Royal Ascot is upon us and there is plenty to look forward to on day one.
There are a number of top-class equine talents on show in the Group One contests, as well as a number of open and exciting handicaps.
The greatest week of the flat action is here, let’s enjoy it and hope it’ll live up to expectations.
2:30 – Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1)
Baaeed sets the standard in this year’s renewal of the Queen Anne Stakes.
He beat last year’s winner Palace Pier at the course over the distance in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes last October.
Despite being towards the end of the season on good to soft ground it firmly put Baaeed at the top of the mile division.
Real World chased Baaeed home in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury with Chindit in third and Sir Busket in fifth.
All four line up again here, with the addition of Order Of Australia, Accidental Agent and mare Lights On.
William Haggas’ unbeaten son of Sea The Stars will be extremely hard to beat, and with 2/11 the best odds available, it seems highly unlikely he’ll tarnish his unbeaten record at the Royal Meeting.
Real World is a similar price to when he was second to Baaeed last time out, and he looks the likeliest to finish runner-up once again.
However, at a slightly bigger price, Aidan O’Brien’s Order Of Australia may be one from an each-way or forecast angle if he’s ready for this on seasonal debut.
At his best he could be capable of finishing second in this contest and is currently best priced at 22/1.
Star of the day:
Baaeed 2/11 – William Haggas, Jim Crowley
A rare talent, the first race of the Royal Meeting features equine royalty in the form of unbeaten champion Baaeed.
One of the most exciting horses in recent years, Baaeed looks untouchable, no horse can get near him, and he faces a number of familiar rivals here, many of whom he has beaten convincingly in the past.
Probably a race to watch and enjoy, rather than get involved in from a betting perspective, but he is undoubtedly the biggest star on show on day one of Royal Ascot, with plenty more stars to look forward to during the week.
3:05 – Coventry Stakes (Group 2)
Aidan O’Brien’s Blackbeard currently heads the market ahead of Persian Force.
The two unbeaten colts will put their untarnished records at risk in an attempt to win their first Group Two contest.
Blackbeard was last seen winning the Group Three Marble Hill Stakes at The Curragh over 6f, making all to win well ahead of evens favourite Tough Talk.
But, Blackbeard is yet to face a field of more than four rivals, and seventeen are set to go to post in the Coventry Stakes.
His capability of handling a big field is yet to be tested, and whilst he should stay out of too much trouble in running from stall 14 he will have to show further progression.
Ballydoyle have had plenty of success with their juveniles this season and it’s often wise to side with the powerful yard in contests such as this.
Age Of Kings is another of their representatives, but he hasn’t looked as solid as his stablemate and appears to be the second string.
Persian Force has shown plenty of speed but is yet to face the quality of opposition he may be up against here, however most are unexposed and there could be some value among the bigger-priced runners.
Ones to watch:
Rousing Encore 25/1 – Richard Fahey, Oisin Orr
After finishing third on debut, this Acclamation colt has recorded two comfortable wins and has improved with each run.
If able to show further progression he could be one to watch at a big price.
Remarkable Force 33/1 – Alice Haynes, Silvestre De Sousa
Another colt by Acclamation, Remarkable Force brings a 100% record into the race having won both of his two starts to date.
His didn’t win in the most visually impressive manner in either run, but he did beat horses who had won previously or have gone on to win races.
There could be more to come from him and he may be overlooked in the market.
3:40 – King’s Stand Stakes (Group 1)
International duo Nature Strip and Golden Pal look set to battle it out for victory in this year’s King’s Stand Stakes.
The Australian Nature Strip currently heads the market ahead of his American rival, as both come to Ascot with huge reputations as some of the best horses in the sprinting division.
There are plenty of British runners attempting to win on home soil, Twilight Calls the shortest-priced, whilst a couple of Irish-raiders also line up in the form of Mooneista and Logo Hunter and there’s the addition of Czech Republic-trained Ponntos.
This makes for an exciting minute or so of racing, in which any horse could come from the pack and gain success.
The nature of these sprints makes the race very interesting from a betting perspective, with plenty of big priced runners more than capable of making the frame.
Tis Marvellous has an excellent record at the track, finishing worse than fourth only once in twelve runs.
He is best priced at 50/1, as is Arecibo who finished a respectable third in last month’s Group Two Temple Stakes.
Both are capable of a placed finish on their day, but given the competitiveness of this race they are potentially overlooked.
Mondammej, a short head behind Arecibo at Haydock, is available at 150/1, whilst the pair ahead of them, King’s Lynn and Twilight Calls are 16/1 and 7/1 respectively.
Man Of Promise is the Godolphin representative who has shown fair form so far this year.
He’ll need to be effective over this shorter 5f trip, running on British soil for the first time in almost two years.
Each-way selections:
Arecibo 50/1 (4 places – 35/1 5 places) – Robert Cowell, Rossa Ryan
Mondammej 150/1 (4 places – 85/1 5 places) – Antony Brittain, Cam Hardie
Both runners are capable of placing if running their race and they both finished close enough behind some much shorter-priced runners who line up against them here.
At big prices, with extra places available, they are worth a small punt each-way, in hope they’ll run on well if others underperform.
4:20 – St James’s Palace Stakes (Group 1)
2000 Guineas winner Coroebus is the one to beat in this contest, making his first racecourse appearance away from Newmarket.
He brings the best form into the race, having won three of his four runs to date, including the Classic ahead of stablemate Native Trail who went on to win the Irish equivalent.
William Haggas’ saddles two young colts perhaps capable of causing an upset in My Prospero and Maljoom.
The former is two from two as a three-year-old and won the Listed Heron Stakes when last seen at Sandown.
Maljoom is unbeaten since making his debut in March, and also brings Classic form into the race having won the German 2000 Guineas last month.
That was an impressive performance by the son of Carvaggio, having missed the start he had to dig deep to chase down runaway leader Rocchigiani, and showed a great turn of foot in doing so.
Mighty Ulysees steps back up in class after being narrowly beaten late on in the Silver Bowl Handicap at Haydock.
Berkshire Shadow and Lusail both attempt a mile for the second time following their fifth and sixth placed finishes in the Guineas.
New Energy chased home a perhaps lacklustre Native Trail at The Curragh, whilst Angel Bleu has respectable form but would have preferred softer conditions.
Long shot:
Bayside Boy 66/1 (EW – 4 places) – Roger Varian, David Egan
Whilst Coroebus is clearly the one to beat, and must be respected for an impressive Guineas win, this is a different test for him away from the familiarity of Newmarket.
Bayside Boy has perfectly respectable form, but didn’t line up in the English 2000 Guineas, and may be slightly forgotten about.
He won on debut, finishing ahead of Find, before he was beaten by Masekela on his second start, a horse who went on to finish a fair fourth in the Derby.
He subsequently won a Group Two at Doncaster, beating three quality rivals in Reach For The Moon, Twilight Jet and Lusail.
His two Group One appearances as a juvenile were won by Native Trail and Luxembourg respectively, and he didn’t finish too far behind in either.
He does appear to be overpriced on his debut season form, but is likely being overlooked due to his poor run in the French 2000 Guineas last month.
However, he didn’t get the run of things there, was forced wide and never looked to be travelling comfortably.
That was also his first appearance since last October, and it’s likely he’ll have improved, making him a very interesting runner here.
5:00 – Ascot Stakes (Class 2 Handicap)
A big field of twenty runners are set to line up for the Ascot Stakes, with Willie Mullins’ Bring On The Night current favourite with bookmakers.
Arcadian Sunrise is a useful stayer who benefits from jockey Harry Davies claiming 5lbs aboard the John Queally trained gelding.
Pied Piper made his jumping debut in December having switched yards from John & Thady Gosden’s to Gordon Elliott’s.
He returns to the flat here, having made one prior unsuccessful appearance at Ascot.
There are plenty of other quality contenders in the field away from the top three in the market, including last year’s surprising 66/1 winner Reshoun, who will attempt to retain his crown at a shorter price this time.
The selection:
Arcadian Sunrise 6/1 – John Queally, Harry Davies (5)
Whilst it’s difficult to go against Mullins, Arcadian Sunrise is the selection to improve on his fourth placed finish in the Chester Cup last month.
He has plenty of stamina and conditions should suit the eight-year-old who has decent winning form on the flat.
Pied Piper is worth a mention, but he may find it difficult if held up and sent late in such a big field.
5:35 – Wolferton Stakes (Listed)
Another exciting betting race comes in the Listed Wolferton Stakes, with the favourite currently at 7/1.
Cadillac heads the market ahead of Juan Elcano, with Regal Reality and Star Safari also prominent.
Jessica Harrington’s Cadillac won the Listed Glencairn Stakes when last seen earlier this month, and is one of two horses, along with Majestic Dawn, who comes into the race following a win.
Kevin Ryan’s Juan Elcano won this contest last year at odds of 14/1, beating a number of decent rivals.
Harrovian is an interesting contender but he’ll need to bounce back following a disappointing run at Meydan in March.
Prior to that he finished fourth in a competitive Group Three over an extended 10f.
Star Safari has been performing well in Meydan this year with one win and two second-placed finishes to his name.
Course and distance winner Foxes Tales won a handicap at the Royal Meeting last year, and could be in the mix, whilst Tasman Bay has good form behind classy horses and is a consistent type.
The selection:
Foxes Tales 10/1 – Andrew Balding, David Probert
This trip should suit and he has form at the track.
He was a close second to Solid Stone in a Group Three at Newbury last autumn, finishing ahead of Ilaraab and Al Aasy.
It would be disappointing if he wasn’t able to be competitive in this contest back in trip to 1m2f.
6:10 – Copper Horse Stakes (Class 2 Handicap)
Another intriguing handicap brings the action to a close on day one of the Royal Meeting and Aidan O’Brien’s recent Chester Cup winner Cleveland heads the market at 2/1.
He stayed well there and showed plenty of speed to finish strongly, just getting his head in front to claim the prize.
It’s expected he’ll go well once again, and on recent form he is the one to beat.
Stowell drops down in class having been running regularly in tough higher-quality contests.
This could be a more adequate challenge for him, but he’ll need to show more ability.
John & Thady Gosden are currently performing at a 39% strike rate, however, and Stowell has been well-thought of since his impressive performance on debut.
Juan De Montalban won at Ascot on his last outing and has since been given a rise of 9lbs which perhaps makes this a little tough considering the opposition he’ll face.
Bandinelli was last of the field at Haydock when failing to transfer his all-weather form onto the turf.
He’ll need to return to form having shown plenty of potential towards the end of last season.
Okita Soushi is a lightly-raced runner for Joseph O’Brien whose limitations may be unknown.
Best bet:
Cleveland 2/1 – Aidan O’Brien, Ryan Moore
His win in the Chester Cup was very impressive and if able to replicate that performance back in trip, he should be the one to beat in this contest.
He is another who is quite lightly raced and there could be plenty more to come from him.
By Katie Midwinter (13/06/22)
THE CONDITIONAL 