Royal Ascot is one of the most prestigious and exciting sporting events in the world and, with a forecast for dry, sunny weather, this week’s meeting shapes as a highlight of the season with five wonderful days of outstanding racing in store.
The promotion of world-class racing is a strategy prioritised by both the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Ascot and Royal Ascot’s capacity to showcase horse racing to a global audience in a positive and engaging manner provides invaluable exposure.
It is no coincidence that we started World Pool with Ascot at the Royal Ascot meeting in 2019 as part of a shared ambition to promote international horse racing. World Pool has grown significantly since 2019 and has become an integral part of global racing at the highest level.
World Pool delivers substantial returns to participating clubs and jurisdictions with vital income streams, which in turn provide funding for equine welfare, infrastructure, returns to owners via enhanced prize money and industry career development.
Since its inception at Royal Ascot 2019, World Pool has operated on 211 races across six Royal Ascot meetings and generated total turnover of HK$9,093.9 million, which is a measure of World Pool’s reach and popularity.
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 (18 June) and with 35 races at Royal Ascot – including eight Group 1s – there is much to look forward to with attendance expected to reach 250,000.
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 and good in some places.
History beckons for Aidan O’Brien, who is chasing the top trainer award for a record-extending 14th time with 91 wins overall, while Ryan Moore (85 wins) is in second position in the all-time jockey standings behind Lester Piggott (116), having won the leading rider award 11 times.
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.
ROSALLION (Sean Levey) won the St James’s Palace Stakes last year for trainer Richard Hannon and presents as favourite in the Queen Anne this year. ROSALLION has started only once since winning at Royal Ascot last year, finishing third in the G1 Lockinge Stakes (1600m) behind LEAD ARTIST and DANCING GEMINI. ROSALLION is likely to improve off that run and is a win and place chance.
The Lockinge win by LEAD ARTIST (Colin Keane) was a career-best when he stayed on to beat DANCING GEMINI in a tight finish. If he can reproduce that effort, LEAD ARTIST is a place chance.
DANCING GEMINI (Kieran Shoemark) hit the front in the Lockinge but could not hold off LEAD ARTIST in the closing stages. He was an easy winner of his two previous runs this year and is also a place chance along with NOTABLE SPEECH (William Buick), who won the Sussex Stakes last year and was third in the Breeder’s Cup Mile in November.
American miler CARL SPACKLER (James McDonald) has won three times at Group 1 level over this distance and last start won the Maker’s Mark Mile at Keenland in April. CARL SPACKLER has been purchased by Yulong Investments and has his first start for Australian trainer Ciaron Maher after formally being trained by Chad Brown in the US. He is a place chance.
The King Charles III Stakes is carded as S1-3 and run over 1000m at 10.40pm.
This race was won last year by Australian mare ASFOORA from REGIONAL, with BELIEVING running an unlucky fourth and these three rivals return to the fray this year.
BELIEVING (Ryan Moore) has been consistent in Europe’s best sprint races and trainer George Boughey was finally rewarded with a Group 1 victory in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan in April. She is a run-on sprinter and is my win and place selection.
ASFOORA (Oisin Murphy) won in the R N Irwin Stakes at Morphettville in April and finished seventh in the G1 Robert Sangster Stakes before leaving Australia. She has been in good form in training and is a place chance under Oisin, who rode her to victory twelve months ago.
REGIONAL (Callum Rodriguez) was runner-up in this race last year and resumed in Meydan in April running third to BELIEVING. He is a consistent sprinter for trainer Edward Bethell and is a place chance along with MGHEERA (William Buick), who won the G2 Temple Stakes over the straight course at Haydock last month and is undefeated this year.
The G1 St James’s Palace Stakes is carded as S1-4 and will be run at 11.20pm for three-year-olds over the round mile course. This is an incredibly exciting race this year with the winners of the English, French and Irish Guineas clashing.
FIELD OF GOLD (Colin Keane) ran home strongly to finish an eye-catching second in the English Guineas before proving his superiority over his rivals at The Curragh, winning the Irish Guineas. FIELD OF GOLD is my win and place selection to give John Gosden his fourth win in the race and his first in partnership with son Thady.
RULING COURT (William Buick) beat FIELD OF GOLD at Newmarket when forced to help set the speed and trainer Charlie Appleby believes he will be an even better horse sitting off the pace. RULING COURT was withdrawn from the Derby at Epsom on ground concerns but is a place chance.
Aidan O’Brien is searching for his 10th win in this race this century having won it for the first time in 2000 with GIANT’S CAUSEWAY. He is represented by French Guineas winner HENRI MATISSE (Ryan Moore), who won the race at Longchamp in race record time in a driving finish from JONQUIL and stable-mate CAMILLE PISSARRO, who then won the French Derby.
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