‘If There Is Any Weakness, It Will Be Found Out’: Zarigana Faces Coronation Test

[Wandering Eyes]

With France's Royal Ascot week having failed to lift off so far, all eyes will be on their darling Zarigana (Siyouni) to provide the rescue in Friday's G1 Coronation Stakes. As a granddaughter of Zarkava with a Classic under her belt, there should be very little for her to prove but the Aga Khan Studs representative has been edged out of both her big tests in photo finishes. Awarded a G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches that she may or may not have won had she not suffered interference, she could really do with a command performance here.

Nemone Routh revealed that her handlers will have to keep a lid on her on her first foray overseas. “It is a competitive race and it's the first time she'll have to travel abroad and she can have moments where she gets quite worked up,” the Stud's racing manager said. “It looks like it's going to be very hot as well, but she's got to get through all that as part of the test of being a Group 1 filly.”

“She's very consistent–she's won four of her starts and was beaten a nose in the other one. This is a big test for her and she's got to maintain that form and hold it all together in the preliminaries and have luck in running and everything else. If there is any weakness, it will be found out but we're happy with her preparation and while she goes on anything, she's probably better on fast ground.”

If all goes well in the build-up and in the early stages of the race, Zarigana is very much the one to beat having covered the penultimate furlong of that ParisLongchamp Classic in a rapid :10.47 and her final three in a scintillating :32.50. It is up to Shadwell's Falakeyah (New Bay) to turn it on here, with stamina guaranteed having dazzled in Newmarket's Listed Pretty Polly Stakes.

Angus Gold revealed that the decision to supplement was down largely to Jim Crowley's feedback. “To Jim's credit, he kept saying every time he sat on her that she had a lot of speed and his first words to me having got off her at Newmarket were 'she'd have killed them over a mile'. He thought she'd have gone close in the Guineas had she run in that, so I had to take notice,” he said.

“Unfortunately we were going for the Prix de Diane, but then she had a hold-up and we ran out of time. They now feel she's back to her best,” he added. “It's only her third race so we're still learning and I couldn't put my hand on my heart and say she's definitely a miler, but she has plenty of speed and we felt after discussing it this was worth a try.”

Ryan Moore has created a stir by picking Ballydoyle's January (Kingman) over Exactly (Frankel), with the former having gone under the radar after her G1 Fillies' Mile second. Coming off a return eighth in the Irish 1,000 Guineas, she is impossible to rule out given the stable's capacity to supercharge improvement into their runners race-to-race. According to the betting market, it seems that the 1,000 Guineas runner-up Flight (Siyouni) has been written off after running below expectations in the Curragh equivalent and is mysteriously much bigger than the Listed Michael Seely Memorial Stakes winner Kon Tiki (Night Of Thunder).

Beyond A Shadow Of A Doubt?

Friday's G1 Commonwealth Cup is deep, but it has a clear favourite in Godolphin's Shadow Of Light (Lope De Vega) who is one of those rarities that can pull off a Middle Park-Dewhurst double. Showing his dramatic acceleration when third in the 2,000 Guineas, he has a lot of the boxes ticked.

“Shadow Of Light is in great order and I'm pleased with the draw,” Charlie Appleby said. “He ran a great race in the 2,000 Guineas and we are confident that the drop back to six furlongs is going to suit. I can't give any negatives and I'm hopeful he is the one to beat.”

Juddmonte have yet to win this, but go to war with big guns this time in the G1 Phoenix Stakes winner Babouche (Kodiac) and the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains runner-up and fellow TDN Rising Star Jonquil (Lope De Vega). Babouche just enjoys beating up Ballydoyle's G1 Prix Morny winner Whistlejacket (No Nay Never) and will probably do so for the third time, with Colin Keane staying loyal and forsaking Jonquil.

“Babouche is in good form and won the trial for this race in Ireland in good style. We would be hopeful of a good run, but we wouldn't be fussy which one won,” Barry Mahon said. “I think it would have been tough for Colin to get off Babouche, having ridden her in all her starts and his association with Ger, but both horses are in good form and ready to run well.”

Of Jonquil, Juddmonte's European racing manager added, “Dropping back to six furlongs is a bit of an unknown, but he showed a lot of speed when winning the Greenham at Newbury and also showed plenty of speed in France and hit the front a furlong down. Oisin and Andrew both felt it was a good option for him.”

The Aga Khan Stud homebred Rayevka (Blue Point) was electric in the Listed Prix Marchand d'Or last time and that could be a clear signal that she is the race's lurker. “It's a very tough race and a big field and a bit of a cavalry charge, but she's a three-year-old sprinting filly and if we'd waited we were going to have to run in a Group Three against older horses,” Nemone Routh explained. “She won a Listed race well last time and this was her last opportunity to run in a Group race against her own age group. It is a big ask and we'd be really chuffed if she was to run into a place. She's in good form, sprinting is her game and she is a top-of-the-ground horse.”

All Set For The Ascot Derby

The Aykroyds and Ralph Beckett may have missed out in the Derby, but Friday's G2 King Edward VII Stakes offers the opportunity for their unbeaten Listed Cocked Hat Stakes winner Amiloc (Postponed) to provide compensation. Ballydoyle's Listed Lingfield Derby Trial winner Puppet Master (Camelot) and the Aga Khan homebred Zahrann (Night Of Thunder) offer stern opposition from Ireland, with the latter a convincing winner of Leopardstown's Listed King George V Cup.

The action begins with the G3 Albany Stakes, where Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's impressive Carlisle winner Venetian Sun (Starman) is one of several looking to halt Ballydoyle's momentum in the 2-year-old events this week. Good luck with that one, as the market is speaking strongly for Rosegreen's latest juvenile rifle Signora, Frankel's daughter of the Queen Mary winner Heartache who achieved as much on debut when third in Naas's G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Blackbeard Fillies Sprint Stakes than most of these in their respective novices and maidens.

Lazzat Heads All Star Cast In Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee International Clash

Saturday's G1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes has a confirmed field of 16, with the big favourites set to represent four different countries in a fascinating edition of the six-furlong feature. Last year's G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest winner Lazzat (Territories) represents the Jerome Reynier stable and forms the spearhead of a strong French challenge alongside Topgear (Wootton Bassett), British hopes rest with last year's G1 Commonwealth Cup hero Inisherin (Shamardal) from the Kevin Ryan stable, Aidan O'Brien relies on his Australian import Storm Boy (Justify) and Japan is represented by the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen winner Satono Reve (Lord Kanaloa).

Also on Saturday is the G2 Hardwicke Stakes, where a dozen will line up without Juddmonte's Kalpana (Study Of Man) who has been ruled out due to the fast ground. They include Godolphin's high-class stalwart Rebel's Romance (Dubawi) and Amo Racing's £2million Goffs London acquisition Ghostwriter (Invincible Spirit), while the G3 Jersey Stakes features 15 with the current favourite being Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's unbeaten Remmooz (Blue Point) from the Owen Burrows stable. The Listed Chesham Stakes sees Godolphin's TDN Rising Star Treanmor (Frankel) tackle Ballydoyle's filly Moments Of Joy (Justify).

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