Three days from the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice, Ascot's Greencoats will usher in the viewing public and professionals alike ahead of the arrival of the Royals and their Windsor Greys through those golden gates we all keep in our mind's eye. It is Royal Ascot once again and now more than ever this is the week that matters throughout Europe and beyond. According to the weather forecasters, the Berkshire stretch of land could be directly in the eye of a predicted thunderstorm on Tuesday afternoon and so there could be some meteorological drama alongside the metaphorical blood and thunder on the turf. Now that the going is inching towards good-to-firm, at least on the free-draining straight course, the reality of record times is not as far away as seemed possible at the weekend particularly with a kind cushion under the drying surface.
Tuesday sees the fastest race of the meeting take place, with none quicker at full pelt than Shadwell's extraordinary Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) who comes back to the G1 King's Stand S. with a more tangible air of positivity surrounding him than 12 months ago. Starting a huge day in the life of Charlie Hills, he is drawn wide away from last year's conqueror Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) who arguably sits at the head of Godolphin's formidable hand at the meeting. The high-class mare Mabs Cross (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}), Breeze Easy's Imprimis (Broken Vow) and Ballydoyle's 3-year-old Sergei Prokofiev (Scat Daddy) race in between the pair of sprinting impresarios.
Charlie Hills is facing the occasion with a degree of nervous excitement.
“Days don't come much bigger than Tuesday 18th of June for our yard,” he said. “In the space of 40 minutes, we will see Battaash, Equilateral and Phoenix of Spain run in the two big races of the day. All the horses appear to be in great form at home and those closest to each horse are very happy. They should all act on the ground, however, we hope the forecast thunder storms don't materialise too early in the afternoon. Bob, who looks after Battaash, has quite a big hoodoo to overcome as he has never led up a winner at Ascot–and he has taken some seriously good horses over the years including Battaash's sire Dark Angel. We really hope that tomorrow is the day he breaks it.”
TDN Rising Star Sergei Prokofiev makes up another intimidating massing force from Ballydoyle, who were off-kilter at last year's meeting with the virus infiltrating the customary smooth workings. The acquired 2017 G3 Jersey S. winner Le Brivido (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) kicks off the latest renewal for Aidan O'Brien in the G1 Queen Anne S.–one of the four Breeders' Cup Challenge Series “Win and You're In” races this week–before Arizona (Ire) (No Nay Never) bids to add his name to the expanding tome of Royal winners for the Rosegreen outfit in the G2 Coventry S. In many ways, the Coventry is the fascinating race of day one with so much at stake in bloodstock terms particularly where first-season sires are concerned. There are three represented in this year's edition, with Arizona's stablemate Royal Lytham (Fr) (Gleneagles {Ire}) the most fascinating of them based on his debut win at Navan 10 days previously.
O'Brien, who holds the record of eight winners of the Coventry, never gives too much away in his pre-race interviews and the support for Susan Magnier's eight-length Curragh maiden winner could be the best guide as to expectations of the stable's number one juvenile this week. This is a big Royal Ascot for No Nay Never, with Scat Daddy's reliable production of stand-out juveniles now a thing of the past.
“I've been very happy with him since his last run and he is a very straightforward colt,” the Ballydoyle handler said. “With the amount of improvement he showed from his first start to his second, you'd have to hope he can improve again.”
Cheveley Park Stud's tally of Royal 2-year-old winners stands at three and it is a long time since the last, Iceman (GB) (Polar Falcon), who took this race in 2004. Their TDN Rising Star Threat (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) oozed quality when winning on debut at Newmarket May 5 over a five-furlong trip that has to be the bare minimum based on his pedigree as a grandson of Shiva (Jpn) (Hector Protector) and he is one of those that could be a 2000 Guineas colt.
“I wasn't really sure what we were taking on and there weren't many runners in the race, but his homework has been exceptional and I think he might just be one of the best 2-year-olds we've had here for a while,” trainer Richard Hannon said. “I'm very hopeful–I love the horse and I think he is probably our best chance of the week.”
Dubawi (Ire) is truly one of the supersires at this meeting and his impressive statistics suggest that his TDN Rising Star Too Darn Hot (GB) will be hard to hold back in the feature G1 St James's Palace S.
Representing another strong Royal Ascot combination in John Gosden and Frankie Dettori, the Lloyd-Webbers' darling comes into his rematch with his G1 Irish 2000 Guineas conqueror Phoenix of Spain (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) on more of an even keel than he did in the May 25 Curragh Classic. There is a realistic suggestion that there was a pace bias operating that day and Tony Wechsler and Ann Plummer's imposing grey has a high draw to overcome as Jamie Spencer ponders a tactical quandary.
Charlie Hills said of Phoenix of Spain, “We've been pretty pleased with him since Ireland. We haven't done a lot with him, in truth, but he seems well in himself and is eating well and we've had no problems, so we'll see what he can do. I think he's well enough drawn in stall seven and I don't think the ground should be a problem. He seems fresh and he deserves to be there.”
Frankie Dettori is looking forward to getting back on Too Darn Hot and said, “Hopefully, we will see the old Too Darn Hot and I feel he still has got more to give. We have not seen the real him yet, but he looks well and he came out of the Irish race really well.”
Interestingly, Gosden has decided to let Lady Bamford's TDN Rising Star King of Comedy (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) take his chance alongside Too Darn Hot and the steadily-progressive homebred takes the same route as last year's hero Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) having won Sandown's Listed Heron S. May 23. He is one of two by his sire in the race alongside the well-regarded outsider Bell Rock (GB) and it would be no surprise if he comes to the fore to provide Kingman with another celebrity performer under another of this meeting's movers-and-shakers in Adam Kirby.
It is surprising that Royal Ascot's winning-most trainer Sir Michael Stoute has just one representative on day one, but the G1 Lockinge S. scorer Mustashry (GB) (Tamayuz {GB}) is some envoy for Freemason Lodge. Not clear favourite for the Queen Anne despite having readily accounted for John Dance's star mare Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), last year's winner Accidental Agent (GB) (Delegator {GB}), the 2018 G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hero Romanised (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Le Brivido in that May 18 feature, the reborn supremo miler could be about to stamp some authority on the division.
In the closing Listed Wolferton S., last year's impressive G2 Ribblesdale S. winner and all-round Group 1 performer Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire} gets upwards of five pounds from the colts and geldings who include TDN Rising Star Elarqam (GB) (Frankel {GB}). Back on track last time when winning the Listed Festival S. at Goodwood May 25, the colt his trainer once described as the “spitting image” of his dam Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}) is the key member of his sire's first-day representation.
One of the day's dark horses who could upgrade their profile is Ballydoyle's Van Beethoven (Scat Daddy) in the St James's Palace. While he is 100-1 coming here with recent uninspiring bare form figures having been fifth in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and seventh in the Irish Guineas, the G2 Railway S. winner showed a rare kick to be fourth and lead his group home in the Listed Windsor Castle S. at this meeting last year and looks as if he has been steadily building to another big effort.
Clerk of the course Chris Stickels gave an update on the ground on Monday.
“It's beautiful ground right now. It's a drying day today, with bright sunshine and a nice breeze. I can see it drying further before the first race,” he said. “This track drains incredibly well and I'm very pleased with how it's coped with last week's rain. The unfortunate thing is we're forecast a bit of rain on Tuesday afternoon–thunderstorms are forecast. So, no sooner will it dry out, I expect it to go back on the soft side again. The thunderstorms could continue on Tuesday night and into Wednesday. The nature of thunderstorms means they are hit and miss, so we're not guaranteed a huge amount of rain but it could deliver up to 12 millimetres or half an inch.”
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