Royal Ascot reflections: Donn McClean with his five to follow

Alsakib (Fourth, Copper Horse Handicap)

Alsakib did well to keep on as well as he did to take fourth place in the Copper Horse Handicap, the last race at Royal Ascot on Tuesday. Slowly away from his outside draw, he was well back in the field from early, and it didn’t help that he shipped a small bump which unbalanced him a little as he was starting to make ground on the run around the home turn.

The winner Belloccio and the third horse My Mate Mozzie started their runs from a little further forward, while the runner-up Lmay was prominent from early. Alsakib did best of the hold-up horses. He stayed on down the outside all the way to the line, leaving the impression that he would benefit from a greater test of stamina, a faster pace at this one-mile-six-furlong trip or a step up in trip or both.

Andrew Balding's colt was progressive last season as a three-year-old, his first season to race, winning four of his six races, and he ran well in two Group 3 contests earlier this season. In the first of those, the John Porter Stakes at Newbury in April, he got to within five and a quarter lengths of subsequent Coronation Cup runner-up Hamish, and in the second, the Ormonde Stakes at Chester in May, he kept on well from the rear to take third place behind Point Lonsdale.

He is still relatively lightly raced, this was just his 10th run, and he will be of interest wherever he goes next. He could improve again for stepping up to two miles or even beyond.

Maw Lam (Third, Queen Mary Stakes)

Leovanni ran out an impressive winner of the Queen Mary Stakes on Wednesday, but there was a lot to like about the performance that Maw Lam put up in finishing third behind her.

Adrian Nicholls’ filly was slowly away, she was a little awkward leaving the gates, with the result that she was slowest of all 24 runners through the first furlong. Still last of the 10 fillies who raced far side as they left the two-furlong marker behind them, she was moved towards the near side of that group by Hollie Doyle as they raced to the furlong marker, and she finished off her race strongly to finish second in her group, third overall. After being slowest through the first furlong, she was fastest through the final furlong, fully 0.35secs faster than the next fastest, the winner Leovanni.

This was just Maw Lam’s third run. Winner of her maiden at Thirsk on her racecourse debut in May when she was slowly away, she was slowly away again next time in the Hilary Needler at Beverley, which cost her the advantage of her inside draw, but she still looked set to win when she came with her finishing run, only to be denied by the 125/1 newcomer Perfect Part. She herself was allowed go off at a big price for the Queen Mary, but she proved that she deserves her place in that type of company.

She could take a good step forward now if she can learn to get away from stalls a little more quickly, but it appears that she likes to be passing horses, so she will always be of interest at tracks at which patient tactics over the minimum trip are rewarded.

Royal Rhyme (Fifth, Prince of Wales’s Stakes)

Royal Rhyme only finished fifth of 10 behind Auguste Rodin in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, but it might be worthwhile keeping him on side as we move more deeply into the season.

Smartly away from his inside draw, Karl Burke’s horse was prominent from early, leading the main group of runners at a fast pace behind the two pace-setters Snobbish and Hans Andersen. He moved to the front early in the home straight but, while he travelled well at that point, the hold-up horses were assembling behind him. He wasn’t helped when Auguste Rodin headed him and moved across onto the rail in front of him but, while he weakened inside the final furlong as the two French horses moved into second and third, he was only just caught by Alflaila for fourth place.

It was a fine run by the Lope De Vega colt on ground that should have been faster than ideal for him. A seriously progressive individual last season as a three-year-old, he will be of heightened interest when the ground gets easier as we move into the autumn. He has run six times on ground described as good to soft or softer, and he has won five times, his only defeat under those conditions coming in the Champion Stakes at Ascot last October.

Doom (Third, Duke of Cambridge Stakes)

Doom put up a fine performance in finishing third in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes on Wednesday. Fifth as they raced to the turn, she shipped a little bump from Rogue Millennium as they straightened up for home as that rival angled towards the outside, and it took her a little while to pick up in the home straight.

It never really looked like she was going to get to the winner Running Lion, who made just about all the running but, only sixth passing the furlong marker, she was strong through the final 200 yards. She closed on the leaders all the way to the line, just getting up to snatch third place in a five-way go for that position.

William Haggas’ filly is supremely well-bred, by Dubawi and out of the dual Grade 1 winner Dank, a half-sister to Beresford Stakes and Hong Kong Cup winner Eagle Mountain. Doom didn’t get off the mark until last September, after she was beaten at 1/25 in a match at Ripon, but she followed up that win by winning a listed race over seven furlongs on soft ground in France on her final run last season. She ran well too on her debut this season in the Group 3 Athasi Stakes at The Curragh, and this was a step forward from that. Her two wins were over seven furlongs, but she stayed a mile here well, and she left the impression that she could appreciate an even greater test of stamina. She is another who goes well on soft ground, so she could be an interesting filly for later in the season.

Ziggy (Third, Duke of Edinburgh Stakes)

Crystal Black’s win in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes for the Keanes was one of the stories of the week, but Ziggy did well to keep on as well as he did to take third place behind him.

Harry Eustace’s horse actually raced quite close to the winner through the race. Slightly keener than ideal through the early throes, towards the outside and just worse than mid-division, he got a little out-paced when they quickened at the top of the home straight. Crystal Black went past him at that point and set sail for home, but he kept on gallantly through the final two furlongs, improving from 12th place to third place by the time they reached the winning line.

Ziggy is six now, but he was off the track for 15 months before he returned this season at Epsom in April, and he appears to be at least as good as ever. He shaped here too as if he could appreciate a step up in trip. He was beaten on his only attempt over a distance in excess of a mile and a half, but that was in October 2021, at York on soft ground. You can easily allow him that. His best form is on good or fast ground, or on all-weather and, by St Leger winner Sixties Icon and a half-brother to Lingfield Oaks Trial winner You Got To Me, out of a mare who won over a mile and a half, there could be more to come from him now when faced with a greater test of stamina.

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