Saturday's Meetings Redcar Flat 7 Races 1:10-4:45p.m. Limerick Flat 7 Races 1:50-5:20p.m. Newmarket Flat 6 Races 2:03-5:05p.m. Down Royal Flat 7 Races 2:08-5:40p.m. Royal Ascot Flat 7 Races 2:30-6:10p.m. Bangor-on-Dee(E) N/H 7 Races 3:55-7:30p.m. Lingfield(E) Flat 7 Races 5:45-8:45p.m. Haydock(E) Flat 6 Races 6:00-8:45p.m. Racecards At The Races Sporting Life Racing Post Good Luck
SEAGULLS ELEVEN 4.20 Ascot 28/1 each way Group 3 Jersey Stakes, went close on three occasions over this trip and been consistently competing in high-quality races
Zoum Zoum.. Wokingham. 18/1.... 5th in the Jersey behind Haatem last year on rattling ground beaten 4 lengths. One 6f sighter this season at Salisbury 2nd beaten 2l. Draw 27.... (I have no idea, could be good could be bad)...
So "the most expensive National Hunt horse ever", Palladium, has left Nicky Henderson after just 1 run and gone to the Gosdens. The 2024 German Derby winner runs in the Hardwicke Stakes today but looks up against it. Not sure what Lady Bamford and her advisors have in mind with him but it all seems a bit odd.
Prescott in the Kings carriage and Henderson a few back. Never going to be up in front of the Jockey Club for their dodgy antics are they!
If the card at HQ is anything to go by (small fields, not worth going unless you live less than five miles from the track) then it is going to be another poor summer there. With the dodgy watering policy at Ascot this week, I would not touch the Wokingham unless you have assessed where on the course the pace is likely to be. That same argument could be applied to the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (3.40) but of the first four in the betting only one has a single figure draw and the field is only half the size! Wokingham punters should perhaps hold their bets until they have seen what happens in the two races before it with the Jersey Stakes at 4.20. Twelve are set to start the Hardwicke Stakes (3.05) and, like almost every race this week, the odds do not reflect the competitive nature of the race from a form point of view. It looks quite easy to eliminate Burdett Road (remote second in Champion Hurdle, remote last of four to Trawlerman in Henry II), Tabletalk (two seconds in Group 3s this term at this trip), Candleford (Listed winner who was fourth in this last year and has not run since), Space Legend (second in King Edward VII last year, never dangerous second last in Huxley Stakes on seasonal bow) and Epic Poet (won over further in Meydan but beaten by Rebel’s Romance in Yorkshire Cup in receipt of 5lb). Palladium won last year’s Deutsches Derby (23/1 outsider) but was last in the Group 1 Preis von Europa at Cologne. Since being bought he has won over timber for Nicky Henderson (missed Cheltenham due to injury) and finished third in a Listed race on soft ground for the Gosdens. He has never run on fast ground and his only other flat win was on heavy ground so Lady Bamford had better send her €1.4m purchase back to Henderson to try and recoup some of her money. David Menuisier’s Sunway is an enigma. A Group 1 winner as a juvenile, he was second in the Irish Derby and fourth in the St Leger; however, he was fourth in the King George (where Rebel’s Romance was third) and seventh in the Prix Du Jockey Club (where Ghostwriter was fourth). This term he was 2 lengths behind Tabletalk in the John Porter and fifth in the Aston Park behind both Tabletalk and Al Aasy, so he is hard to fancy here. Veteran Al Aasy has made a career of small field races, where there is usually not a great deal of pace and he is able to finish from the rear. He won the Gordon Richards on his reappearance but was only fourth in the Aston Park and he won’t be good enough to trouble the judge today. Al Riffa’s career best performance was chasing home City Of Troy in the Eclipse, which he followed up by winning a modest Grosser Preis von Berlin (one of only three career wins). His latest run was fourth in the Prix Ganay over ten furlongs and he retains the blinkers. With all three wins on good or easier ground, Joseph O’Brien’s horse may find one or two too good again. Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Rebel’s Romance looks the clear form pick as he escapes a penalty for his Group 1 wins today; however, I think that the layers may look to get the favourite because of the inability of the Appleby yard to win anything at Royal Ascot despite having plenty of fancied contenders. Ghostwriter won the Royal Lodge as a juvenile and has contested nothing but Group 1s since – but won none of them, although running respectably on several occasions (third in the Eclipse, behind Al Riffa; third in the Juddmonte International). After finishing sixth in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (only beat the three outsiders home), he is down in class to a Group 2 but up in distance by two furlongs. With question marks about the market principals here and three betting places on offer, I am going to go each way. I would have done BELLUM JUSTUM in the Group 1 Coronation Cup but there were only two places and he ran like his 33/1 price that day, never getting into the race. Prior to that he won the four-runner Group 2 Jockey Club Stakes following his fifth on debut in the John Porter Stakes (Sunway ahead). Last year he was third in the Hampton Court and won a Grade 3 at Kentucky Downs, so this looks around his level and the Balding stable is certainly in form with two winners, a second and a third at this meeting. As we all know, the sprints often become a bit of a “whose turn is it this time?” conundrum when there is no obvious champion sprinter candidate. So eliminating lots of the outsiders as simply not being good enough is probably folly but I am following my usual process in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (3.40). Annaf (has a Group 3 course and distance win on his CV but has been third in two Listed races this term), Grand Grey (Italian import; second in the Group 3 Abernant but blew the start last time), Iberian (blew the start last time in same race as Grand Grey, second in a Listed race before that), Jasour (won the Commonwealth Cup trial last year and third in the real thing; but out with the washing here on Tuesday), Run To Freedom (second in the July Cup last year a career best but fourth in the Abernant behind two of today’s rivals), Sajir (French raider who won the Abernant – was race fit – but was second in a seven furlong Group 3 last time), Great Generation (has not beaten the boys in two attempts, three most recent wins over seven furlongs) and Nighteyes (failed to beat boys in only attempt, third in a Fillies’ Listed race last time) are all discarded. Christophe Head’s six year old Topgear comes here chasing a four-timer; however, the three wins were all seven furlongs: the Prix Du Pin (Sajir behind), the Challenge Stakes (Great Generation behind) and the Prix du Palais-Royal (Sajir behind). The form of those three races indicates a horse running the same Group 2/Group 3 form consistently and he has never run on fast ground before so is a drop to a stiff six today helpful? Australian import Storm Boy was stone last on his Northern hemisphere debut behind Grand Grey and Iberian. If he was living anywhere but Ballydoyle he would be three times his current odds. The best chance for one of the French raiders to take this home is Lazzat. He rattled off a pattern race hat-trick last summer in the Prix Djebel (Group 3, 7 furlongs), Prix Paul de Moussac (Group 3, 7 furlongs; Sajir behind) and the Prix Maurice de Gheest (Group 1, 6.5 furlongs, Flora Of Bermuda third, Great Generation last). He was subsequently beaten in the Hong Kong Mile and returned this year with a close fourth in a mile Listed race and then won a Listed race on his first attempt at this trip. He has never encountered fast ground before today, so at around the 6/1 mark I think his odds ought to be a little longer. I am sure that the Ascot executive will be keeping everything crossed for the Japanese raider Satono Reve. A success for this one could see the floodgates open for Japanese raiders not just in the sprints. It looks like it has a strong chance for the places here but my thinking is that this may be the first time that this horse has not raced around a bend. It won a Group 1 at Chukyo on its second last start around a left-handed bend. Flora Of Bermuda ran well in some top races last year, finishing behind Lazzat in the Prix Maurice de Gheest and finishing third in the Champions Sprint on soft ground, arguably a career best. She warmed up for this with a second in the Duke Of York Stakes, where Karl Burke’s Elite Status was nearly four lengths behind her in fourth but Kevin Ryan’s INISHERIN took home the shiny pot. He won the Commonwealth Cup last year after a similar preparation and at 4/1 or more I think he can get his career back on track and, hopefully, do better in the July Cup and Haydock Sprint Cup than he did in 2024. I can remember the days when the Jersey Stakes (4.20) used to be packed with a combination of horses that did not stay in the 2000 Guineas and lightly-raced improving types. Again, it seems quite easy to eliminate a lot of the outsiders, so that is Benevento (second last in the 2000 Guineas, won a Listed race at this trip last year), Brian (fourth in a six furlong Ascot Group 3, now stepping up a furlong), Caburn (sixth in a Listed race on return, stepping up a furlong), Dhitjari (well beaten in the Group 2 German Guineas, second in a Group 3 at this trip), Noble Champion (behind Caburn last time, odds on winner over seven on the kitty litter last year), One Smack Mac (second in a Naas Listed race last time), Pellitory (second last in a Listed race at this trip and fourth in a mile Listed race last time), Seagulls Eleven (last in the 2000 Guineas, one career win was at this trip last June) and Yah Mo Be There (eighth in the 2000 Guineas after fifth in the Greenham). Expensive Siyouni colt Saracen was third in the Greenham on only his second start and looks the sort that could improve enough to get involved today, a comment that could equally apply to Spy Chief, having his fourth start after two runs on the kitty litter and a Yarmouth novice win. Better than either of those two might be the unbeaten Remmooz, winner of two novice races at Doncaster at this trip. Marvelman represents the hot Balding yard and took four attempts to lose his maiden tag before a good second in a Listed race at HQ (Pellitory behind) and retains Oisin Murphy’s services today. The all-conquering Ballydoyle bandwagon puts up Comanche Brave, who was half a length behind Henri Matisse in a Group 3 at this trip before a respectable fifth in the Irish 2000 Guineas, although he will be closely matched with Marvelman on a form line through Cosmic Year (second at the The Curragh, won the Listed race at HQ). So I am going to take a chance on the only filly in the field, CALIFORNIA DREAMER, who was fourth in the Group 3 race where Coronation Stakes winner Cercene was second but then second in the Irish 1000 Guineas (at 50/1, ahead of Cercene) last time. The concern is that she was nearer last than first in the Fred Darling (Time For Sandals third) so is the stiff seven the right trip after two good efforts at a mile?
Can't cope with so many races on one day, especially in this heat. Good luck to all having a bet, especially at Ascot. Must be a good bet tucked away elsewhere but haven't got time to look
Good performance from Humidity. Was never going to be beaten. Surprisingly by Ulysses, he looks the kind of horse who could be a Guineas horse. Balding said they'll decide his Autumn target (Newmarket or Longchamp) and work back from that.
Is it my imagination or has every winner on the straight course run down the same strip of ground today. Looks to be around 6-12 for the Wokingham Favourite drawn high. Satono Reve wasnt on it!
