Royal Ascot Friday: Star 3YOs and Rising Juveniles

[Wandering Eyes]

Friday’s Royal Ascot card is one of the strongest of the week, with real commercial concerns on the line in the G1 Coronation S. and G1 Commonwealth Cup and the supporting G2 King Edward VII S. and G3 Albany S., two of the more significant pattern races of the week. Ballydoyle have had a mixed bag of results so far and could possibly supply the favourite for the fillies’ mile contest in Clemmie (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was effectively prepping for this prize when ninth in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh on May 27 and who needs no introduction after her victories in last year’s G1 Cheveley Park S. and G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. at Newmarket.

“She has come forward since the Guineas, but she will come forward again,” Aidan O’Brien commented. “She needed the run in the Guineas badly. She ran well and just got tired. She had a little bit of a setback and lost a good bit of fitness, but she is coming back. I think a mile will be within reach, but we will see. We weren’t sure if it was the trip or if she got tired in Ireland, but we think she got tired. It will be interesting.”

The Irish Guineas winner and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) is also here and the Niarchos homebred faces the test of consistency now which she failed last term, having started out so brightly. Jessie Harrington has delivered her in the best form she can and it is just a question of whether she can mix it with these new rivals on the quickest ground she has raced on. Her trainer said she believes the surface will be a positive. “All has been good since [the Irish Guineas],” she said. “She is tough, genuine and pretty talented. What she loves is a nice, firm surface. She’s a very big filly and I think what happens on soft ground is that she basically can’t pull her body out of it.”

The Hannons are firmly entrenched in British racing folklore thanks largely to their uncanny efficiency at unearthing high-class talent from relative small-change purchases and the products of small-scale breeders. When it comes to the 66-1 G1 1000 Guineas heroine Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}), the latter applies as she is a homebred of Stowell Hill Stud, which is a Somerset-based establishment steered by the late Bob McCreery. Descended from Anna Oleanda (Ire), whose sire Old Vic (GB) was bred by McCreery and who fetched just 45,000gns at the 2005 Tattersalls December Sale, she is the latest prodigy from a family that runs deep with class. It also includes the Listed European Free H. winner and Guineas seventh Anna Nerium (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who has since been runner-up to the subsequent G2 Duke of Cambridge S. third Wilamina (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in Epsom’s G3 Princess Elizabeth S. on June 2.

“I think it’s the first time for 30 years the winners of the English, Irish and French Guineas have all met in the Coronation,” Hannon said, referring to the inclusion of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani’s G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches scorer Teppal (Fr) (Camacho {GB}). “Billesdon Brook is in great form, we’re very happy with her. People can question the form of each Guineas if they want, but we need to meet to see who is the best. She’s as good as she was going into the Guineas, this will be a fantastic race and if she wins then great. We haven’t done anything different with her, she’s not doing handstands or anything but she wasn’t before the Guineas.”

Speedsters Do Battle…

Inaugurated in 2015, the Commonwealth Cup already feels like its been around for a while and the only question surrounding it is why it took so long to establish. Most of this year’s protagonists sidestepped the European Guineas which they would formerly have been steered towards in the absence of any alternative at this time of year and now there are definite lead-up races of merit to pave the way. The Cool Silk Partnership’s Sands of Mali (Fr) (Panis) took the chief one, Haydock’s G2 Sandy Lane S. on May 26, where he made all and knuckled down to deny Saeed Manana’s G3 Pavilion S. scorer Invincible Army (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) by a nose. Jockey Paul Hanagan is hoping he will have a lead this time. “We are kind of hoping they are going to go quick,” he said. “He is not the type of horse you can mess about with, as he jumps so quick and gets into that big, long stride. I don’t think the distance he won last time told the whole result, really. He got a bit lonely in front, but he was always holding on. He showed a good attitude and determination to stick his head out again. It was a good Sandy Lane and we’ve always thought a lot of this horse, so we are pretty confident. He is the one I’ve been looking forward to all meeting.”

James Tate said he maintains the belief that the cast-iron consistency of Invincible Army can reap its rewards eventually and said, “We’re looking forward to the rematch. He should keep improving with every race.”

Last year’s G2 Norfolk S. winner Sioux Nation (Scat Daddy) is back after winning Ireland’s main trial for this, the G3 Lacken S. at Naas on May 20, and this fast surface is an absolute prerequisite. “He won over five here last year and he is a fast horse. He seems in good form and he has been progressing with his runs,” Aidan O’Brien said. “We think he is ready for this, but it will be his first time over six furlongs on a real stiff track.”

Denied with Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in Tuesday’s G2 King’s Stand S., Charlie Hills is hoping to go one better with the totally unexposed Equilateral (GB) (Equiano {Fr}), who bids to continue a stellar week for Juddmonte. “I think he’s a very talented horse with a great attitude,” the trainer said of the eight-length Doncaster novice stakes winner. “He’s lightly raced and obviously it is a big step up in class but, for me, he’s got the right mindset to overcome the step up in class.”

Stars On The Rise…

The Albany features two TDN Rising Stars from Ballydoyle in Fairyland (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who beat two colts from her stable in the Listed Marble Hill S. over this trip at The Curragh May 26, and Just Wonderful (Dansili {GB}), who won despite looking green on her sole start also at that Kildare venue on May 26. The runner-up Lethal Promise (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) has since been an easy winner, while the third Gossamer Wings (Scat Daddy) was very close to winning Friday’s G2 Queen Mary S., so it is no surprise to see Ryan Moore opting for her over Fairyland, who he also passed over in the Marble Hill. “Fairyland is a very straightforward filly and it looks like she will get further than six furlongs,” Aidan O’Brien said. “Ryan’s filly has only won a maiden, but was very impressive and he loved her when she won it. She is a nice filly as well, but we will learn a lot about them both after the race. Fairyland has done well to win twice and the other filly did very well to win as she was across the other side of the track at The Curragh, but she still won very nicely.”

Moore knows what to expect from the unbeaten Main Edition (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), who he partnered on her winning debut at Windsor on May 21, but he has that Mark Johnston-trained filly to fear nonetheless.

Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore also combine with another ‘TDN Rising Star’ in Delano Roosevelt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the King Edward VII and the win of Kew Gardens (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) on Wednesday will surely have boosted the stable’s hopes of this fellow Epsom Derby also-ran. Also in the line-up is the Listed Dee S. scorer Rostropovich (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who is upped to a mile and a half after a ninth in the June 3 G1 Prix du Jockey Club staged on unsuitably soft ground, and the progressive Listed King George V Cup winner Giuseppe Garibaldi (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

“Delano Roosevelt ran well in the Derby and he has come out of it well,” O’Brien said. “He has been in good form since. We are not really sure what happened with Rostropovich in France, but we were a little bit disappointed with his run. He is stepping up to a mile and a half now. He should like the ground and the track. He also seems to be in good form. We were going to go a mile and six [with Giuseppe Garibaldi], but we just said we would leave him at a mile and a half. He travels well in his races. We will probably step him up after this.”

View the full article