Euro sharpie Simon Holt previews Day One of Royal Ascot
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from Sporting Life:
The Queen Anne Stakes features just about the highest rated horse on the planet in Gladiatorus who ran away with the Dubai Duty Free at Nad al Sheba on Dubai World Cup night.
This is a fascinating horse making his debut in this country, and it's also his first run too for Saeed bin Suroor. If he can repeat that performance where he beat Presvis, Alexandros and Paco Boy he'll take an enormous amount of beating.
However, the form of the Godolphin team is a little bit of a concern. Another horse who won on Dubai World Cup night, Eastern Anthem, was very disappointing on his first run since then and so there has to be a slight doubt whether he will repeat that performance.
The track is also an issue. Nad al Sheba is a turning track and he's running over the straight mile here. He also tends to go off in front but he'll need to stay on really strongly at the finish in this.
On his best form he's the one to beat and he's likely to start favourite.
Paco Boy renews rivalry and he had a bad draw in the Duty Free and probably had little chance of staying a mile and a furlong.
His ability to stay a mile is still slightly uncertain after his fourth in the Lockinge Stakes last time out, though he apparently had an excuse for that defeat.
On his best form, which includes victories in some top races, then he's got an excellent chance with his very fine turn of foot.
However, I think the Godolphin second-string Alexandros is a big price at around 9-1. He was just narrowly beaten by Virtual in the Lockinge and had Paco Boy back in fourth.
He can't really beat Gladiatorus on their running in the Dubai Duty Free but there was something a bit freakish about that whole race and Alexandros has done little wrong since then.
Sir Michael Stoute's Main Aim is stepping up in class but has done very little wrong so far this season and beat Beacon Lodge in a Haydock Group Three last time out, who was a winner over in France at the weekend.
He is stepping up to Group One company for the first time though.
It's a fascinating race and I'd have a tentative each-way bet on Alexandros.
Both of the top sprints at Royal Ascot this year look tremendous races and first up it's the King's Stand Stakes over five furlongs.
It features another of these Australian challengers that have done so well at Royal Ascot in recent years, Scenic Blast, who like Miss Andretti and Takeover Target before him, won the Lightning Stakes, a Grade One at Flemington in January.
He's one of the leading sprinters in Australia, seems to be very consistent, and if he can run up to the level of some of his predecessors that have come over from Down Under he should go very well indeed.
He is drawn quite moderately in stall 15 on the wide outside, and is a little bit away from the pace over there, but he's likely to be a big threat to all.
Tax Free, trained by Dandy Nicholls, comes into the race in good form having won two from three starts this season. However, he has run in the King's Stand twice before and been pretty well beaten so he's tended to be exposed at the highest level.
I would prefer the likes of Fleeting Spirit and Amour Propre.
The former was third in this race last year having been very impressive first time out at Haydock when slamming Borderlescott in the Temple Stakes.
This time she comes into the race fresh very much by design and she maintained a very good level of form in her last two starts last season. She's got a big chance.
She's drawn in stall one near the stands rail, and we're not really sure where the best place is going to be. I agree with Henry Candy's observation that Amour Propre from stall six will give Dane O'Neill a few options.
He's a real flying machine and was very impressive indeed first time out at Newmarket this season. He probably needs to step up on the bare bones of that form but the manner of his victory couldn't have been more taking.
He was a winner at the course on his final start last campaign too, and while on form he's got one or two pounds to make up, I think he can get there. He's very quick indeed.
Borderlescott is sure to run his usual sound race, I see him been thereabouts, and the South African challenger Mythical Flight is no slouch either.
He was having his first run for a long time first time out, he's run well overseas in Singapore and Hong Kong, and on one occassion in South Africa he wasn't beaten very far by a horse called War Artist who ran very well here last season.
However, it's Amour Propre for me.
I think Mastercraftsman will take all the beating in the St James' Palace Stakes. He was fifth in the 2000 Guineas, behind Delegator who reopposes, but went onto win the Irish version in very heavy ground.
That didn't suit Delegator who was a very disappointing eighth behind Mastercraftsman, but the way Aidan O'Brien's horses tend to progress I think it would be unwise to take their placings in the 2000 Guineas at face value.
I'm sure Mastercraftsman had room for improvement where as Delegator had a run going into the Guineas.
I think Mastercraftsman will have improved past Delegator now, even if they are renewing rivalry on fairer ground conditions.
Mastercraftsman has form on fast ground and on soft and he looks a rattling good colt with an excellent attitude. He'll want a good gallop here though, and that would be just a small concern but it looks as though O'Brien has a couple in there to make sure they don't hang about.
It's hard to see any of the others winning, though Evasive is a promising horse who ran sixth in the 2000 Guineas. There were fears beforehand he may struggle to stay the stiff mile and so it proved, though he didn't have the best of preparations going into the race.
It is interesting that Sir Michael Stoute pitches him in here when he would've had the Jersey Stakes at his mercy.
Intense Focus won the Dewhurst Stakes last season, with Delegator back in fifth. On that form he would have a leading chance though he was disappointing on his reappearance.
Mastercraftsman looks a worthy favourite.
The last three races look pretty tricky. Canford Cliffs is likely to go off a pretty short price in the Coventry Stakes after his impressive debut win for the Richard Hannon team.
It looks too wide open though and I don't think there will be a lot of value in the likely favourite.
Likewise, in the Ascot Stakes, there are a lot of handicappers who seem to be right on the correct mark and with nothing appearing to be progressing I think it might be a tough race to find the winner of.
However, in the Windsor Castle Stakes there might be a big field but I was much taken with Mister Manannan last time out at Pontefract.
He was a wide-margin winner there and had earlier run very green first time out. The form of the Pontefract race seems to be working out, with the runner-up winning since and he looks a really smart two-year-old for the David Nicholls team.
I'm sure he's going to run a big race.
The Queen Anne Stakes features just about the highest rated horse on the planet in Gladiatorus who ran away with the Dubai Duty Free at Nad al Sheba on Dubai World Cup night.
This is a fascinating horse making his debut in this country, and it's also his first run too for Saeed bin Suroor. If he can repeat that performance where he beat Presvis, Alexandros and Paco Boy he'll take an enormous amount of beating.
However, the form of the Godolphin team is a little bit of a concern. Another horse who won on Dubai World Cup night, Eastern Anthem, was very disappointing on his first run since then and so there has to be a slight doubt whether he will repeat that performance.
The track is also an issue. Nad al Sheba is a turning track and he's running over the straight mile here. He also tends to go off in front but he'll need to stay on really strongly at the finish in this.
On his best form he's the one to beat and he's likely to start favourite.
Paco Boy renews rivalry and he had a bad draw in the Duty Free and probably had little chance of staying a mile and a furlong.
His ability to stay a mile is still slightly uncertain after his fourth in the Lockinge Stakes last time out, though he apparently had an excuse for that defeat.
On his best form, which includes victories in some top races, then he's got an excellent chance with his very fine turn of foot.
However, I think the Godolphin second-string Alexandros is a big price at around 9-1. He was just narrowly beaten by Virtual in the Lockinge and had Paco Boy back in fourth.
He can't really beat Gladiatorus on their running in the Dubai Duty Free but there was something a bit freakish about that whole race and Alexandros has done little wrong since then.
Sir Michael Stoute's Main Aim is stepping up in class but has done very little wrong so far this season and beat Beacon Lodge in a Haydock Group Three last time out, who was a winner over in France at the weekend.
He is stepping up to Group One company for the first time though.
It's a fascinating race and I'd have a tentative each-way bet on Alexandros.
Both of the top sprints at Royal Ascot this year look tremendous races and first up it's the King's Stand Stakes over five furlongs.
It features another of these Australian challengers that have done so well at Royal Ascot in recent years, Scenic Blast, who like Miss Andretti and Takeover Target before him, won the Lightning Stakes, a Grade One at Flemington in January.
He's one of the leading sprinters in Australia, seems to be very consistent, and if he can run up to the level of some of his predecessors that have come over from Down Under he should go very well indeed.
He is drawn quite moderately in stall 15 on the wide outside, and is a little bit away from the pace over there, but he's likely to be a big threat to all.
Tax Free, trained by Dandy Nicholls, comes into the race in good form having won two from three starts this season. However, he has run in the King's Stand twice before and been pretty well beaten so he's tended to be exposed at the highest level.
I would prefer the likes of Fleeting Spirit and Amour Propre.
The former was third in this race last year having been very impressive first time out at Haydock when slamming Borderlescott in the Temple Stakes.
This time she comes into the race fresh very much by design and she maintained a very good level of form in her last two starts last season. She's got a big chance.
She's drawn in stall one near the stands rail, and we're not really sure where the best place is going to be. I agree with Henry Candy's observation that Amour Propre from stall six will give Dane O'Neill a few options.
He's a real flying machine and was very impressive indeed first time out at Newmarket this season. He probably needs to step up on the bare bones of that form but the manner of his victory couldn't have been more taking.
He was a winner at the course on his final start last campaign too, and while on form he's got one or two pounds to make up, I think he can get there. He's very quick indeed.
Borderlescott is sure to run his usual sound race, I see him been thereabouts, and the South African challenger Mythical Flight is no slouch either.
He was having his first run for a long time first time out, he's run well overseas in Singapore and Hong Kong, and on one occassion in South Africa he wasn't beaten very far by a horse called War Artist who ran very well here last season.
However, it's Amour Propre for me.
I think Mastercraftsman will take all the beating in the St James' Palace Stakes. He was fifth in the 2000 Guineas, behind Delegator who reopposes, but went onto win the Irish version in very heavy ground.
That didn't suit Delegator who was a very disappointing eighth behind Mastercraftsman, but the way Aidan O'Brien's horses tend to progress I think it would be unwise to take their placings in the 2000 Guineas at face value.
I'm sure Mastercraftsman had room for improvement where as Delegator had a run going into the Guineas.
I think Mastercraftsman will have improved past Delegator now, even if they are renewing rivalry on fairer ground conditions.
Mastercraftsman has form on fast ground and on soft and he looks a rattling good colt with an excellent attitude. He'll want a good gallop here though, and that would be just a small concern but it looks as though O'Brien has a couple in there to make sure they don't hang about.
It's hard to see any of the others winning, though Evasive is a promising horse who ran sixth in the 2000 Guineas. There were fears beforehand he may struggle to stay the stiff mile and so it proved, though he didn't have the best of preparations going into the race.
It is interesting that Sir Michael Stoute pitches him in here when he would've had the Jersey Stakes at his mercy.
Intense Focus won the Dewhurst Stakes last season, with Delegator back in fifth. On that form he would have a leading chance though he was disappointing on his reappearance.
Mastercraftsman looks a worthy favourite.
The last three races look pretty tricky. Canford Cliffs is likely to go off a pretty short price in the Coventry Stakes after his impressive debut win for the Richard Hannon team.
It looks too wide open though and I don't think there will be a lot of value in the likely favourite.
Likewise, in the Ascot Stakes, there are a lot of handicappers who seem to be right on the correct mark and with nothing appearing to be progressing I think it might be a tough race to find the winner of.
However, in the Windsor Castle Stakes there might be a big field but I was much taken with Mister Manannan last time out at Pontefract.
He was a wide-margin winner there and had earlier run very green first time out. The form of the Pontefract race seems to be working out, with the runner-up winning since and he looks a really smart two-year-old for the David Nicholls team.
I'm sure he's going to run a big race.
Comments
I was at River Downs the day that Wesley Ward brought 5 horses to work at River Downs in between races at the turf course there. I have never seen this before at that track in 40 years. They rarely let horses work out there on the turf period let alone between races. Cannonball was very impressive as I think he ran 4 furlongs easily
in 45 and change the rest I think were all 2 year olds also headed to England. Cannonball though really stood out to me and I think he is a 4 year old running in the THE KING'S STAND STAKES. Just my observation.