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| Staff Writer |
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This year's Royal Ascot promises a thrilling week with familiar faces like last year's Duke of Cambridge Stakes winner Rogue Millennium will attempt to defend their titles, while rising stars like Joseph O'Brien's 2YO Cowardofthecounty and Inspiral from the Gosden yard, will look to make their mark. The international challenge is strong with foreign horses like the French filly Ramatuelle and the Australian raider Asfoora entered. Trainers are also making big decisions, with George Scott contemplating a step up in class and a switch to turf for Prydwen in the Gold Cup, while William Knight anticipates rain for Checkandchallenge's return in the Wolferton Stakes.
Last year's Duke of Cambridge Stakes winner, Rogue Millennium, is gearing up to defend her title at Royal Ascot as part of Joseph O’Brien’s lineup. She was a standout performer under the training of Tom Clover in the UK, securing a narrow victory over Random Harvest in the one-mile Group Two event.
Following her purchase for 1,650,000 guineas at Tattersalls in December, she has relocated to Ireland for training at Owning Hill under her new owner Scott Heider.
Despite being a beaten favourite in her recent return at the Curragh’s Lanwades Stud Stakes, the daughter of Dubawi’s trainer remains optimistic and sees potential for a successful repeat performance at Ascot.
“I think she will head for the Duke of Cambridge,” said O’Brien.
“She made a lovely reappearance and we’re looking forward to getting her back on track.
“We’re looking forward to the week, it will be great racing and one of the best weeks of the year really.”
Another important horse in O’Brien’s Royal Ascot plans is the talented 2YO Cowardofthecounty, who had a successful debut at the Curragh in the spring. He is expected to kick off his trainer’s week in fine style by running in the Coventry Stakes on the opening day. Cowardofthecounty, a son of Kodi Bear, has only raced once, but his impressive two-and-a-half-length victory over Aidan O’Brien’s Whistlejacket has been further validated by the strong performance of the runner-up in Listed company.
“He made a really good debut, the form of the race has worked out well and he’s been training really well since then.” O’Brien mentioned
Al Riffa, an international traveller, will not be participating in the Royal meeting but is expected to race at Ascot in his next start. The Group One winning 2YO, sired by Wootton Bassett, has displayed consistent performance.
Following his recent run at Saratoga, where he finished sixth in the Manhattan Stakes over an extended nine furlongs, he is on course to be pointed towards the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at the end of July.
“He didn’t get the rub of the green, but he didn’t lose anything in defeat,” said O’Brien of his US performance.
“The track was a bit sharp for him, but he has pulled out of the race well and we look at something like the King George for him now.
Seven Questions has been added to the King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot after impressing trainer George Scott during a gallop in Newmarket.
Following a surprising win in the Palace House Stakes on his seasonal debut, the son of Kodiac continued to show promise by finishing third in the Group Two Temple Stakes at Haydock last month.
Despite facing a tougher challenge at Group One level, the decision was made to pay the £46,000 fee to include the 3YO in the King Charles field after observing his performance on Racecourse Side.
“We were delighted with his work this morning – he showed himself to be in great form. He is a horse who seems to be progressing with every start. So we have decided to push the button on the supplementary entry for the King Charles.” said Scott.
“The big hurdle for him is to get over the preliminaries, so we’re in the process of organising a pony for him and he’ll go down (to Ascot) the night before. He’ll go and have a look at the track and the paddock on the morning of the race. Mentally, that should set him up for the afternoon.”Scott added.
Scott is getting a small but carefully chosen team ready for the Royal meeting. Isle Of Jura and Prydwen are also geared up for big-race assignments in the Hardwicke Stakes and Gold Cup respectively.
Isle Of Jura had a memorable winter hat-trick in Bahrain and then made a triumphant return to Britain in the Listed Festival Stakes at Goodwood last month. He demonstrated his good form with a seven-furlong spin on the Summer Gallop.
“It looks like 10 furlongs is very much his minimum trip – he wants a mile and a half now. It’s all systems go for the Hardwicke. He pleased Callum (Shepherd) and I this morning, pulling nicely clear of his lead horse and he didn’t blow a candle out afterwards.” Scott added
Prydwen is set to tackle a significant step up in competition and a transition to racing on turf in the upcoming Gold Cup.
"We believe he deserves his spot in the race for two reasons. Firstly, he has delivered three career-best performances in a row. Secondly, with a rating of 108, he falls into the challenging position of having to carry substantial weights in handicaps," explained Scott.
“He’s probably a few pounds below what’s required to win at Group level, but he belongs to a great group of people who have owned horses all their lives and the Gold Cup is one of the most prestigious races of them all.”
Scott’s Royal Ascot squad also includes Watch My Tracer (Buckingham Palace Handicap), Billy Webster (Palace of Holyrood House Handicap) and Rocket Rodney (Wokingham Handicap).
“These three horses have shown a high level of form, but they are a little bit in and out at times, so we’ll hope that things fall right for them in their respective race,” the trainer added.
Notable Speech is set to take on a maximum of 10 rivals at Royal Ascot in an attempt to build on his 2000 Guineas win in the St James's Palace Stakes.
The son of Dubawi made a successful transition to turf at the Rowley Mile Classic last month after winning three races on the all-weather at Kempton, maintaining his unbeaten record with an impressive performance.
The form has worked out well, with the second and third-placed horses, Rosallion and Haatem, going on to claim the top two spots in the Irish 2,000 Guineas.
Rosallion, a favourite of Richard Hannon, will be looking to reverse the result, while stablemate Haatem is expected to compete in the Jersey Stakes later in the week.
Aidan O’Brien has confirmed Henry Longfellow, Mountain Bear, River Tiber, and Unquestionable for the upcoming race, with Henry Longfellow being the stable's main focus as they aim to recover from their disappointing performance in the French Guineas at ParisLongchamp.
While Mario Baratti's Metropolitan, the winner of the French Guineas, has been added to the lineup, along with Darlinghurst, who has a perfect record of four wins out of four races this year under Jerome Reynier.
Additionally, Alyanaabi from Newmarket and the lightly-raced Heron Stakes victor Almaqam, trained by Owen Burrows and Ed Walker respectively, complete the potential field for the upcoming race.
In another event, last year's runner-up Inspiral is one of the 16 contenders for the Queen Anne Stakes from the Gosden’s yard. Kieran Shoemark has been booked for the ride. After finishing fourth in the Lockinge last month, the 4YO is expected to make a strong comeback in the traditional curtain-raiser and is likely to be a top contender.
The Gosdens have also confirmed Audience, the surprise Lockinge winner, who dominated the field at Newbury with a pacesetting role. Additionally, Big Rock and Facteur Cheval, who finished first and second in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Champions Day, are both expected to return from France.
Charyn, Roger Varian’s Lockinge runner-up, is another strong contender for the home team. However, Quddwah, Simon and Ed Crisford’s unbeaten course winner, will not be participating.
Nineteen speedsters have been confirmed for the King Charles III Stakes, with Mick Appleby eagerly preparing to saddle the ante-post favorite, Big Evs.
The Blue Point colt, winner of the Windsor Castle last year, went on to achieve Breeders’ Cup glory. He showed no sign of slowing down as he made a successful start to his 3YO campaign in the Westow Stakes at York last month.
“He went to York probably 95 per cent (fit), he wasn’t fully tuned up for that, we were using it as a prep run for Ascot.
“He is up there with all the best I’ve trained, definitely. Obviously, he is the best 2YO we’ve ever had, so we’ll see what happens this year as to whether he’s the best we’ve ever had.” Appleby told Tattersalls.
Kerdos, winner of the Temple Stakes, and Asfoora, an Australian raider trained by Henry Dwyer, along with Crimson Advocate, who won the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot last year and is set to make her debut for the Gosdens after being acquired by Wathnan Racing, are all contenders for the upcoming race.
Additionally, there are 31 initial entries for the Coventry Stakes, the first 2YO race of the week, with Cowardofthecounty from Joseph O’Brien's stable and Camille Pissarro from Aidan O'Brien's stable being two of the notable contenders.
Trainer William Knight is hoping for rain ahead of Checkandchallenge's race in the Wolferton Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The 5YO horse finished last in the Group One Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp in May, but Knight is confident in his form leading up to the upcoming race.
The Wolferton Stakes is a drop back in grade to Listed status, and although Checkandchallenge prefers a straight course, Knight is willing to take his chances on the round course, albeit with a preference for softer ground.
Checkandchallenge is a Group Three winner and has previously finished fourth at Group One level, most notably in the last two runnings of the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day at Ascot.
Knight said: “He’s come out of that race (Prix d’Ispahan) fine. They didn’t go that quick and turned it into a bit of a sprint, he was only beaten by four lengths. He hasn’t run too badly really if we strip it down.
“He likes the straight course (at Ascot), but it’s a different situation around the bend. Probably when he ran it last year (when seventh) he maybe got a bit further back than we wanted to be.
“Over a mile and a quarter he really wants a nice, even gallop. It looked like there was quite a bit of rain at the beginning of the week, but it looks like it’s all disappearing now!”
Ramatuelle, the son Justify trained by Christopher Head, demonstrated her class and potential as one of Europe's top 2YO last season with notable wins in the Prix Robert Papin and a close second to Vandeek in the Prix Morny. Oisin Murphy has secured the prized opportunity to ride the prominent French filly, Ramatuelle, as she aims to avenge her defeat in the 1000 Guineas against her conqueror Elmalka at the Coronation Stakes during Royal Ascot.
Murphy, gaining attention as the go-to jockey for international challengers at this year’s Royal Ascot, eagerly looks forward to partnering with the high-quality French contender, anticipating a highly competitive race.
Although her team, which includes former San Antonio Spurs basketball star Tony Parker, initially targeted a mile race this season, their spirited attempt at Classic honors on the Rowley Mile fell short at Newmarket. However, undeterred, they swiftly set their sights on Royal Ascot and have now selected Oisin Murphy to replace Ramatuelle’s regular jockey, Aurelien Lemaitre.
On the opening day, he will ride Asfoora in the King Charles III Stakes, and he has also been chosen to ride Kitty Rose in the Sandringham Stakes for her new Australian training team of Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr.
“Asfoora would have needed her run at Haydock on tiring ground but felt very good when I rode her yesterday morning,” continued Murphy.
He went on: “Kitty Rose was trained in Ireland and has been with her Australian connections only a short time. But she’s a big, powerful filly who has good form.
“She is going to carry a lot of weight in the Sandringham, but it often takes a Group filly to win the race and she has already proven that she is that – she’s a very good ride to pick up.”
Trainer Mario Baratti is confident that Metropolitan has developed the mental toughness to complement his athletic ability, qualities that will be tested when he faces Notable Speech, Rosallion, Henry Longfellow, and Darlinghurst.
Baratti expressed satisfaction with the colt's physical condition. Despite the upcoming challenge, Baratti is excited about the race and believes that Metropolitan has nothing to lose when competing against top-class horses.
"I was surprised [at Longchamp] because he used to be a bit soft as a 2YO but now he has become stronger mentally," said Baratti. "He behaved very well that day; he came back into the box, we took the saddle off and put a light sheet on him to dry him off. He was very quiet and the owner and I were very happy to see that.
"Ascot is not the same as Longchamp and it’s his first travel and his first time running abroad but he’s gaining in maturity."
Baratti added: "Although as everybody could see, he got a perfect trip, it’s also very hard with the open stretch [cutaway rail]. It comes very early in the straight and so for him to keep his advantage until the end is really hard. Alexis was really pleased because it was the first time he’d had horses coming from behind and really pushing him and he never let them pass."