Day two has a great spread of quality racing, with some of the best middle distance horses running in the world in The Windsor Forest Stakes and The Prince of Wales Stakes looking quality renewals.
Starting with The Jersey Stakes, which looks a strong renewal and three horses at the top of the market, all from the most respected of connections. Reply has been running in Group Company for Aidan O’ Brien, and this looks to be more on his level. The other two I am finding it difficult to split and it is probably wise to stay on the safe side and back both. ALJAMAAHEER is a promising Sheikh Hamdan colt, who beat The Nile at Sandown in soft conditions, and looks to have an improving profile. He is unexposed after only three runs and is respected. Similarly SENTARIL for William Haggas, who has been saved for this, rather been risked in the 1000 Guineas. She has been patiently brought on after winning a Newmarket maiden by seven lengths and was very professional last month at Doncaster. Both should fight home the finish.
NAHRAIN is a horse who I followed all of last season, and is a very gutsy, tough filly for Roger Varian. An offspring of renowned stallion Selkirk, she showed a tremendous attitude to win at Longchamp on Arc day, a fitting tribute, the week after former trainer Michael Jarvis’s death. She wouldn’t settle at the Breeders Cup, but still ran on well to finish second, her only career defeat. She looks the be all class, and should improve with age. Emulous and Chaichamaidee are obvious dangers, the former being a Group One winner in Ireland, but Nahrain has been reportedly burning up the Newmarket gallops, and she looks the value.
The Prince of Wales Stakes is the centrepiece around the dinner table that is day two on Wednesday, and has an absolute abundance of talent at disposal, and a field that looks a minefield is the race slips into another one of these ridiculous crawl, then sprint tactical affairs. Aidan O’ Brien has a good record in this race, and has the hot favourite, So You Think, who I did my absolute coconuts in this last year when a narrow second to Godolphin’s Rewilding, under a stellar ride from Frankie Dettori, whip bans notwithstanding. I am still financially and emotionally burnt by that, at a shade of odds on, I have to oppose him. Carlton House looks an interesting prospect, as we stumble another ante post disaster for me, after finishing third in The Derby, and fourth in The Irish Derby at The Curragh. He had a pleasing reappearance at Sandown in the Brigadier Gerard Stakes and looks to be back on track, despite the lack of form with Sir Michael Stoute. Looking back through the trends, you have to have class to win this, (go figure eh) which takes out all of the horses who have not won at Group One level. This immediately takes out Wigmore Hall, Sri Putra, Colombian and Big Blue Kitten. Trends aside as well, none look good enough in such a competitive field. CARLTON HOUSE looks back down to a more suitable trip and distance, and looks a decent price to lower the colours of the versatile globetrotter.
The Royal Hunt Cup is a glorified pin job, and you need one hell of a spoonful of luck to find the winner of this, it is a minefield. Much of it depends on the ground and the draw, and writing in advance, it is difficult to assess. That being said, there are two that I had ear marked, and both fortunate to run, both at reasonable prices. The first is ROCK CRITIC for the respected Dermot Weld and Pat Smullen connections. The gelded son of Pivotal is officially well in at the weights, and won the big handicap at the Galway festival last year. He came back in a pleasing reappearance at Tipperary, winning by 3 lengths and has obvious claims. Similarly BOOM AND BUST for Hayley Turner, who won the big prize at Goodwood last year, and goes well fresh. The Marcus Tregoning stable are in good form, and although a 5lb rise in the weights for that win last year, and the form from the Totesport Mile has worked out well. It could also be worth having a cheeky saver on DIMENSION, the hotly fancied ante post favourite for James Fanshawe, who has a tremendous record in Royal Ascot handicaps. Jonny Murtagh is booked; he has course form and had a nice tune up at Lingfield, he looks primed for this.
Wayne Lordan and David Wachman are prolific with their juveniles, and it is very interesting that they have a horses in The Queen Mary Stakes. They have a very well bred Excellent Art filly in the form of MIRONICA, and the form of her Naas maiden win has worked out alright, but she looked mightily impressive, and the drop in trip shouldn’t be a problem. UPWARD SPIRAL similarly has a likable profile, being an expensive yearling, before being snapped up by Qatar racing. The Tom Dascombe Teofilo colt won a decent looking Sandown maiden, rather comfortably on soft ground, and could and should be even better on quicker going.
The last race is a competitive filly’s handicap, and in races such as these, I like to take a couple of bullets to fire at the field, not literally, animal welfare can stay well away thank you. The first fancy is KINETICA for a stable that thrive around this time of the year, and Sir Mark Prescott has come good right on cue once again. She gradually progressed to group class last year, before flopping in desperate ground at The Curragh, and excuses can be made. She could be well treated on that basis.
Similarly DUNTLE for the Wachman stable once again, a well bred filly by Danehill Dancer, and ran a solid performance in the Irish 1000 Guineas trial. Before that she won a Dundalk maiden by a staggering eighteen lengths, jaw droppingly impressive fashion. She could be very well handicapped on that basis alone.
2.30 Ascot – Aljamaaheer & Sentaril & Reverse Forecast
3.05 Ascot – Nahrain (Nb)
3.45 Ascot – Carlton House (Nap)
4.25 Ascot – Boom and Bust, Rock Critic, Dimension (All Each Way)
5.00 Ascot – Mironica & Upward Spiral
5.35 Ascot – Duntle & Kinetica
The Yorkshireman – Jack Milner
@JJMSports
No comments:
Post a Comment