Thursday's Meetings Royal Ascot Flat 7 Races 2:30-6:10p.m. Chelmsford A/W 7 Races 1:30-5:05p.m. Ripon Flat 7 Races 1:45-5:15p.m. Leopardstown(E) Flat 8 Races 4:40-8:20p.m. Uttoxeter(E) N/H 7 Races 5:25-8:40p.m. Lingfield(E) A/W 7 Races 5:50-9:00p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
Think I have had too much sun ☀️ After struggling to find a winner all week at Ascot I have gone for a Lucky 31 15.05 Land Legend @ 16/1 16.20 Echoes In Rain @ 12/1 17.00 Fort Vega @ 18/1 17.35 Caernarfon @ 13/2 18.10 Ropey Guest @ 25/1 Got to be in it to win it
Royal Ascot 15,05 Struth 22/1 e/w Lads and Coral five places, 16/1 bet365, PP and sky six places 17,00 Racingbreaks Ryder 14/1 e/w Lads and Coral four places, 12/1 others 18;10 Lir Special 16/1 e/w betfair five places, 14/1 sky seven places, six places others
A few small each way bets for me today. 1540 - Lmay 125/1 1620 Courage Mon Ami - 6/1 I've also backed Maman Joon in the Ribblesdale, 28/1 is a big price for a filly who ran 4th in the Oaks.
For anyone interested in the sire standings for Royal Ascot so far, it has been a very open first two days with 13 individual stallions getting a winner from the 14 races run (guess who has 2 to his name!) and 34 individual sires to get a horse in the first 3. In fact, only 5 stallions have managed to get more than 1 horse in the first three: Frankel (5), Siyouni (2) Wootton Bassett (2) Fastnet Rock (2) and Muharaar (2) Here are the stallions with winners on the board so far: Stallion 1st 2nd 3rd Frankel 2 2 1 Siyouni 1 1 0 Wootton Bassett 1 1 0 Tasleet 1 0 0 Cacique 1 0 0 Shamardal 1 0 0 Galiway 1 0 0 Nyquist 1 0 0 Mastercraftsman 1 0 0 Dubawi 1 0 0 New Bay 1 0 0 Golden Horn 1 0 0 Blue Point 1 0 0
Was quite impressed with Drew Fleming, the President and CEO of the Breeders' Cup firm, when intervewed Wednesday on ITV. Quite a charming guy who seemed to be enjoying every minute of the Royal Ascot meeting. Obviously a very good global ambassador for horseracing. Would be a nice touch if the powers-to-be would invite him to ride in one of the posh royal 'waggons' that lumber up the straight to start-off the day. He'll no doubt still be at RA until Friday, but maybe not Saturday? Just a suggestion!
People in the carriage are drawn from the lunch guests at Windsor Castle each day, so it depends if he has a lunch invite or not! I will have today's carriage list in about 13 minutes so will let you know if he made the grade!
After two days, the bookies are not queuing for the buses on Ascot High Street having sold the Mercedes to pay out punters. Vauban and Gregory, at pathetically short odds, did not empty the satchels too much. The bookies will not be looking to take on the Ribblesdale favourite Al Asifah, the top rated runner after just two starts, but it would be no surprise if she was another in the short-priced favourite graveyard. I can ignore the three handicaps and the two year old cavalry charge where Elite Status is shorter odds than Karl Burke’s beaten Queen Mary favourite. The first problem with the Hampton Court Stakes (5:35) is that it features two of my cliff horses. I left Epictetus alone in the Prix Du Jockey Club because of the first time blinkers, so today they have swapped them for first time cheekpieces. Problem solved: Leave. Exoplanet failed to deliver the goods (again) in a blanket finish to the London Gold Cup, getting to the leaders too late and the runner up that day, Bold Act, reopposes but 6lb worse off. Whilst Bolster has only had two races, I think it is improbable that he will find a stone of improvement from his Windsor novice victory to conquer horses here that could equally find improvement and start from a higher mark. Canberra Legend, Dancing Magic, Dear My Friend and Killybegs Warrior ran in the Dante, none of them being involved at the business end of the race and that form is looking suspect with runner up Silver Birch a staying on third at Epsom the best while the three first mentioned only beat home disappointment Flying Honours. It tells you plenty about how bookies work that Brave Emperor, a Group 3 winner in Germany for Archie Watson, is 50/1 (rated 106) while Drumroll, awarded the Group 3 Gallinule for Aidan O’Brien, is 5/1 (rated 104). Sheikh Mohammed Obaid has three runners and it is curious that the outsider of them is Captain Winters, winner of a Listed race last time and stepping up a couple of furlongs here. He has a nice pedigree and should outrun his odds. Oviedo won the Zetland Gold Cup against his elders last time but previously had been failing to trouble the judge in lesser races than this and may be out of his depth here. Waipiro was runner up in the Lingfield Derby Trial and was sixth in the real thing having never had any chance. He is of interest dropping back to ten today but the Lingfield form now looks suspect and he may end up the pace angle unless the Johnston runner is going to set the fractions. On the official ratings the best horse in the field is the filly Caernarfon, having been a remote never threatening fourth in the 1000 Guineas and having led two out in the Oaks just to be touched off for second at the post. She would have been the pick but I think she will be a market drifter (seems to get worked up in the preliminaries) and the winner may have flown before she comes with her run from the back. Other than the aforementioned Epictetus under Frankie, the Gosden barn is also represented by twice-raced maiden Tony Montana, an expensive Kingman colt beaten at odds on last time, and impressive Epsom handicap winner TORITO, who won so easily that the handicapper raised him 10lb putting him at this sort of level. So Benoit de la Sayette to open his Royal Ascot account, a year after being champion apprentice. Is he the next Frankie? The betting suggests that the Gold Cup is one of the most open in years. I cannot see Trueshan making it to post with the ground drying out but if he does start, the best he has done with the word ‘firm’ in the going was third in the Goodwood Cup so he won’t be winning today. Whilst the record of Willie Mullins’ horses in the staying races here is exemplary, Echoes In Rain looks to have a little too much on her plate here (beaten off 97 in the Irish Cesarewitch her best flat effort). Aidan O’Brien sends two to the start but old boy Broome has never been beyond two miles and is very expensive to follow while filly Emily Dickinson also goes beyond two miles for the first time and does seem to show her best with some ease in the ground. Christophe Ferland’s French raider Big Call would be a major surprise today as he has also never gone beyond two miles, never won above Group 3 level and almost exclusively raced on easy ground. 2021 winner Subjectivist had a long injury layoff and was a respectable third to Broome in the Dubai Gold Cup but does he retain all his old ability? He won the Dubai race two years ago. I would put a line through Yibir, a former cliff horse of mine, simply because of the yard form but this is also nearly a mile further than he has been previously and he does not have the pedigree of a slow old plodder even if he tends to run like one! Courage Mon Ami is unbeaten in three, most recently a handicap off a 98 rating, but I do not expect to see the owners in the winner’s enclosure like they were after the Queen’s Vase. I hope that Nate The Great’s owners enjoy their day out but his second last in the Queen Alexandra last year indicates his chances. Lone Eagle is taking a big step up in trip and has shown his best on easy ground so I hope his connections have a nice day out. Coltrane won the Ascot Stakes here last term and improved markedly after, a remote second to Quickthorn in the Lonsdale before winning the Doncaster Cup; and started this campaign by dispatching Wise Eagle in the Sagaro with Trueshan and Nate The Great well behind. So he has done plenty to justify his position in the market and is the one to beat. I will have to go and look at the records as I wonder if a St Leger winner has ever won the Gold Cup the following year. ELDAR ELDAROV won the Queen’s Vase and then collected on Town Moor over the same trip. He started this campaign in the Yorkshire Cup, staying on into second past Broome and Quickthorn. Whilst taking the form line through Quickthorn to Coltrane would be folly, I am expecting David Egan to ride ELDAR ELDAROV like he did on his fifth start to win a Classic and make his eighth start a Gold Cup win.
Darts today after treading water for 2 days 2.30 The fixer e/w w/o top 2 in market 3.05 Desert Hero e/w 3.40 Crown Princesse & Lmay e/w without top 2 5.00 Metal Merchant e/w w/o top 2 in market 6.10 Accidental Agent e/w & Rhoscolyn e/w
After reading your first post on this, I really didn't think he would make the cut. Many thanks though, PNkt.
First race. Given an RPR of 115 after just one race, the yank must be sprouting wings and a fast 5f should be right up his street Second. No idea so maybe Frankie could steal this Third. Looks a walk in the park for Al Asifah Fourth. Has to be Quickthorn. Oh he's not in it. Oh well another Frankie winner? Fifth. Given the fast ground, I foolishly went for Docklands last night for the comp. Today though I like Starnberg ew at 33/1 Sixth. Canberra Legend to prove his last run was all wrong Last. For some reason my eyes were drawn to Spanish Star ew 33/1. Don't know why, probably because it will lose So, there's 7 to avoid if that's any help
Fancy Noel Meade for a treble tonight and Colin Keane for at least a for timer with Lyons horse and three of meades
Emotional win for the King. Fine ride by Marquand, a 10.8second 2nd furlong was ridiculous and Marquand knew it.
