More than any other day this week, the fourth course of Royal Ascot's feast is heavily-flavoured with Ballydoyle spice as the operation dominate the betting markets for the three biggest races of Friday afternoon with a trio of their very finest 3-year-olds. First up is the G1 Epsom Derby third Japan (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who could arguably turn out to be the stable's best middle-distance colt by the end of the season and looks an archetypal “banker” in the G2 King Edward VII S. If he delivers, the bookies have just minutes to prepare for another haemorrhage of their cash as 'TDN Rising Star' Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never) steps out for the G1 Commonwealth Cup. In a sequence of events that seems almost coordinated, then it falls on the G1 English and Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Hermosa (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to bring up a treble that will prove catastrophic for those who lay the odds.
Is Royal Ascot ever that simple? Standing in the way of Japan is the exciting Pondus (GB) (Sea the Moon {Ger}), while Ten Sovereigns has to deal with fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Jash (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Hermosa meets Juddmonte's thrilling prospect Jubiloso (GB) (Shamardal). That is leaving out several other high-class or potential high-class runners that are not here to just make up numbers, but Aidan O'Brien is accustomed to high-stakes poker play. Where Hermosa is concerned, judging what she achieved at Newmarket on May 5 and at The Curragh three weeks later is not entirely straightforward. One view is that the full-sister to the epically-tough Hydrangea (Ire) has yet to even reach her peak as a May foal, while the other is that she won a moderate renewal of the 1000 Guineas before exploiting a pace bias from a highly favourable draw in Kildare.
Whereas Hermosa satisfies the ardent form-follower in every way, 'TDN Rising Star' Jubiloso is a totally unexposed individual whose capabilities remain unknown. Successful over six furlongs on debut on Chelmsford's Polytrack Apr. 25, she went to Newbury for a seven-furlong novice contest May 17 and blitzed rivals who are fair performers and no more. What we do know from the limited evidence is that she is remarkably straightforward for one so inexperienced and relishes racing as did her dam Joyeuse (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). She came here six years ago to be third in the G3 Albany S. and is a half-sister to Frankel (GB), so to say that the sky is the limit for Jubiloso is not in any way outlandish.
Pretty Pollyanna (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is another who we know possesses star quality, as she proved when beating Angel's Hideaway (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) by seven lengths in the G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. which is possibly the finest piece of 2-year-old filly form from 2018. The Gredleys' homebred proved that she does stay a mile when second to Hermosa in the Irish Guineas and that was her seasonal debut so any amount of improvement is possible from the bay who also took the G1 Prix Morny.
Three times in the last eight years French-trained fillies have proven successful in the Coronation, but there is a general sense that Godolphin's unbeaten Castle Lady (Ire) (Shamardal) has to improve despite being a G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches winner. The homebred relative of Raven's Pass handled heavy ground when beating the subsequent G1 Prix de Diane runner-up Commes (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) in that May 12 ParisLongchamp Classic, has come a long way in a short space of time and has Polytrack form which counts for a lot here. Godolphin's Lisa-Jane Graffard commented, “Henri-Alex Pantall is very happy with Castle Lady. He feels that she has improved since the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and is at her optimum racing weight. The ground doesn't seem to be too much of an issue for her. She won on heavy last time out, but it was good in the Prix de la Grotte. It's a big test and it will be only be her fourth lifetime start, but she fully deserves to take her chance, having already won a Classic.”
While the lure of the Commonwealth Cup was not enough to draw Coolmore away from a tilt at the G1 2000 Guineas with Ten Sovereigns, last year's G1 Middle Park S. is still in attendance despite that spring diversion. His performance in a renewal of the May 4 Newmarket Classic rendered confusing due to another of the famous field splits that occur there from time to time was highly creditable and the fact that he was backed with real confidence beforehand suggests he has come through the winter the right way. “He travelled so well in the Guineas, he ran a great race but this was the trip he was very comfortable at last year so you'd imagine he'll be happy,” Aidan O'Brien commented. “He was still in front on his side in the Guineas until late on, having been up there all the way so we were actually delighted with him.”
Jaber Abdullah's Hello Youmzain (Fr) (Kodiac {GB}) has to be top-class on the evidence of his authoritative success in the May 25 G2 Sandy Lane S. at Haydock, even allowing for the fact that this race's long-time ante-post favourite Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}) failed to give his running. In contrast, one of his main opponents Jash was far from convincing when winning the seven-furlong Listed King Charles II S. on his seasonal bow at Newmarket May 18. Simon Crisford had been at pains to explain how long it had taken for the Shadwell representative to come to hand this year and the runner-up Azano (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) has since won the G3 Prix Paul de Moussac, so there could be a big leap up to come from the talented juvenile of 2018. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's second colours are sported by Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who also had the black cap on when taking Newbury's Listed Carnarvon S. over this trip May 18.
Angus Gold, their owner's racing manager, is intrigued by the duo. “Jash is a light-framed horse and normally they don't want it too soft,” he said. “He is an interesting horse. In my opinion, he doesn't look like an out-and-out sprinter as he is a big, long, leggy horse who looks to go over a distance of ground. He took a long time to come right this spring, so we have only been able to get one run into him and have not been able to experiment enough to say one way or the other. But he was only just beaten in the Middle Park last year, so I can't argue that he is not a six-furlong horse so we will see in the Commonwealth Cup if we are right about this trip or of we need to go further in time.
“I'm sure the race at Newmarket has brought him on. I'm sure Simon will say this as well, but he looked poor all spring and I was worried about him and he didn't look right when he ran. I saw him 10 days ago and he has absolutely turned a corner. He has blossomed in his coat and looks really well now. I'm sure he is in a better place now. Khaadem, for me, is bred to be a sharp horse and looks it. I think he is a talented horse. He is buzzy and we have just got to keep on top of him. I think Khaadem will handle a bit of easier ground–whether it stretches his stamina, that is another matter–but in terms of underfoot conditions he would handle that.”
Starting the card is the G3 Albany S., in which Wesley Ward looks to 'TDN Rising Star' Nayibeth (Carpe Diem) to give him the first winner of the week from his last representative. For the British, the terminology of “Keeneland maiden special weight” is by now accepted into the Ascot vernacular for they know that means prepare for a display of pace rarely seen before America's intrepid explorer started coming here. Merriebelle Stables and Dr Ramon Tallaj's half-sister to the GIII With Anticipation S.-winning sire Soldat certainly showed that Apr. 17 and there has been talk about her all week. Ward is doing nothing to dampen enthusiasm. “She's always been my favourite of all my 2-year-olds from when we started breezing them early on,” he said. Nayibeth faces Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa's Daahyeh (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}), who holds the distinction of having beaten Wednesday's G2 Queen Mary S. winner Raffle Prize (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}) in a Newmarket maiden over this trip on debut May 18.
Later in the afternoon, The Queen's Magnetic Charm (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) heads the weights for the Sandringham H. after William Haggas decided to bypass the G1 Coronation S. Her defeat of the Coronation protagonist Twist 'N' Shake (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in the Listed Michael Seely Memorial Fillies' S. at York May 17 represents strong form, but connections will want the ground to dry out as much as possible in the lead-up. “I've had no luck for Her Majesty the Queen at Royal Ascot yet, but to try to win a race there would be big stuff for us and we try hard to do so,” Haggas commented. “She won well at York and they put her up five pounds. I couldn't have her in better condition and that's my view. I liked her last year and she never really got her ground. She doesn't want it too soft, as she loves quick ground. She stays well, so hopefully they will go a good gallop.”
Sheikh Mohammed's vintage maroon-and-white silks will be sported in this by Sheikha Al Jalila's pair of Nonchalance (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Whimbrel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), with the latter particularly impressive when defying a wide draw to break her maiden over a quarter mile further on Chelmsford's Polytrack June 6.
In a twist on Thursday, Charlie Appleby confirmed Tuesday's G1 King's Stand S. hero Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) for Saturday's G1 Diamond Jubilee S. Bidding to emulate the remarkable feat of Choisir (Aus) in 2003, the 5-year-old was instantly promoted to favouritism after Appleby stated, “It was always in the back of our minds that we might do this, but we didn't want to say too much after Tuesday's race because we wanted to see how he came out of it. He was obviously entered in both races and he seems to have taken the King's Stand well. He had some light exercise this morning and looks great and has eaten up–he's doing all the things you'd want him to do if you're thinking about running again a few days later. After discussing it with His Highness, we decided we'd declare him and it still gives us another 48 hours to check everything is fine with the horse. We think he deserves to take his chance.”
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