Internationals Gather Ahead Of Ascot's Big Week

An intriguing element to the racing at Royal Ascot each year is the influx of overseas raiders which, until recently, has been spearheaded by Australian runners.

Challengers from down under are sadly thin on the ground this year, with the John O'Shea-trained Holler (Aus) (Commands {Aus}), winner of the G1 Canterbury S. in March, being the sole Australian representative as part of a significant international challenge from Godolphin's trainers around the world.

Welcome in their place, however, is a growing American contingent, perhaps encouraged by the success of Wesley Ward, who has won six races at the Royal meeting since 2009 and returns with last year's Diamond Jubilee S. winner Undrafted (Purim) and G2 Queen Mary S. winner Acapulco (Scat Daddy) along with a potential team of six juveniles. Included among the 2-year-olds is Keeneland winner Big City Dreamin (Iqbaal), who is set to run in Tuesday's listed Windsor Castle S. less than 24 hours after he is offered for auction at the Goffs London Sale at Kensington Palace.

Ward, who has had a select string of horses at Manton in Wiltshire since before the start of the British turf season, wasn't present in Newmarket for the annual press morning co-hosted by Ascot and Newmarket racecourses, but his fellow American-based trainers Graham Motion and Ganbat Enebish were on hand to discuss the merits of their Ascot challengers.

Motion, who knows British racing's headquarters well having grown up just outside Newmarket, returns to Ascot for a third time and will be attempting to have recent GI Maker's 46 Mile S. winner Miss Temple City (Temple City) primed for the big occasion after his filly ran a decent fourth, beaten just a length, in last year's G1 Coronation Cup. Her engagement this year is in Wednesday's G2 Duke Of Cambridge S., in which she is likely to face Andre Fabre's highly regarded Godophin filly Usherette (Ire) (Shamardal).

“I thought Miss Temple City ran very well at Royal Ascot last year. I discussed it with Sean [Feld, co-owner] and the team and we decided that we would like to come back. She needed to come out and run well first time out, which she did,” said Motion, who has stabled the filly at David Lanigan's stable in Lambourn alongside Mark Casse's multiple Grade 1 winner Tepin (Bernstein), an intended runner in Tuesday's G1 Queen Anne S. against the colts.

He continued, “We avoided running against Tepin in the States so I didn't want to come all the way over here and run against her. That's why we're going for the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes. Quite frankly, we want to run her in the race where she has the best chance.”

Motion, who won the GI Kentucky Derby and G1 Dubai World Cup with Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}), admitted that winning at Royal Ascot is “on my bucket list” and to help him in that aim he has engaged the services of world-class jockey Ryan Moore, who last year set a new record by riding nine winners at the meeting.

Motion added, “Miss Temple City is a bigger, stronger filly this year and her win against the boys last time was very impressive. I have also been impressed with her work since then.

“We discussed it and having a European rider was something we wanted this year. The straight mile can be very tricky. I think when we ran Animal Kingdom we probably didn't do it quite right. I would like to think we have learnt something each time we have come over and having Ryan Moore will be a huge asset.”

Moore, whose principal association is with Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle stable, said, “I am lucky to be riding for powerful stables and will have some nice rides [at Royal Ascot]. Miss Temple City is something to look forward to in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes.”

The British jockey will be reunited with his runaway G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner The Gurkha (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) on Tuesday in what is anticipated to be one of the most thrilling races of the meeting against the English and Irish 2000 Guineas winners Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) and Awtaad (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) in the G1 St James's Palace S.

Moore continued, “I think the St James's Palace Stakes and the Prince of Wales's Stakes are the two most exciting races of the week. Three Guineas winners take each other on in the St James's Palace Stakes which should be very exciting. You have to respect all three of them. The ground will play a part and we have to wait and see. I think The Gurkha should be able to handle both softer and faster ground.”

He added, “I haven't spoken to Aidan [O'Brien] yet about whether Found (Ire) runs in the Prince of Wales's Stakes. She ran well enough in the Coronation Cup at Epsom as they just cantered round for the first six furlongs which made it hard work. The Prince of Wales's looks a strong race with the Japanese challenger A Shin Hikari (Jpn) looking a high-class horse and Time Test (GB), who won well on his seasonal reappearance with a five-pound penalty.”

Moore's mounts are likely to include the unbeaten juvenile Caravaggio (Scat Daddy) in the G2 Coventry S., and Ascot Gold Cup favourite Order Of St George (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

One of the most colourful parties at the meeting will be the connections of GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Mongolian Saturday (Any Given Saturday), whose trainer Enebish Ganbat attended the press conference in Mongolian national dress.

His 6-year-old gelding is stabled at Newmarket's Abington Place in a yard adjacent to trainers Jane Chapple-Hyam and Mike de Kock and has reportedly settled in well to his new surroundings.

“Mongolian Saturday can be a bit of a nervous horse when he travels but has been okay on this trip,” said the trainer, who started out preparing endurance horses in his native country before progressing to Thoroughbreds and moving to Lexington.

“We are very happy to be here. It has been a long-standing plan to run our horse in England. It is a dream to be in the land that celebrates horses.

“Winning the Breeders' Cup was a special day. We wanted to win the race and we did it.”

Withdrawn from the G1 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai after a bout of colic, Mongolian Saturday continued his travels to Hong Kong, where he was beaten more than five lengths by star Australian sprinter Chautauqua (Aus) in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize. He will face the judge in Tuesday's G1 King's Stand S., in which he will be reunited with his Breeders' Cup partner Florent Geroux.

While the King's Stand is the big sprint on the opening day, the curtain comes down on Saturday with the six-furlong G1 Diamond Jubilee S. Holler will attempt to fly the flag for Godolphin in that race with Australian-based New Zealander James McDonald flying in to take the ride.

“You have a good Royal Ascot and you have a good season and if you have a tough Royal Ascot, you have a tough season,” said Godolphin's Racing Manager and Chief Executive John Ferguson while highlighting that the meeting is the most important one of the year for his boss, Sheikh Mohammed.

“John O'Shea has been very successful in Australia and has a horse who is worthy of coming to Royal Ascot,” Ferguson noted. “John is a realist and understands the scale of the competition but believes Holler should be here to take his chance and that is exactly what he is going to do.”

O'Shea is not alone in attempting to give the Godolphin supremo a memorable week. As well as the operation's two Newmarket-based retained trainers Charlie Appleby and Saeed Bin Suroor, an array of Godolphin runners will be saddled through the week by Andre Fabre, John Gosden, Eoin Harty, Richard Hannon, Roger Varian, Jim Bolger, Willie McCreery, Mark Johnston and Richard Fahey.

Ferguson is particularly looking forward to the return of Emotionless (Ire) (Shamardal), who has the unenviable task of facing the three Guineas winners in the St James's Palace.

He said, “Emotionless showed everybody what a good horse he is when winning the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, and I may be biased, but I thought it was the most impressive performance by a 2-year-old last year.

“He then disappointed in the Dewhurst but came back lame and had knee chips. He is a very big powerful horse and going into the spring, Charlie [Appleby] was happy with him. Approaching the Guineas, he gave Charlie the indication that he was well but he wasn't pinging. Charlie spoke to Sheikh Mohammed and we came to the conclusion that the Guineas was not the right thing for him.”

He concluded, “Emotionless has been given time and the team could not be happier with him now. He looks really well and I think he will acquit himself well. We have asked John Gosden to run Cymric as a pacemaker. There are three Guineas winners in the race so it is a contest that deserves massive respect but I think there are four horses in with a chance of winning it.”

Perhaps, however, the biggest hope for a Godolphin winner comes from another Shamardal representative, Usherette.

Ferguson said of the 4-year-old filly who has been beaten just once in six starts, “I just love talking to Andre Fabre about Usherette as he gets the biggest smile on his face and it makes the rest of the conversation very easy.”

A victory for the homebred next Wednesday will ensure that Andre Fabre is not the only one smiling.