A few horses offloaded and retired. After one run Dust Cover has been sold for 7500 gns, while Bouquet de Paris is now shown as owned by Andrew Balding. Handcuffed looks as if she's been retired. She didn't look to me as if she'd grown. That leaves Balding with only one Royal horse, the 2yo Seance. Haggas has two further geldings entered in the July Sales. However The Kings Falcon has been entered for the John Smith at York in July, and that entry went in days after his Carlisle win. The other entry is Golden Handshake who may get a chance to show he should be kept. Brotherhood of Man is entered for a 7f maiden at Sandown on Friday. He would be expected to improve on his debut.
The 2yo I expected to be the earliest Royal runner gets an entry on Monday. She's Seance, who's a Dark Angel filly out of Kinematic and a half-sister to Group 2 winner King's Lynn. He ran well first time out, finishing 2nd, so hopefully Seance might be forward too. She's probably the best bred of Kinematic's foals. 5 of the first 6 of her foals have won but with Dark Angel being the leading stallion used so far. Her third foal was by Oasis Dream and has now won 5 races but nothing of the class of the races run in or won by Kings Lynn. Kinematic's yearling is a colt by Blue Point and her foal is a filly by Starspangledbanner.. Brotherhood of Man was to run tomorrow but has been withdrawn. I hope that doesn't mean he's to be overtried at Royal Ascot. Talking of Royal Ascot, on Wednesday entries have been made for Rainbow's Edge in both the Gp2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes and the Kensington Palace Handicap. Treasure, who needs soft ground, is also entered in the latter race.
The Royal entries take shape with Reaching High going for the Ascot Stakes (though also entered for the Queen Alexandra) with Ryan Moore on board. Rainbows Edge goes for the Kensington Palace Handicap with Buick in the saddle (Treasure quite rightly withdrawn): she's top weight. Purple Rainbow goes for the Sandringham Handicap, while The King's Falcon goes for the Golden Gates Handicap. A much more reasonable set of entries compared with previous years: a runner every day except Thursday. Seance was with drawn, presumably because of the firmish ground. Still only 11 foals reported to have been born. It is beginning to appear that they will be underweight with foals this year. It happens sometime.
A winner in Royal Ascot week for the King but at Lingfield. Golden Handshake, a Zarak gelding out of Star Value, won on his 3rd start at odds of 2-11. Entered for the July Sales it wouldn't surprise me if he's sold. Two days of Royal Ascot and two disappointments. Reaching High was never in the hunt in the Ascot Stakes, as he was boxed in for 18 of the 20f, and it doesn't surprise me that he's stated as 2nd favourite for the Queen Alexandra on Saturday. Rainbow's Edge (started favourite) didn't seem to act on the good to firm ground and was well beaten. A quick recce of the BHA site shows Beckett has only one of his alotted Royal horses currently in training. Not a good sign.
