Stradivarius aims for three in a row
The three-year-olds and the stayers take centre stage on day three at Royal Ascot.
Four of the seven races are to be contested by the three-year-olds, of which three are handicaps, while Stradivarius will look to become just the third horse in history to win three Gold Cups in a row.
Golden Gates Handicap
The only “new” event on the Thursday card is the Golden Gates Handicap (1m 2f) for the three-year-olds.
Richard Hughes rode 31 winners at the meeting during his many years in the saddle, including Group 1 wins aboard the likes of Paco Boy (Desert Style), Canford Cliffs (Tagula), Sky Lantern (Red Clubs), Toronado (High Chaparral) and Sole Power (Kyllachy).
However, he’s yet to score a Royal Ascot winner as a trainer. That may change here with Maori Knight (Camelot).
A winner of a Chelmsford mile maiden by five lengths in February, he was beaten a head upon his reappearance at Haydock over this trip.
This is a tougher race, but he also gets right down in the weights and the bigger field should suit him too. He will look to give young gun David Egan a second Royal Ascot winner as a rider.
From an Australian perspective, keep an eye on Laser Show (New Approach). The gelding is out of Entertains (Street Cry), a Sydney winner who finished second in the Aspiration Quality (Gr 3, 1600m) in 2015; she is a three-quarter sister to two-time Australian Group 1 winner Trekking (Street Cry).
Wolferton Stakes
No race has stamped itself as a launching pad to Australia like the Wolferton Stakes (Listed, 1m 2f), which changed from a handicap to set weights and penalties in 2018.
Last year’s quinella Addeybb (Pivotal) and Magic Wand (Galileo) both won Group 1 races in Australia this season, while recent winners to relocate to Australia include Snoano (Nayef), Sir Isaac Newton (Galileo), Contributer (High Chaparral) and Gatewood (Galileo). Also heading to Australia after a Wolferton start were Yucatan (Galileo), Mirage Dancer (Frankel), Captain Cook (Dubawi) and Oceanographer (Sea The Stars).
Group 1 and Group 2 winners over the past year are unable to run, meaning that it is an ideal race for those still on an upward spiral.
Group 1-performed four-year-olds Fox Tal (Sea The Stars) and Sir Dragonet (Camelot) head the market, but it might be worth taking them on with Regal Reality (Intello), a five-year-old who steps out as a gelding for the first time.
He wouldn’t want the ground to turn too much, but if he can get a suitable surface, he looks a terrific play here on the basis of his runs behind Enable (Nathaniel) and Japan (Galileo) last year.
Also stepping out here is Dream Castle (Frankel), who beat one runner home from two starts in Melbourne last spring but has found form again in Dubai since, and Dubai Warrior (Dansili), out of the Australian-bred South African Group 1 winner Mahbooba (Galileo)
Jersey Stakes
Speaking of Mahbooba, her main rival during Dubai’s fillies features in 2011 was her stablemate Reem (Galileo). A Warwick Farm winner from five Australian starts to begin her career, she won the Al Bastakiya (Listed, 1900m) at Meydan in 2011.
So what does that have to do with the Jersey Stakes (Gr 3, 7f)? This year’s favourite for the three-year-old contest is the unbeaten King Leonidas (Kingman), who is out of Reem.
He can’t have done much more in his two starts to date and he looks to have the right progressive profile to take this race.
However, it might be worth looking to Monarch Of Egypt (American Pharoah), who will be looking to become the first Royal Ascot winner for an American Triple Crown winner since Rhapsodist (Affirmed) in 1998.
Although beaten comfortably in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) by Siskin (First Defence), the drop back in trip should suit and there’s no doubt this is an easier assignment.
Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell operation is having a strong Royal Ascot and Molatham (Night Of Thunder) is a contender, while Mystery Power (No Nay Never) looks overpriced.
Chesham Stakes
It’s rare that the juveniles get the chance to step out to seven furlongs only two weeks after their season has started, but that’s the case in this year’s Chesham Stakes (Listed, 7f).
It’s a race that has been won by horses like Maybe (Galileo), Churchill (Galileo) and Pinatubo (Shamardal), all who went on to Group 1 wins, but it also has been a race that has had its fair share of substandard winners.
This shapes as a tremendous battle between Godolphin and Coolmore, who send out Modern News (Shamardal) and Battleground (War Front) respectively.
Slight preference is for Battleground, the first foal out of Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m) and Breeders’ Cup Turf (Gr 1, 12f) winner Found (Galileo). He finished off strongly at Naas on debut and the step up to seven furlongs so quickly looks to be a real positive. He’ll be coming home strongly late.
Modern News has claims too, while Golden Flame (Golden Horn) appears best of the rest.
Gold Cup
Royal Ascot’s oldest race, the Gold Cup (2m 4f), could be set to welcome a new member to an exclusive club should Stradivarius (Sea The Stars) make it three on the trot.
Stradivarius will be aiming to create history by becoming just the third horse to win the Gold Cup three times in succession, joining Sagaro (Espresso) and Yeats (Sadler’s Wells).
On the face of his form, it’s hard to see him being beaten, even though he has tasted defeat at his last two starts after going two years unbeaten.
His first-up effort in the Coronation Cup (Gr 1, 1m 4f) at Newmarket was good under the circumstances; he looked in need of a truer staying test and he was simply unable to match Ghaiyyath (Dubawi), who was so dominant on the speed.
Among his rivals here are 2018 Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) winner Cross Counter (Teofilo) and two-time Melbourne Cup placegetter Prince Of Arran (Shirocco). They look to have something to find on their recent form.
If there is one who can fill the quinella spot at a big price, it is Withhold (Champs Elysees). He’s far from straightforward, he’s a noted bleeder, but he is game and it wouldn’t surprise to see him plugging on for a place.
Britannia Stakes
The Britannia Stakes is known in Hong Kong, only half-jokingly, as the ‘Hong Kong Graduation Stakes’, given its penchant for producing horses that will eventually head to Sha Tin.
In recent years, Roca Tumu (Footstepsinthesand), Born In Bombay (Shamardal) and Defrocked (Lope De Vega) struck varying levels of success in Hong Kong – under the names Beauty Flame, Born In China and Limitless respectively. A slew of horses who have finished behind the winner have also been sold to continue their careers in Asia.
However, it has also produced a number of horses destined for Australia.
Last year’s winner Biometric (Bated Breath) has had two starts in Australia for David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig, while others to head down under after contesting this race include Bow Creek (Shamardal), Wall Of Fire (Canford Cliffs), Pacodali (Paco Boy) and Folkswood (Exceed And Excel).
It does seem the right race to produce horses for this side of the world – they are generally less exposed and their handicap mark ensures they can progress once in their new home, they are proven in big fields, and have that mix of speed and stamina that is so potent.
Incredibly, the Godolphin blue has never tasted success in this race, although the Darley colours were worn to victory by Plan-B (Polish Precedent) in 1998.
However, they have three strong contenders this year in the John Gosden-trained Verboten (No Nay Never), Charlie Appleby’s Path Of Thunder (Night Of Thunder) and Dubai Mirage (Dubawi) for Saeed Bin Suroor.
Path Of Thunder, who steps out as a first-time gelding, hasn’t raced since a handy win on the Newmarket July course over seven furlongs last year. He should see out the mile and he looks well-weighted.
Finest Sound (Exceed And Excel) can give Simon and Ed Crisford the first Royal Ascot win for a training partnership. He is likely to start favourite after a big return win at Haydock. He’s the main danger.
Sandringham Stakes
The second of the traditional three-year-old handicaps is for the fillies, the Sandringham Stakes (1m). The most notable winner from an Australian perspective in recent years is the Wesley Ward-trained Con Te Partiro (Scat Daddy), who has become a two-time Group 1 winner for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in Sydney this season.
Like the Britannia, this looks a potentially more competitive affair than usual with a number of horses who would have reached a higher handicap mark in a regular season.
Perhaps trainer Charlie Fellowes can strike with Onassis (Dubawi) at a price. Well-bred and well-named, being out of Jacqueline Quest (Rock Of Gibraltar), first past the post in the 2010 running of the 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m), Onassis is a half-sister to the late Line Of Duty (Galileo), winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (Gr 1, 1m) in 2018.
Onassis looked like she would relish a mile as a juvenile, winning the last of six starts as a two-year-old at Newcastle. She has no weight on her back, receiving almost nine kilograms from the top-weight Dubai Love (Night Of Thunder), and she looks a handy each-way play.
African Dream (Oasis Dream) looks a deserved favourite for John Gosden and Gestut Ammerland. She’s right down in the weights, she’s drawn the right spot, she looks progressive and she has the benefit of a run under her belt. She should be hard to beat.
Andrew Hawkins’ Royal Ascot Day 3 selections
Golden Gates Handicap – #15 Maori Knight
Wolferton Stakes – #12 Regal Reality
Jersey Stakes – #9 Monarch Of Egypt
Chesham Stakes – #1 Battleground
Gold Cup – #4 Stradivarius
Britannia Stakes – #11 Path Of Thunder
Sandringham Stakes – #14 Onassis