The Royal Stud 2021

Some good comments from the trainers yesterday. Intelligentsia was a May 20th foal, so not even 26 months old now. She was originally not assigned to a trainer in the March issued Horses in Training book, but according to the BHA site went into training with Hughes on her 2nd birthday. As a late foal Hughes wasn't expecting too much too soon, but was surprised with her speed the first time he worked her. Next time up she did the same so though he had been expecting her to be a later horse decided there was no point in hanging around. Hughes is planning a next outing in a listed event in early September. He obviously thinks she's useful.

John Gosden said that RftM was one of his nicer 2yos and is likely to be aimed at the Solario, which he has won in the past with some nice horses. He also seemed to be saying he was a handful and that he needed to get him out. I'm assuming that is to keep the colt's mind on racing rather than other things. He did play up (that wonderful euphemism) at Royal Ascot.

 

At half way through the season how are the trainers doing?

Haggas 5runners, 3 winners and 6 wins; no 2yos entered yet
Bell 6r, 3 wnrs, 3 wins; one 2yo entered and a winner
Hughes 2r, 2 wnrs, 2 wins; one 2yo entered and won
Balding 2r, 2 wnrs, 2 wins; no 2yos entered
Stoute 3r, 1 wnr, 2 wins; no 2yos entered
Hannon 1r, 1 wnr, 1 win; no 2yos entered though Everyday has an October Sales race entry
Charlton 2r, 1 wnr, 1 win; no 2yos entered
Gosden 4r, 1wnr, 1 win; four 2yos entered, 2 have run and one has won

The Queen has had 18 wins this year (17 wins this 'flat' season). The class looks to be at the top and bottom of this table (Haggas and Gosden). With Gosden it is about the 2yos, with Haggas it is about a couple of 3yos so far. This could all change once other trainers start getting their 2yos out.

 

Gosden has two Royal 2yos running Thursday. The promising Dukedom at Sandown, with Dettori in the saddle, while Kieran O'Neil gets the ride on Park Street at Doncaster as he makes his debut

 

The 19th winner tonight with Just Fine winning a Class 3 handicap at Sandown. Seems to like faster going and should win again if not put up too much.

Dukedom reappears tomorrow at Sandown and is likely to be a short favourite. Will be disappointing if he doesn't score. Gallops reports have been positive.

At Doncaster Park Street makes his debut tomorrow evening. There's not really a form horse in the field but there's plenty of likely debutants from top yards. No real views from the gallops with this colt and it's worth mentioning he starts with a hood on his debut. I'd hope for a placed run.

 

Dukedom was disappointing and Park Street was almost as disappointing (but came across a hot 2yo). So far 5 2yo runners with 3 winners and everyone else placed: not a bed record.

Tomorrow Gosden plays his last 2yo card as Saga with Havlin in the plate makes his debut. I'd expect a positive display.

At Salisbury another newcomer, but this time a 3yo filly. Stimulate (trained by Bell) makes her belated debut in a 10f maiden. Her dam wasn't a bad filly and her first foal managed to win a small race. The Queen has maintained the S naming of the Aga Khan as this filly is from the family of his best S horse Shergar. Shergar's dam is Stimulate's 4th dam.

 

A double for The Queen and pleasingly Stimulate won first time out. You would not have believed this was a filly having her first run half way through her 2nd season. I'd hope she can go on from this. Like her mum, Shama, she's a tall filly and will be suited to galloping tracks. She can go on from this and may perhaps be a filly to keep in training as a 4yo if she goes the right way. Winner 21 for The Queen.
21 because no. 20 was scored by Reach for the Moon's full brother Chalk Stream 3 hours earlier at York. He led all the way and turned in his best performance so far.
Saga ran a perfectly satisfactory debut at Newmarket finishing second to what looked like a more polished Godolphin horse.
Things are looking up.

 

a good run for the royal team. On June 24th I posted that The Queen had had her 10th winner of the year. She now has had 21. 11 winners in a month is impressive.
Perhaps at last the efforts are paying off. The 2yos seem better than we've seen for some time. Many years she's had perhaps a handful of winners in a whole season. This year she's had only 6 runners and 3 winners. What of the rest? They can't all be slow coaches and Stoute and Haggas are yet to enter any of their Royal 2yo. It would be hard to believe that between them there isn't one useful 2yo..
Despite the disappointments of Wakening and Companionship (both entered for French classics just this spring) there have been a whole series of improving 3yos, such as Light Refrain, Wink of an Eye, Just Fine, Chalk Stream and Portfolio. We may see quite a few of them in the next month

 

Another double for the Royal colours and the Royal Stud. Wink of an Eye completes a 4-timer at Goodwood. Got home by half a length but I'm convinced this colt is 7lb better on good to firm. Meanwhile Tynwald made it 2 out of 2 at Bath, and very comfortably. So that's 23 winners and she looks certain to beat her record of 29 wins.

Both geldings, the strategy of gelding horses that will never be stallions seems to have been a success. Maybe the great Jack Colling was right.

Tactical seems a bit of a problem. I'm convinced he needs good or firmer ground. Maybe one for HK.

 

At last, another 2yo is entered. This is the seventh of the season and is called Improvise. Trained by Bell, she’s by Iffraaj out of a good racefilly called Set to Music. She arrived from the Aga Khan and improved rapidly as a 3yo to win 4 races including the listed Galtres Stakes, whilst also finishing 2nd in the Park Hill Stakes (Gp2). She won a further race as a 4yo before retiring to the Royal Stud. She hasn’t been a huge success so far and Improvise is her fifth living foal and (I hope) only her third to get to the track. The best, so far, was her full-brother, Eightsome Reel, who won twice and on his last start finished 4th at Royal Ascot. She’s entered at Kempton on Wednesday.

Also entered Wednesday, but at Yarmouth, is Saga. Hopefully he’ll improve for his first run. Light Refrain is entered in a Gp3 sprint at the Curragh on Sunday. Moore takes the ride and she must have a good chance.

Can’t help feeling Portfolio could have done better last week at Newmarket. At least she now has black type. My view is she can do better than this.

 

Big boost for Intelligentsia's win at Newbury as Majestic Glory (2nd) wins the Sweet Solera.

Educator is the eighth 2yo to be entered and also has an entry in the Champagne Stakes.

 

A mixed day for The Queen and the Royal Stud. Reach for the Moon's full brother Chalk Stream won his 3rd race (Class 4 Hcp) at Ripon this evening. Not the same class as his younger brother he at least has some ability and stays 12f. Earlier in the day Evaluation finished 4th of 6 in a Class 5 handicap at Wolverhampton.

Both are entered in Tattersalls' August sale. Perhaps one of them will be withdrawn.

Which brings me to Evaluation's dam Estimate. She retired to stud and was sent to Dubawi for her first 3 seasons. The first foal won 3 races but the rest have been pretty ordinary and really Calculation who won those races was not up to much. A change of approach is needed. Her 2yo is at least by Frankel (Transpire with Stoute) and the yearling is by Siyouni, but she needs to be sent to speedier sires. To sires that were at their best over 6f and 7f,

 

Looks as if Educator will be the 7th Royal 2yo to get to the track this year. He is entered for both a race on Friday and then the listed Washington Singer Stakes on Saturday. Along with Reach for the Moon he has been entered for Doncaster's Group 2 Champagne Stakes, so they must think something of him. He's the 2nd foal of the Dubawi mare Diploma who was listed (winning) class. Educator's full-sister Portfoilio (by Deep Impact) was placed as a 2yo but has now won two races as a 3yo and 10 days ago got some black type when 3rd in good listed event at Newmarket. She appears to stay 12f.
Let's hope Educator is even better. Marquand is marked up as the jockey for both races.

 

I was looking at Educator's entries and he is also entered in the Royal Lodge and Dewhurst. That seems encouraging.

Regarding this weeks entries he seems likely to go for the maiden on Friday. The race on Saturday features the promising Bayside Boy, who thrashed a 1/3F on debut and also Masekela, who ran Native Trail so close in the Group 2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket. Masekela is rated 107 on OR and it would take some performance from a newcomer to topple that. It would seem folly to run Educator there and odds of 16/1 for him to win what used to be the Washington Singer seems to indicate he's unlikely to show.

Bayside Boy earned 94 from the Racing Post on debut, which is a smart figure but with Gosden's colt Find reported to have been upset and restless in the stalls, I am not sure he ran to 85, the exact same figure as his previous run. I would have Masekela all day at 5/4 over Bayside Boy at 6/4 on Saturday.

 

A very different feeling about the Royal horses this year, and especially the 2yos. Today some Group 1/2 Autumn races have had their entries published. Reach for the Moon, along with Educator, is entered for both the Dewhurst and Royal Lodge, but Saga is also entered for the Royal Lodge. In addition Intelligentsia is entered for the Cheveley Park, Mellow Yellow (a Dubawi filly with Haggas) is entered for the Fillies Mile and Improvise (Bell) is entered for the Rockfel. Interesting times.

 

Our posts crossed.

 

4 Royal 2yo running Friday. 2 at Newbury and 2 at Newmarket. Never seen that before. Will HM be at Newbury I wonder....unlikely I know.

 

I think she will be watching on the tv as she's at Balmoral. She was greeted by Lance Corporal Cruachan IV who was on his best behaviour! Troops And Shetland Pony Mascot Welcome Queen To Balmoral Castle With Guard Of Honour (forces.net)

 

I've talked about all of these 2yos earlier. I can add a bit about Improvise who runs at Newmarket. She has been seen on the gallops and on evidence looks the same or better than Bellstreet Bridie who made a pleasing debut when 2nd last week, also at Newmarket.

 

Desperately disappointing. The two raced colts managed 2nds but the newcomers were underwhelming. Educator looked big (with a big head) but ran as if he was very backward. While I have nothing against running horses this backward, as it can be educational and a wake up call, I do question the entries made for this colt. It's not so much that he's entered for races in 6 to 8 weeks time but that he was entered for a listed race the next day. How could they be so wrong just 5 days prior to his debut? Improvise ran green and everything seemed to be happening too quickly for her.
Saga looks decent and will win a race.
Given all that it appears the only potential star at the moment is Reach for the Moon

 

Wrong to say just Reach for the Moon as I should have included Intelligentsia. It would be bizarre if the the trainer, Richard Hughes, who's probably at the bottom of the pecking order was to have her best 2yo filly or indeed 2yo.