The only factor tempering Burke’s enthusiasm ahead of El Caballo’s bid for a seventh win from eight starts is fast ground.
He said: “He did his final little blow on Tuesday morning and moved really well – he’s in great form. Ideally I’d have preferred good ground, but I’m sure he’ll cope with it as he is a very good horse and ground permitting I think he’ll step up on his run in the Sandy Lane. He slightly goes under the radar because he only just gets the job done each time, but I think he’s still on an upward curve. We went into the Sandy Lane with a couple of niggles about him and I’m pretty confident he’s improved again. If it was good or good to soft ground I’d be very bullish.”
El Caballo renews rivalries with the second, third and fourth from the Sandy Lane in the Hugo Palmer-trained Flaming Rib, Clive Cox’s Wings Of War and Go Bears Go from David Loughnane’s yard.
The latter beat Perfect Power by a head when landing the Norfolk Stakes at last year’s Royal meeting and connections are optimistic he can at least close the gap on El Caballo.
Emily Scott, racing manager for part-owners Amo Racing, said: “It was really unfortunate when he fell to his knees coming out of the stalls at Haydock last time and I think had that not happened he would have finished much closer, if not won. He loves the track and he’s in great form, so we’re really excited to see him run again.To win an elusive Group One would be very exciting.”
The shortest-priced Irish raider is Michael O’Callaghan’s Twilight Jet, who made an impressive start to his campaign in the in the Group Three Lacken Stakes at Naas.
O’Callaghan said: “He arrived in on Wednesday morning and we’re very much looking forward to it. He’s in the form of his life and I think he’s going to run a big race. He’s come out of Naas that well and is working that well, whatever beats him will win.”
Other hopefuls include American challenger Slipstream (Christophe Clement) and the first six home from the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury where the first and second, Tiber Flow (William Haggas) and Ehraz (Richard Hannon), were split by just a short head.
Savvy chasing King Edward VII glory
Sean Woods feels Savvy Victory should not be overlooked in Friday’s King Edward VII Stakes.
The Newmarket trainer insists things have not fallen right in the New Bay colt’s campaign thus far, and hopes he will restore his reputation when he takes on five rivals in the Group Two event, run over a mile and a half. Savvy Victory has been beaten by both the Aidan O’Brein-trained Changingoftheguard and Charlie Appleby’s Ottoman Fleet in the Chester Vase and in the Listed Fairway Stakes at Newmarket respectively on his last two runs.
But Woods feels he has had his excuses since winning a 10-furlong Pontefract maiden on his first start this term.
“He is a very, very good horse and things haven’t gone quite right in the two trials,” said Woods. “We tried to prep him for the Derby and obviously Chester became a quagmire and he didn’t like it and Changingoftheguard beat him fair and square, but he didn’t like the (soft) ground one bit.
“If you watched the race at Newmarket, he filled me with confidence that he was always going to be the winner and got interfered with four of five times in a five-runner race. He travelled exceptionally well, but he did not come down the hill at all. Going into the dip, he was all over the place, and that is why we made the decision not to go forward for the Derby. This race has always been the plan since then.”
Savvy Victory is the outsider of the sextet, yet Woods feels he is being somewhat overlooked.
“I could not be happier with him,” he added. “We had to run him quicker than we would have normally done. Chester to Newmarket was only 10 days and then we went from there. The horse, in himself, is in great form. He is a very good-moving horse and you’d like to think if anybody would produce safe, good to firm ground, it is Ascot.
“His form ties in with a few of them. I do like him and his work has been exceptional. He worked on the Limekilns on quick ground and he quickened away from his two lead horses and he had a blow-out on Wednesday morning and I’m delighted with him.”
Lysander is similarly attempting to redeem a lofty reputation. The William Haggas-trained New Approach colt won an all-weather novice over 10 furlongs at Newcastle, yet failed to handle the loose ground at Goodwood in a strong renewal of the Cocked Hat, going down three-quarters of a length to Lionel.
Derby plans were shelved thereafter. Harry Herbert, racing manager for Highclere Thoroughbreds, who own the colt, said: “He is in great shape and in very good form according to the trainer. William is very positive about the horse generally. I don’t know if he will love very fast ground but it will probably be pretty quick. He has a wonderful action and he definitely was not suited to the sticky soft ground at Goodwood. That said, I think it was a very strong race anyway.
“Tom Marquand really likes this horse as well and reckons we didn’t see anywhere near the Lysander that they know when they ran at Goodwood. If that’s the case, it will be exciting seeing him in the King Edward and hopefully giving his owners a big shout as well.”
Progressive Ottoman Fleet makes his third start for Appleby after his Fairway Stakes success.
The son of Sea The Stars had previously made a promising debut when runner-up to stablemate Natural World at Newbury, with subsequent Goodwood winner Lionel in third.
“We have been pleased with Ottoman Fleet going into this,” Appleby told the Godolphin website. “He is the least experienced in the field but we are optimistic that stepping up to a mile and a half will see further improvement. Hopefully, he should be very competitive.”
O'Brien turns to Meditate in Albany Stakes
The six-furlong Albany Stakes kicks off a superb seven-race card, with 18 runners going to post for the Group Three contest. Aidan O’Brien last won this race in 2016 with Brave Anna and relies on Meditate, who is drawn in stall four. Meditate, a daughter of No Nay Never, has won both her starts, over five furlongs at the Curragh and over six at Naas.
O’Brien was pondering running impressive Navan winner Statuette in the race, but decided against it, given the quick ground.
He said: “Meditate has run twice and won twice. She won at the Curragh and at Naas the last day. She should be OK on the ground.”
He added of Statuette, who will wait for the Curragh: “Statuette is a big filly and we don’t want to rush her.”
Meditate is vying for favouritism with Mawj, who scooted up by four and a half lengths over a similar trip on debut at Newmarket, beating subsequent winner Believing.
Her trainer Saeed bin Suroor said: “Mawj won nicely over this distance at Newmarket and she is an improving filly. Her latest piece of work went very well and we are looking for another good result. She is a very nice filly. We like her. She won on her debut at Newmarket and the filly who was behind her that day has won the next day, so we hope she will run a good race. She is still learning and is a baby. She will be better as she gets more experience. We hope she will run well.”