Royal Ascot lived up to expectations on a superb opening day with a string of spectacular Group 1 performances in stunning weather by DOCKLANDS, AMERICAN AFFAIR and FIELD OF GOLD.
DOCKLANDS won his first Group 1 with Queen Anne Stakes (1600m) success for Harry Eustace and Mark Zahra with a wonderful display which had strong links to Hong Kong. DOCKLANDS under-performed behind VOYAGE BUBBLE in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) in December, but he returned to form with a vengeance to claim his second win at Royal Ascot due to a great training performance by Harry.
Harry hails from one of British racing’s most eminent families and it was fantastic to see him share this triumphant occasion with his younger brother David, who is thriving as a first-season trainer in Hong Kong.
AMERICAN AFFAIR gave Scottish trainer Jim Goldie his first Group 1 victory with success in the King Charles III Stakes (1006m) – formerly the King’s Stand Stakes – under veteran jockey Paul Mulrennan in another remarkable Royal Ascot first.
The performance of the day came from FIELD OF GOLD in the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes (1600m), providing John Gosden with his fourth win in the race and his first in partnership with son Thady. Superbly ridden by Colin Keane the Irish Guineas winner is by KINGMAN, who had also won this race in 2014 for John Gosden, and FIELD OF GOLD amplified his already considerable stud value as a future stallion with a three-and-a-half length margin.
In a battle of the English, French and Irish Guineas winners, FIELD OF GOLD was clearly superior and showed his immense class to beat French Guineas winner HENRI MATISSE and English Guineas victor RULING COURT in resounding fashion.
Rarely out of the winners’ circle at Royal Ascot, Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore combined with Gstaad to win the prestigious G2 Coventry Stakes (1200m) with a searing demonstration of power and speed.
The feature race at Royal Ascot tonight is the G1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, which is carded as S2-4 and will be run over 2005m at 11.20pm.
In winning the Tattersall’s Gold Cup last start, LOS ANGELES (Ryan Moore) remarkably became a Group 1 winner in each of his two-year-old, three-year-old and four-year-old seasons. In the Tattersall’s Gold Cup, he was challenged by ANMAAT but drew away at the finish. LOS ANGELES looks the horse to beat for master trainer Aidan O’Brien and he is my win and place selection.
ANMAAT (Jim Crowley) won the Champion Stakes over this course and distance last October beating CALANDAGAN. He resumed with an excellent effort when runner-up to LOS ANGELES at The Curragh and he is a place chance.
OMBUDSMAN (William Buick) was unbeaten in four starts as a three-year-old, culminating in a Group 3 win in France. He resumed with an encouraging second behind ALMAQAM at Sandown on 25 May. OMBUDSMAN is a place chance.
MAP OF STARS (James Doyle) was second in the Prix Ganay to SOSIE in a close finish and he is also place chance for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard.
The feature race on Thursday night (19 June) is the Gold Cup, which is carded as S3-4 and run over 3991m at 11.20pm.
Aidan O’Brien has won this race nine times and looks to add a tenth this year with ILLINOIS who, as a four-year-old, represents the dominant age group in the recent history of this race, with eight victories from the past 12 renewals.
ILLINOIS (Ryan Moore) resumed with a strong staying performance in the G3 Ormonde Stakes at Chester last month, comfortably beating AL QAREEM and ABSURDE. Ryan takes the ride and is chasing his fifth win in the race and ILLINOIS a win and place chance.
TRAWLERMAN (William Buick) was second in this race last year to superstar stayer KYPRIOS, getting within a length of the winner with a big margin back to third. TRAWLERMAN easily won the G3 Henry II Stakes at Sandown on 29 May. John Gosden has won this race four times, including two years ago in partnership with his son Thady, and TRAWLERMAN is also a win and place chance.
The last French-trained winner of the race was WESTERNER in 2005 and CANDELARI (Mickael Barzalona) is a lightly-raced four-year-old who won Europe’s newest Group 1race, the Prix Vicomtesse Vigier (3000m) at Longchamp on 25 May.
CANDELARI is a place chance along with SWEET WILLIAM (Robert Havlin), while WONDER LEGEND (Daniel Muscutt) – who is raced by Hong Kong owner Bon Ho – is in good form, having won the All-Weather Championships Marathon Handicap (3251m) at his most recent start.
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