Jack Dawling
Royal Ascot starts with a trio of captivating Group 1 contests on day one including arguably the best race of the week, the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes.
The three-year-old generation’s best milers will go toe-to-toe on the Berkshire turf as Field Of Gold, Ruling Court and Henri Matisse take centre stage in the seven-runner contest.
While Ruling Court denied Field Of Gold in the season’s first British Classic, the G1 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, it is the latter who is set to arrive at Ascot as the warm favorite after he exploded to victory on his next outing in the G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh last month.
And don’t forget Henri Matisse, who represents the master trainer Aidan O’Brien and bids to record his fourth consecutive win after a narrow victory in the French equivalent of the 2,000 Guineas, the Poule d’Essai des Poulains at Longchamp.
Despite failing to reel in Ruling Court at Newmarket in May, Field Of Gold can make amends under Irish ace Colin Keane, who should have the leaders within reach turning for home.
NAP: R3 #6 Night Raider
Andrew Hawkins
As an Australian, day one is going to be significant to watch with an eye to the future.
While Asfoora aims to achieve what Takeover Target could not – winning the G1 King Charles III Stakes twice – attention will turn to the final three races and the clues that may be unveiled for the Australian spring.
The Ascot Stakes over 2m 4f and the Copper Horse Stakes over 1m 6f have both revealed Melbourne Cup contenders in the past, particularly for Willie Mullins – think Vauban, Absurde, Thomas Hobson, Simenon – and there is every chance they will do so again.
This year, it is the Ascot Stakes that looks the most likely pathway. Mullins’ Triumph Hurdle hero Poniros has already been earmarked as a potential Melbourne Cup candidate while his stablemate Reaching High could become another Cup contender for King Charles; the monarch already has Gilded Water in training with Ciaron Maher in Melbourne, but his Royal Ascot winner Desert Hero is set to be sold in New Zealand in the weeks ahead.
The Wolferton has also been a pointer for Australian bettors in the past – between 2012 and 2019, six of eight Wolferton winners raced down under including Group 1 winners Contributor and Addeybb while the last few years has produced Australian feature victors like Buckaroo, Sir Dragonet, Magic Wand and Mirage Dancer.
NAP: R5 #20 Poniros
David Morgan
Carl Spackler, an American having his first start for Australian trainer Ciaron Maher, brings international flavour to the Ascot opener, the G1 Queen Anne Stakes, a race that will hopefully bring clarity to Europe’s older miler division.
Lead Artist won the G1 Lockinge Stakes last time and six of the last 15 Queen Anne winners won that race. But the real intrigue is the fourth meeting between last season’s top three-year-old milers, Rosallion and Notable Speech: they were third and fourth in the Lockinge and are expected to improve.
Look out, too, for Aidan O’Brien’s Diego Velazquez: high-class at two, raced over farther at three, and victorious when tried back at a mile at his last start.
The Emir of Qatar loves a Royal Ascot winner and his Wathnan Racing has nine entered on day one, including Postmodern and Underwriter in the puzzle that is the G2 Coventry Stakes. Those colts are among 13 unbeaten two-year-olds among the 21 runners, with retained rider James Doyle opting for Postmodern.
Wathan recently bought Night Raider for the G1 King Charles III Stakes where Bucanero Fuerte has fair claims to give Ireland a rare win, which would be a first since Sole Power went back-to-back in 2014. Keep a sporting eye on Ascot specialist Manaccan, though, he’s returning from a 773-day absence and his ownership involves a trio of football stars from the 1970s and 1980s, Alan Brazil, Ossie Ardiles and Glenn Hoddle.
NAP: R1 #10 Rosallion
Royal Ascot begins Tuesday at 2:30pm (GMT). ∎
