DAILY RACING PREVIEW BY ANDY HOLDING
TUESDAY JUNE 17
2.30 ROYAL ASCOT – QUEEN ANNE STAKES
Traditionally, only two races count when piecing together a shortlist of potential winners of The Queen Anne, The Lockinge, being the number one supplier, and the Paradise Stakes, run over the same C&D a little earlier in April, the other.
Deciphering the former contest at Newbury is not easy, with a couple of the leading contenders either not being suited by the run of the race through poor track position or, in the case of Rosalion and Notable Speech, lack of a previous run was also a factor.
On the day, Lead Artist ended up being the chief beneficiary of all the chaos going on in behind but whether he can uphold the form over a track he has yet to encounter is open to debate and it might well be that DANCING GEMINI (best price 6-1) proves to be the most reliable source from the race run at the Berkshire venue.
A massive improver this season since fourth in the QE2 over the C&D last October, Roger Teal’s inmate had posted two extraordinary numbers on his opening starts of the campaign and he did little wrong in The Lockinge.
All the data suggests he was the best horse on the day despite his narrow margin defeat (33.1 final 3f split) and providing they go a decent gallop, the in-form four-year-old can lay claim to be the best miler around.
As mentioned, the Paradise Stakes is the other big key trial and with Sardinian Warrior disappointingly a late withdrawal due to a bout of colic, DOCKLANDS (best price 16-1) can represent the form with distinction.
The time figure he posted in defeat back in April suggested he was unlucky to bump into a big improver over the trip but with the pair well clear and subsequent form of those in behind working out well (Meydaan and Phantom Flight both placed at pattern level), Harry Eustace’s course specialist can maintain his tracks stats that read 11322.
DANCING GEMINI – 1-point each-way@6-1
DOCKLANDS – ½ point each-way@16-1 (four places)
3.05 ROYAL ASCOT – COVENTRY STAKES
Aidan O’Brien’s representatives in the opening two-year-old contest of the meeting were never going to be a direct replacement for ante-post favourite Albert Einstein, but it is significant that GSTAAD (best price 11-2) has ended up being the stable’s number one choice over the likes of Warsaw, Brussels and Flushing Meadows of the four Ballydoyle entrants at the five-day stage and he might well prove to good enough to maintain his handler’s excellent record in the race over the years (eight winners since 1997).
Interestingly, 15 of the last 32 winners of this Group 2 prize have won on their only start heading into Royal Ascot and this son of Starspangledbanner achieved the first part of the deal by scoring in tidy fashion at Navan a month ago.
Although not completely unfancied, the fact he proved good enough to readily brush aside experienced stable mate True Love, who was sent off 2-5, bares testimony to his natural talent and considering he achieved this feat with only the gentlest of encouragement, there is every chance he could have plenty more to offer once more switched on mentally.
A colt with a nice long stride (7.96 max per metre on debut) and a decent attitude to match, this exciting prospect, drawn where all the fancied horses are situated, rates a strong choice to be bang there at the business end.
Of those flying more under the radar, GAVOO (best price 20-1) may have a better chance of causing an upset than his odds suggest and he deserves a small interest to back up that view.
What his aspirations were or where his levels of fitness were at on his first outing at the Curragh a month ago only those in the inner sanctum would know, but either way, his performance on the track suggested he had a fair degree of ability and he has a bright future.
No match for the more experienced Andab at the Kildare track, he showed more than enough from a stable not renown for first time out juvenile winners and he duly found the necessary improvement at Listowel last time out.
Breaking well from a potentially poor draw (12 of 14), he managed to latch himself onto the coat tails of pace-setting Fresh Fade and gradually he wore down his pray to go on and record a comfortable success.
Posting a useful speed figure for a race of its kind, he clearly has decent blend of speed and stamina and hailing from a handler who knows what it takes to train a Royal Ascot winner (2018 Hunt Cup with Settle Fror Bay), the son of Elzaam can prove that he is not over here to be just a social runner.
GSTAAD – 1-point win@11-2
GAVOO – ½ point each-way@20-1
3.40 ROYAL ASCOT – KING CHARLES III STAKES
This should turn out to be a fair spectacle with twenty-three top class sprinters stretched right across the track and no doubt the pace and draw will have the biggest bearing on the result.
Looking at the early speed, Frost At Dawn and Night Raider seem the two obvious engine stokers, so in an ideal world, you would want ideally to be situated close to their respective vapour trails.
REGIONAL (best price 15-2) is not too far away from the former and he should, therefore, find himself in a better position than he was in this corresponding race last season.
Marooned towards the nearside rail from his high draw when nothing else wanted to go forward twelve months ago, he ended up providing Asfoora with the perfect target to aim at, but to his great credit, he kept on in typically tenacious fashion once headed to finish a close-up second and since then, he has had this race as his main objective.
Warming up nicely in his bid to go one place better with another excellent effort in the Al Quoz at Meydan in the winter, Ed Bethell’s stable star arrives here in slightly better shape than his old rival Asfoora and he looks sure to give his set of connections another memorable day out.
AMERICAN AFFAIR (best price 18-1), like Regional, is another who has worked his way through the ranks from humble beginnings and he could easily end up be tailor made to how this race is likely to play out.
Jim Goldie’s inmate thoroughly deserved a crack at pattern company given the way he had disposed of a big field of quality handicappers at York, one of which was subsequent Epsom Dash winner, JM Jungle, and although he never featured at Haydock a few weeks ago, he fared better than the bare result suggested.
Drawn high, his pilot made the decision to shift course on his mount over towards the far side, but in doing so, he ended up being on the wrong part of the track. Moreover, he got no run whatsoever as a critical part of the race and his run, as a result, is best forgiven.
Arguably just as good as the winner, Mgheera, if not better, based on the evidence at the Merseyside venue, all his previous data suggest he should be out of place in a race of this nature and a well-run five furlongs on a stiff track should prove right up his street.
REGIONAL – ½ point each-way@15-2
AMERICAN AFFAIR – ½ point each-way@18-1
5.00 ROYAL ASCOT
A race that often goes the way of National Hunt-based trainers and PONIROS (best price 11-2) and ALPHONSE LE GRANDE (best price 12-1) both have attributes to suggest they can uphold that tradition for trainer’s who know a thing or two about preparing one for staying handicaps.
The former proved to be the complete surprise package in The Triumph Hurdle, breaking the tradition of winning the big four-year-old contest at the Cheltenham Festival with no previous experience, and he now returns to the Flat off what appears a potentially lenient mark.
Although he failed to uphold form with Lulamba at Punchestown when last seen, Willie Mullins’ inmate bumped into a horse who is going to be around at the highest level for years to come and there was certainly no shame in finishing an honourable runner-up.
A more straightforward horse since switching from Ralph Beckett, the son of Golden Horn also has important track form tucked under his belt and representing connections who no doubt has had this race in mind for a while, the plan has a decent chance of coming to fruition.
The latter has already tasted success in one of the leading staying prizes of last season and having used a Curragh handicap on-route to capturing the Cesarewitch the last time he ventured over the Irish Sea, Tony Martin’s gelding can go close to repeating the dose via a nice prep at the Kildare venue 23 days ago.
Having his first outing for 225 days, the six-year-old settled nicely towards the rear of a competitive 20-strong field and, although he never landed a discernible blow, his performance did not escape the attentions of the local stewards.
Once out of camera shot, it was very difficult to see what was happening to the son of Sea The Stars but at the same time, it does not take a genius to work out his pilot was at pains to execute the plan of not giving his mount a hard time.
Sure to be all the better for that initial outing/pipe-opener, he now heads back in the direction of a trip that will see him to best advantage and hailing from a stable who had two winners at Downpatrick on Sunday, Alphonse La Grande can follow in the footsteps of Baba Papa and Leg Spinner.
PONIROS – 1-point win@11-2
ALPHONSE LE GRANDE – ½ point each-way@12-1 (five places)
5.35 ROYAL ASCOT – WOLFERTON HANDICAP
A wide-open affair but it is a race well within the capabilities of SONS AND LOVERS (best price 15-2) based on his latest exploits and despite housed in the perceived coffin box in stall one, Joseph O’Brien’s inmate still deserves a reasonable investment.
The four-year-old had a nice ‘float up’ on his first run for new connections (off for 161 days) behind stable mate Galen at the Curragh and, clearly benefitting from that initial outing, he not only managed to turn around the form with his old rival, he got to within three lengths of Los Angeles and White Birch, two genuine Group 1 performers, having been out of his ground turning for home.
Looking at the individual data from the race at the Kildare venue, not only was his overall time figure top class, his final three furlongs of 35.8 was identical to Los Angeles and with the winner and third (Trustyourinstinct) going on to boost the form since, there is every reason to feel upbeat about his chance of improving on his sixth in The Hampton Court when with Jane Chapple-Hyam here last season.
SONS AND LOVERS – 1-point each-way@15-2 (four places)