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| Royal Kingdom - American superstar can add a Royal win to his tally at Ascot |
Last year’s Royal Ascot will be hard to live up to thanks to the exploits of Frankel and Black Caviar but Royal Ascot 2013 looks to have a great chance of proving equally as thrilling and exciting as twelve months ago.
Day one of the meeting is by far the best day in terms of the actual racing, with a staggering three consecutive Group 1 races to kick off the first day of the five day extravaganza followed by the Group 2 Coventry Stakes for two-year-olds.
With a dearth of top class racing, Tuesday definitely gets Royal Ascot off to a flying start, and here is a run down of the four Group races that will launch Royal Ascot 2013.
Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1)
Selected Best Odds:
Animal Kingdom 4/5 Declaration of War 8/1 Most Improved 12/1 Elusive Kate 16/1 Giofra 16/1 Gregorian 16/1 Aljamaaheer 20/1 Beauty Parlour 20/1 Sovereign Debt 20/1 Trade Storm 20/1 Side Glance 33/1 Trumpet Major 33/1
Won last year in scintillating fashion by the mighty Frankel, we’ll be lucky if we see a performance of that caliber this time around but with American superstar Animal Kingdom set to take his chance in the meeting’s opener we could still be in for some fireworks.
As things stand I’d be tempted to lay Animal Kingdom at a short price given that his best performances have all been away from turf, but if we get good, quick ground he could be very hard to beat and in Farhh’s absence it’s looking increasingly difficult to find a viable alternative to him.
He’s been consistently backed as if defeat is out of the question, even prior to Farhh’s withdrawal and the Kentucky Derby and Dubai World Cup hero could be set to add a Royal Ascot win to his already glittering resume.
Of his likely opposition here, Declaration Of War should be prove better than he showed in the Lockinge, fellow Ballydoyle inmate Most improved could be interesting on his first start for connections and Aljamaaheer has finally started to live up to his potential and could be best of the rest at a bigger price.
Recommendation: 1pt win Animal Kingdom @ 4/5 (888Sport)
Kings Stand Stakes (Group 1)
Selected Best Odds:
Shea Shea 5/2 Reckless Abandon 7/1 Sole Power 10/1 Swiss Spirit 10/1 Shamexpress 12/1 Kingsgate Native 14/1 Pearl Secret 14/1 Cristoforo Colombo 16/1 Mince 16/1 Rosdhu Queen 16/1 Spirit Quartz 16/1 Maarek 20/1 Slade Power 20/1
A race that never has a lack of international raiders and this year is no different.
I’m a big Reckless Abandon fan, as regular readers will know, and I think he ran a blinder drawn on the wrong side in the Temple Stakes a couple of weeks back.
He’s a previous Royal Ascot winner and a multiple winner at Group level as a two-year-old, he’s got bags of speed and will surely give a bold account, however he could have his work cut out for him living with Mike de Kock’s South African raider Shea Shea.
Shea Shea blitzed a high class international field in Dubai on World Cup night and Royal Ascot was instantly touted as his next major target. The Australians have a great record at Royal Ascot with sprinters and as a result Aussie raider Shamexpress is very much respected, while Sole Power never runs a bad race and should be there or thereabouts again.
Shea Shea looks the one to be on here though but given that he’s plenty short enough for a competitive sprint such as this and has never run in the UK before, I’m tempted to side with Reckless Abandon at a price that would still give you a modest return on your investment were he to place if you back him each-way.
Recommendation: 1pt e/w Reckless Abandon @ 7/1 (William Hill)
St. James Palace Stakes (Group 1)
Selected Best Odds:
Magician 13/8 Dawn Approach 7/4 Toronado 5/1 Glory Awaits 25/1 Mars 25/1 Mshawish 25/1 Dundonnell 33/1 Gale Force Ten 33/1 Garswood 33/1 George Vancouver 33/1 Mutin 33/1
A race that has very quickly developed in to arguably the race of the week, let alone the day, thanks to the dramatic late decision to run 2000 Guineas hero Dawn Approach.
Prior to the announcement of his intended participation on somewhat of a retrieval mission following his Derby capitulation I’d have said that Magician would be the one to beat. Aidan O’Brien’s charge was very impressive when winning the Irish 2000 Guineas and he’ll no doubt have some pacemakers in there for him to ensure he gets to run his race but at the current prices I’d say that Dawn Approach is blinding value.
He’ll have to be over his Derby exertions but providing his Epsom nightmare hasn’t left any lasting scars he is easily the best horse in the race, has the strongest form and is already a British classic winner at this distance. Magician will provide stiff opposition though, as could the re-opposing Toronado.
He didn’t exactly deliver in the 2000 Guineas when last seen but he’d previously looked top class, and although the Hannons do tend to make excuses when one of their stars is beaten, they were quick to insist he wasn’t right when thrashed by Dawn Approach and in light of him not being 100% at Newmarket he actually ran a pretty impressive race to end up where he did.
I’ve been banging the Dawn Approach drum for a long time now though and he helped make the first day of Royal Ascot for me last year when landing the Coventry. Although his Derby defeat is still a wound that will take time to heal I can’t bring myself to desert him and I remain confident he can go a long way to expunging that Derby disaster from people’s memories in the St. James Palace.
Recommendation: 1pt win Dawn Approach @ 7/4 (Bet365, Bet Victor)
Coventry Stakes (Group 2)
Selected Best Odds:
Stubbs 7/2 Coach House 6/1 Championship 7/1 Wahaab 7/1 War Command 9/1 Jallota 11/1 No Nay Never 11/1 Fountain of Youth 13/1 Saayerr 13/1 Sir John Hawkins 13/1 Astaire 15/1 Green Door 15/1 Lanark 15/1 Man Amongst Men 15/1 Thunder Strike 15/1 Mawfoor 17/1 Club Wexford 19/1
The race that Dawn Approach won last year could be won by another Irish raider that has plotted an almost identical course to Jim Bolger’s superstar on his way to this race.
Aidan O’Brien’s Stubbs has impressed me thus far and looks the one to beat already, even though there is still quite a lot of guesswork involved with establishing the juvenile pecking order at this point in the season.
Stubbs took the same listed race Dawn Approach landed prior to winning the Coventry last time out and had previously routed a twelve-strong field at Navan. He made his debut in the opening juvenile race of the Irish flat season where met defeat at the hands of the very useful looking Saburo, but seems to be progressing with every run and I think he’ll go very close here.
Dangers abound though, including potentially from his own yard Coach House, War Command and Sir John Hawkins but another juvenile that left a big impression on me was Richard Hannon’s Thunder Strike. He won really well at Epsom on the Derby undercard and the same trainer sent Olympic Glory out to chase Dawn Approach home last year and can saddle the biggest danger to an Irish raider again this year.
Recommendation: 1pt win Stubbs @ 7/2 (Coral)
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