Royal Ascot is one of the most exciting and glamorous sporting events on the international stage and, with ideal weather conditions forecast, this week’s meeting shapes as a wonderful spectacle.
Ascot and Hong Kong share the same value of promoting international world-class racing and therefore have always had a strategic relationship to promote our sport.
This was one of the reasons why we started World Pool with Ascot at the Royal Ascot meeting in 2019. World Pool has grown significantly since and we look forward to further developing our partnership with Ascot.
To cover the full five days of some of the best racing in the world, we have not scheduled a Hong Kong race meeting this Wednesday (19 June) and with 35 races at Royal Ascot – including eight Group 1s – there is much to look forward to.
Tuesday’s card has three Group 1 races and a Group 2 race for two-year-olds as the sporting highlights and the ground today is good to firm with good, good in some places.
History beckons for Aidan O’Brien, who is chasing the top trainer award for a record-extending 13th time, and Ryan Moore (79 wins) who needs three more wins at the meeting to overtake Frankie Dettori (81 wins) for second position in the all-time standings behind Lester Piggott (116).
The Royal meeting opens with the G1 Queen Anne Stakes, which is carded as S1-1 and run over the straight mile course at 9.30pm.
AUDIENCE started at big odds when he set the pace for stablemate INSPIRAL in the G1 Lockinge Stakes and kept running under Robert Halvin and deserves enormous respect for that impressive victory and is a place chance.
CHARYN was runner-up to AUDIENCE in the Lockinge after winning a Group 2 contest at Sandown in impressive fashion and he is also a place chance.
French-trained runners mount a strong challenge with BIG ROCK, FACTEUR CHEVAL and DOLAYLI all leading chances. FACTEUR CHEVAL has not run since beating NAMUR in the G1 Dubai Turf (1800m) at Meydan in March. This is his first run since and he is a win and place chance for Maxime Guyon.
BIG ROCK easily beat FACTEUR CHEVAL in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes over this course and distance on Champions Day in October and can improve on his first-up effort behind AUDIENCE at Newbury, when he stumbled at the start. He a place chance for Christophe Soumillon, who rides him for the first time.
The King Charles III Stakes (formerly the King’s Stand Stakes) is carded as S1-3 and run over 1000m at 10.45pm. This race always attracts a big field and the speed will be on from the outset over the five-furlong straight course.
BIG EVS was an outstanding two-year-old last year, winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint at Santa Anita in November. He showed good speed when resuming at York, winning a Listed race against his own age on 16 May. BIG EVS takes on older horses for the first time but three-year-olds have a good record in the race with BRADSELL winning last year. BIG EVS is a win and place chance for Tom Marquand.
REGIONAL won G1 Sprint Cup at Haydock over six furlongs before resuming in the Greenlands Stakes in Ireland on 25 May, finishing runner-up to MITBAAHY. REGIONAL is also a win and place chance for regular rider Callum Rodriguez.
BELIEVING was unplaced behind INVINCIBLE SAGE in the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize at Sha Tin in April on ground that did not suit. She showed she had come through the trip well when winning impressively at Haydock over the five-furlong straight course on 8 June. Daniel Tudhope takes the ride again and BELIEVING is a place chance for George Boughey.
This is an open race and trainer Clive Cox has two runners at good odds that can figure in the finish in KERDOS, who won the G2 Temple Stakes at Haydock last start, and also DILIGENT HARRY, who was third to CALIFORNIA SPANGLE in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint in March and ran well last start in the G1 Duke of York Stakes behind MILL STREAM.
The G1 St James’s Palace Stakes is carded as S1-4 and will be run at 11.25pm for three-year-olds over the round mile course.
Charlie Appleby’s star colt NOTABLE SPEECH is the dominant favourite and deservedly so after his brilliant win in the G1 2000 Guineas on 4 May when he was held up at the rear of the field before taking the lead 200m out and drawing away from ROSALLION.
NOTABLE SPEECH is undefeated and is my win and place selection for William Buick.
ROSALLION followed that effort behind NOTABLE SPEECH with a hard-fought win over HAATEM in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas on 25 May. ROSALLION is a place chance.
The French challenge comes from DARLINGHURST (Christophe Soumillon), who is undefeated in France this year, and METROPOLITAN, winner of the G1 French 2000 Guineas on 12 May for star rider Alexis Pouchin, who takes the ride again. Both deserve consideration on their last-start wins.
Aidan O’Brien runs HENRY LONGFELLOW, who failed to make an impression in the French 2000 Guineas behind METROPOLITAN when a short-priced favourite. He can improve dramatically with Ryan Moore taking the ride again. Aidan also saddles UNQUESTIONABLE who is likely to set the pace in the race, ridden by Wayne Lordan.
Comment
