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Perhaps it has been swept away by football fever – although Euro 2024 Some people’s enthusiasm may have been quickly washed away on Friday night – but there was still some great racing at Royal Ascot Ascot This week, it’s worth savoring.
Tuesday’s St James’s Palace Stakes is a prime example of this, as the winners of the British, Irish and French Guineas are ready to battle it out over five days in what is the most exciting event in British flat racing.
The race looks to be the highlight of the week as the big names are expected to be in attendance and there are already encouraging signs that the Guineas are proving themselves to be a strong event.
Notable Speech’s win was a bit of a surprise, but his victory over Rosallion by a length and a half did not appear to be a fluke. The Charlie Appleby-trained colt was unbeaten in his first four starts and is considered one of the most exciting newcomers in training.
Last month, City Of Troy was beaten at Newmarket but bounced back to win the Derby. The second won the Irish Guineas. The third Haatem finished second in the Irish Guineas and will lead the Jersey Stakes later this week.
Inisheline finished sixth in the Guineas and then rode away at the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock, making him favourite for the Commonwealth Cup.
Notable Speech was the standout winner of the 2,000 guineas race at Newmarket last month
Rosalion was beaten at Newmarket but won the Irish Guineas at Curragh
Metroploitan wins French Guineas and will compete in St James’s Palace Stakes
Rosalion is a fine two-year-old who has done well in both Guineas, proving he has been trained well, and he just caught stablemate Hatem at the end of the race with just the right pace, and it suited him to run around the bend at Ascot.
River Tiber is third, but he also looks to have some quality and could very well win the Jersey Stakes.
The undisputed horse won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and acted as if he needed to run when he finished fourth at the Curragh. Don’t rule out a bold run for him and buy him for a big price to Aidan O’Brien.
But the main standard-bearer at Ballydoyle will be Henry Longfellow, who has a chance to step out of the shadow of fellow horse City Of Troy. It is easy to forget that he is also a talented teenager.
He won the Group 1 Grand National by a huge five lengths and remained unbeaten until a disastrous defeat in the French Guineas, finishing eighth out of 14 entries.
O’Brien’s horses have been in great form this season, while Henry Longfellow has had bad luck and finished four lengths behind.
France sent its strongest line-up in recent years to Royal Ascot, adding an international flavour to the event.
Mario Baratti is a trainer who is very willing to take on the big British races, and last month Metropolitan was a surprise 25-1 winner at Longchamp.
The prospect of a faster track isn’t scary for the coach, who hopes he can run at a strong pace because he looked like he was struggling in the mile.
The St James’s Palace Stakes looks like a mouth-watering highlight of the week, while Inspiral vs Auguste Rodin in the Prince of Wales Stakes also looks like an exciting match.
The Commonwealth Cup is full of suspense, while supporting events such as the Hampton Court Championship also look strong.
Notable Speech is a standout at Newmarket and favourite to win the St James’ Palace Stakes
The Albany Stakes and Coventry Stakes were once again fantastic two-year-old events.
The handicap looks very competitive. Kyprios in the Ascot Gold Cup is the only favourite all week, which is a refreshing change from the Cheltenham Festival which is full of odds that are worthless to punters.
So put on your top hat and tails. Forget the football fever for a moment and enjoy everything Royal Ascot has to offer. It promises to be five days of racing extravaganza.
Nothing gets done in the corridors of power…
All changes to the British Parliament are expected to happen next month, and the corridors of power in the horseracing world are no exception. A Labour government seems inevitable, with Julie Harrington announcing her resignation as chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority.
Harrington intends to resign at the end of the year. Her departure follows closely on the heels of Jockey Club chief executive Nevin Truesdale, who announced his impending departure the previous week.
Joe Saumarez-Smith, chairman of the British Horseracing Association, will leave his post in May 2025. The chief executives of the Racehorse Owners Association and the British Horseracing Association left earlier this year. The ability of those in power to sense trouble and pull out at the perfect moment seems incredible. After years of slowly struggling with the Gambling White Paper, it seems to be back to square one, with a new government and new people as power brokers in the horseracing world. Labour did mention gambling in its manifesto last week – unlike the Conservatives, and is committed to making it safer.
What this means for motorsport is anyone’s guess. Expect more white papers to be drafted and more committees to be formed to revisit the same thing. As this column has been pointing out on this issue for years, one thing is certain. Still. Nothing. Done.
This week’s performance…
RYAN MOORE won the York Grand Cup Stakes by a length on KLONDIKE. No jockey in the world is better at pacing a small-field tactical race than Moore, who gradually increased the pace on KLONDIKE and the four-year-old had enough stamina to hold on to the finish line.
Daily selections…
TAMFANA (3-1, betfair) had a bit of bad luck in fourth place in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, but David Menusier’s mare could make amends in today’s Prix De Diane (Chantilly, 3.05). Stable No. 4 is in prime position for attack and Oisin Murphy should be able to take advantage of the tight track.
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