It is Flat racing’s biggest week, one which the King attends, with Royal carriages aplenty and races with an international feel to boot – it can only be Royal Ascot. It is part of the summer social season with a healthy dose of world-class racing on top; there will be 35 races run across five days at the Berkshire course.
The prestigious meeting features eight Group One races such as the Gold Cup, St James’s Palace Stakes and Commonwealth Cup, and is a festival of fashion, hospitality and Royal patronage.
Here are Telegraph Sport’s tips for the week.
At seven furlongs this is the longest contest for two-year-olds at Ascot this week. Aix La Chapelle looks the Aidan O’Brien No 1 in this. He made up a good bit of ground late on and finished strongly to win a Curragh maiden earlier this month. I was quite impressed by Revels – no surprise at that name as he’s owned by the Mars family – on his debut at Redcar in may. He won by three lengths. With his big white face you won’t miss this chestnut colt coming up Ascot’s straight.
Army’s tip: Revels
Marlborough’s tip: Whispering Moon
A mile-and-a-half handicap for three-year-olds rated up to 105. Tierra del Toro was third in the London Gold Cup, often a good trial for bigger races. He has subsequently been bought by Wathnan, who have a pretty good strike rate for buying ready made Ascot winners and they also bought the winner of that race, Lost Boys, and have opted to go with this one instead.
Army’s tip: Tierra del Toro
Marlborough’s tip: Enceladus
A mile-and-a-half Group Two for fillies making it something of an Oaks consolation for those that needed a couple of extra weeks. The King and Queen could have a go with Golden Orbit in this, but she would need to take a bit big step forward on her first start of the season. Legacy Link runs just 13 days after finishing second in the Oaks, a race in which she had no answers to Thundering On, she sets the standard. That’s not usually the Gosdens’ or Juddmonte’s modus operandi so she would have to be in cracking form to go. Earth Shot, who was just beaten at Goodwood last time over a mile and a quarter, might be the one stepping up in trip.
Army’s tip: Earth Shot
Marlborough’s tip: Johanna Walsh
A marathon trip of two-and-a-half miles first run in 1807, a year best known here for the abolition of slavery while in Europe Napoleon was smacking the Russians. Last year’s winner Trawlerman is back, but without a prep and an eye condition which makes him sensitive to light. However, if he’s on song he will be hard to beat. The obvious two young pretenders are last year’s St Leger first and second – Scandinavia and Rahiebb. At a better price is Carmers who is bidding to emulate the late Queen’s Estimate who took the Queen’s Vase here in 2013, before winning the Gold Cup a year later. Keeping them all honest will be Sweet William, who is always consistent in these races.
Army’s tip: Carmers
Marlborough’s tip: Scandinavia
A mile for three-year-old colts rated up to 105. We’re Goosers looks a good honest sort. He galloped his rivals into submission winning by a wide margin and finishing strong through the line at Newmarket last time. He gets a mile but seven furlongs may be his optimum. St Anton won over a mile at Carlisle so this mile might not be quite stiff enough for him, but he is in with a shout, while Laureate Crown is another from the same stable as We’re Goosers.
Army’s tip: We’re Goosers
Marlborough’s tip: Jamestown
A Group Three mile-and-a-quarter race for three-year-olds who have not won a Group One or Two. A few horses in here have had their sights lowered after so-so efforts in the Derby, but most of those would have had a hard enough race in the conditions so fresher legs may be the answer. William Haggas was very disappointed with Morshdi after the Dante at York last month. If he can put a line through that poor run so must we. Causeway is likely to start favourite, but for those who like a double-figure pride Mountain Cat could outrun his odds.
Army’s tip: Morshdi
Marlborough’s tip: Endorsement
A seven-furlong handicap to finish off Ladies’ Day. I’ll have to come back to you nearer the time for this race but Arctic Dawn, trained by Dan and Clare Kubler, looks progressive despite being a five-year-old and a win a for a smaller set up might not go amiss at this stage.
Army’s tip: Arctic Dawn
Marlborough’s tip: Dance In The Storm
Six furlong contest for fillies. Aidan O’Brien’s Sun Goddess is likely to be a warm order for this after a six lengths demolition of her opposition at The Curragh on her second start. It is hard to pick holes in that performance and it is hard to oppose her and her trainer. The King and Queen’s King’s Prize is one of those. She was an early two-year-old winner for the yard when they weren’t firing on all cylinders and had plenty of time to mature but this might be Amo’s time finally. Controlla blew the start then refused to settle in the last on Wednesday but Silent Beauty can restore Kia Joorabchian’s equilibrium.
A six furlong Group One sprint for speedy three-year-olds. Ascot’s stiff six may be just what Albert Einstein needs but for me he has been a bit disappointing. If you fancy him you should also fancy Song of The Clyde who beat him at Newbury and will be three times the odds. Clive Cox also has the quick Coppul in this. Venetian Sun, last year’s Albany winner, will probably start favourite on the back of her Sandy Lane three length success but it might be worth taking a punt on Amo’s Wesley Ward trained Outfielder who has looked blisteringly quick on his first two starts in the US this year. Each-way 50-1 shot Spicy Marg will enjoy being back on the quick ground again.
The King and Queen have Warrant Holder in this mile and a half handicap for three-year-old plus. I suspect a few others have been laid out for this race but he looks to have as good a chance as any here. He has won half of his six races and came back better having being gelded, beat 14 rivals at York and looks like he’d appreciate the step up in trip today. Sometimes I wonder if York and Ascot form ever totally correlates but we will find out today.
A mile on the round course for three-year-old fillies, the St James’s Palace for the ladies as it were. After running down the field in the Guineas at Newmarket Precise looked rocket-propelled, reversing the form with stable companion True Love, in the Irish equivalent. Anything like a reproduction of that would make her hard to beat. Ryan Moore has developed a habit of picking the wrong one when he has Precise and True Love to pick from but on the Irish Guineas form, that’s True Love’s best hope.
A mile handicap for three-year-old fillies. I am a bit conflicted here between Symbol of Majesty and the French filly Repel. Symbol of Majesty had no sort of a run at Wolverhampton on her third start after winning on turf first time out this season but that probably did not do her handicap too much harm, this is an easier option than the Coronation for which she also had an entry and in Saffie Osborne she has an excellent light-weight jockey. Glyfada, trained by a third O’Brien, Donnacha, and a cosy winner last time, from France look interesting too.
Mile and a half Group Two for three-year-old colts and geldings. A bit of a Derby consolation and a few of those who ran below expectation at Epsom may get out again today including the controversial Derby non-runner, Benventuto Cellini who got his hind leg stuck on a stall but still finished 10th. That is less than a fortnight ago and personally I would be looking elsewhere. It was all a bit too much of a rush to get Water To Wine to Epsom after his missed Chester with a temperature but he looks tailor-made for this. He is now two from two with an aggregate winning distance of 15 lengths having warmed up for this impressively on the all-weather.
A five furlong sprint for three-year-olds. It is a very different course to Epsom but Gemma Tutty’s Call Margot had all the doors shut in her face at a critical point in the Dash on Derby day and but for that would surely have won. At Ascot, at least, there should be less in the way of traffic problems. The trainer had a second here before. That said, could Gold Digger be the one to break Saffie Osborne’s duck at the meeting? She certainly thinks so. Sixth in the Albany last year, Richard Spencer’s filly was a cosy winner at Windsor on her first start since.
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