Royal Ascot starts here I'll start the thread off with a link to the Royal Ascot site and the Timeform Race Pass for the Queen Anne Stakes on Tuesday I'll add links to individual race threads (and others) if any are created. They will be highlighted in blue Royal Ascot Tipping Competition Rules and Day 1 Selections Day 1 Leaderboard and Day 2 Selections Day 2 Leaderboard and Day 3 Selections Day 3 Leaderboard and Day 4 Selections Day 4 Leaderboard and Day 5 Selections Final leaderboard Race Schedule Tuesday 16th June 2015 2:30pm The Queen Anne Stakes (Group 1) 4+ £375000 One mile 3:05pm The Coventry Stakes (Group 2) 2 £120000 Six furlongs 3:45pm The King’s Stand Stakes (Group 1) 3+ £375000 Five furlongs 4:20pm The St James’s Palace Stakes (Group 1) 3 colts £375000 Old mile 5:00pm The Ascot Stakes (Handicap) 4+ £60000 Two and a half miles 5:35pm The Windsor Castle Stakes (Listed) 2 £60000 Five furlongs Wednesday 17th June 2015 2:30pm The Jersey Stakes (Group 3) 3 £75000 Seven furlongs 3:05pm The Queen Mary Stakes (Group 2) 2 Fillies £100000 Five furlongs 3:40pm The Duke of Cambridge Stakes (Group 2) 4+ £135000 One mile 4:20pm The Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Group 1) 4+ £525000 One and a quarter miles 5:00pm The Royal Hunt Cup (Heritage Handicap) 3+ £175000 One mile 5:35pm The Sandringham Stakes (Listed) (Handicap) 3 Fillies £70000 One mile Thursday 18th June 2015 2:30pm The Norfolk Stakes (Group 2) 2 £80000 Five furlongs 3:05pm The Tercentenary Stakes (Group 3) 3 £75000 One and a quarter miles 3:45pm The Ribblesdale Stakes (Group 2) 3 Fillies £160000 One and a half miles 4:25pm The Gold Cup (Group 1) 4+ £375000 Two and a half miles 5:00pm The Britannia Stakes (Heritage Handicap) 3 Colts & Geldings £120000 One mile 5:35pm The King George V Stakes (Handicap) 3 £75000 One and a half miles Friday 19th June 2015 2:30pm The Albany Stakes (Group 3) 2 Fillies £70000 Six furlongs 3:05pm The King Edward VII Stakes (Group 2) 3 Colts & Geldings £185000 One and a half miles 3:45pm The Commonwealth Cup (Group 1) 3 £375000 Six furlongs 4:25pm The Coronation Stakes (Group 1) 3 Fillies £375000 Old mile 5:00pm The Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (Handicap) 3+ £75000 One and a half miles 5:35pm The Queen’s Vase (Listed) 3 £85000 Two miles Saturday 20th June 2015 2:30pm The Chesham Stakes (Listed) 2 £60000 Seven furlongs 3:05pm The Wolferton Rated Stakes (Listed) 4+ £70000 One and a quarter miles 3:45pm The Hardwicke Stakes (Group 2) 4+ £200000 One and a half miles 4:25pm The Diamond Jubilee Stakes (Group 1) 3+ £525000 Six furlongs 5:00pm The Wokingham Stakes (Heritage Handicap) 3+ £175000 Six furlongs 5:35pm The Queen Alexandra Stakes (Conditions) 4+ £60000 Two miles, six furlongs
Think the favourites could win the first 4 races next Tuesday! Solow, Round Two, Sole Power & Gleneagles
I’m off to Royal Ascot next Friday where I envisage an afternoon spent exchanging pleasantries with the Saxe-Coburgs and schmoozing with the county set. The animals that I’m most looking forward to seeing are: (i) Time Test in the ‘Tercentenary’. The hired hands, of the county set, are still pushing the wheelbarrows home after this one obliged big style at Newbury last month. Won in the manner of a most progressive individual that day travelling and then quickening like only a good horse can. I think he can take the step up to Group company in his stride. People, as I’ve said before this is a very, very good horse. (ii) Found in the ‘Coronation Street Stakes’. I thought Mr O’Brien’s charge was one of the best 2YO fillies I’d seen for several years but for one reason or another it just hasn’t happened for her as expected so far this term. Expect that to change next week. I retain the faith and think her an exceptional filly. (iii) Great Glen in the ‘Queen’s Vase’. Tipping maidens in Pattern company is often the quickest way to the poor house but Great Glen could prove the exception as he looks a Stayer with a capital ‘S’ and should relish the step up to 16 furlongs. Was less than 3 lengths off Storm The Stars last time and over this distance expect a lot of improvement. (iv) Mustajeeb in the ‘Diamond Jubilee’. Have always liked this old boy and he turned last years ‘Jersey’ into a procession. Reinvented as a sprinter, this term, he looked impenetrable at such a discipline last time when winning the ‘Greenlands’ with ease. Looks first class. I’m sure everyone, and I do mean everyone, will agree that one of Royal Ascot’s best sights is Mr Henderson in his topper. The great man has got 3 in next Tuesday’s ‘Ascot Stakes’ but I can’t get carried away about any of them, I’m afraid. Still as they ay around my way ‘in Mr Henderson we trust’ and given his great brain and magic hands only a fool would rule out another victory for him in this heat. The only wager I’ve struck so far though is 7/4 about The Queen’s carriage crossing the winning line first in the daily Carriage race prior to the first heat next Tuesday. Re the carriages incidentally it’s still unconfirmed that on the Friday I will be in the 4th carriage together with Barbara Windsor, Louis Walsh and Fizz from Coronation Street. However, expect an announcement next Thursday afternoon.
You could be doing more than exchanging pleasantries as Mrs Windsor's colours could be seen more than usual next week. Not only that it should be the Chuckles Topper flung high as Peacock comes home in the Tercentenary Stakes. As the horse that has got nearest to Golden Horn this year, he should be good enough for this event. Throughout the week Fabricate, Mustard, Dartmouth, Ring of Truth and Touchline could all bring patriotic joy to the crowd.
The closest I got to Barbara Windsor was chatting to her outside her pub. She had my son on one knee and my daughter on the other. Unfortunately she didn't manage to fit me in
Barbara Windsor got her MBE from the Queen on the same day my dad got his OBE. She looked lovely but was somewhat upstaged by Dame Shirley Bassey.
Unfortunately (only for watching purposes) my watching will consigned to the end of the week or the evenings as the wife is due with little Wooly #2 any day now!!
Yep, pretty proud of the old fella for that one. 35 years of unsalaried service on the evaluation panel for rates (not sure if it is even called rates any more, but the duty you pay on land you own).
Every right to be proud Odddy. I had an Aunt, long gone now, but she was awarded the BEM. Spent the last thirty years of her life as foster mother for children who were born with Downs syndrome. Back in the day parents couldn't really look after them and the life expectancy was very low.
She sounds like a fantastic lady ! A grandfather withhonors too !! They are people to be proud of! What happened to u
That's a nice story stick, a huge personal sacrifice your Aunt made There should be much more made of these things in the media - doing something for your fellow human beings without being motivated by personal gain. Seems to be highly unfashionable at the moment though Hope everything goes well with the second child Woolly - in my experience the second (and subsequent) slide out very easily
My dear boy has the excitement muddled you in some way. The first race you mention is on Thursday, not Friday. Anyway Mickey Bell has announced another treat for you if it is Friday as he runs his best horse, Fabricate, in the getting-out stakes Queen's Vase. Hold on to that topper!
Do you know that OBEs and MBEs were introduced by the Saxe-Coburgs during the latter part of World War I solely in an effort to make them more popular with the masses??? The Saxe-Coburg’s popularity was at almost an all-time low and these ‘honours’ were seen as a way of embracing the ‘ordinary members of the public’ if you like. An early form of P.R. it would appear. ‘Give them a shiny little medal and everyone turns a blind eye to us fleecing millions out of the Exchequer’ you can hear them saying even after all this time! Certainly worked as 100 years later they are still with us! Back to Ascot and I see that Qatari chap has made a couple more purchases of leading lights next week. King of The Rooks and Easton Angel. Both will now race in the Al Shaqab colours but the latter though is only a 50% share and the former full owner has built in a caveat saying he has ‘full control regarding jockey bookings’. Hardly a glowing endorsement that for the Dettori creature.
