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 Brotherhood of Man was to run tomorrow but has been withdrawn.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 Rainbows Edge goes for the Kensington Palace Handicap with Buick in the saddle (Treasure quite rightly withdrawn): she's top weight.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.
It has all gone quiet. The only 2yo to run so far, Brotherhood of Man, had his second outing at York. Didn't run badly but was beaten 4 lengths by what looked a very useful colt in Hankelow. It also looked a good race and I'm sure the Royal colt will find a race somewhere, but he doesn't appear an above average 2yo.
A winner for the Royal Stud as dear old Kings Lynn (8yo), who was the Queen's last Group winner (2022 Temple Stakes), goes in at Haydock. Now owned by his trainer Andrew Balding, it was his 47th run.
Two more foals reported and they are important ones. Frankel filly out of Castle Lady ( half-sister to winner Crown Estate and full sister to unraced Gosden 2yo Portcullis) Baaeed colt out of Desert Breeze (three parts brother to Desert Hero) That makes it 13 foals (5 of which are fillies). That looks a bit light to me but hopefully there'll be 3 or 4 more.
Desert Hero's 3yo half-sister, Aeolian, made her belated debut a promising one at Chester last night. She travelled well throughout but it was all happening a bit too quickly when the taps were turned on entering the straight. However she ran on well enough to be a good 2nd. She's by Fastnet Rock and could be a valuable broodmare. She has a 2yo half-brother, Royal Flurry (by Kingman) who is frustratingly yet to enter training. While she has a Camelot yearling half-sister and the above mentioned half-brother by Baaeed.
Golden Handshake won for the second time and so gives the King his 6th winner of the year: a Zarak colt who was perhaps lucky to win his race. The RP says that even so he seems to have the build to improve further. Balding at last gets a 2nd 2yo and it's Reaching High's full-brother Evaluate. It would be good to see him at least run this year. That leaves only one 2yo left to be placed, Royal Flurry (by Kingman). Another two foals: - filly by Ghaiyyath out of Award Scheme, and colt by Night of Thunder out of Market Value (Estimate's only daughter at stud). Hopefully with the going easing there'll be a few more runners now, especially 2yos.
Aeolian duly won her maiden at Newmarket tonight. Fallon took her into the lead from the start and she settled well. She had been 3rd favourite nearly all day but 5 minutes before the off was backed into 7/4 favourite. Then the Gosden filly, Hot Flame (a previous winner on her only start) regained favouritism. At the distance Hot Flame loomed up but was unable to get on terms and Aeolian increased her lead in the last half-furlong. She still looked a bit green when first challenged but Fallon wasn't unduly hard on her. The extra 2f of this race seemed to suit her and she could easily get further. Remember her dam's full-brother won the Ormonde, Hardwicke and Yorkshire Cup. The 2yo Brotherhood of Man was poor at Sandown earlier in the week and could end up being culled. Hopefully there's some better 2yos yet to start.
Another 2yo is to run and it's the first this season from the Gosdens. King's Trust, a Kingman colt out of Siyouni mare called Award Scheme makes his debut in the first at Newmarket on Friday. He is the mare's first foal and she won twice as a 3yo and got black type when 3rd in the listed Galtres Stakes. The Gosdens have another colt, Devil Peak, making his debut in the race with Havlin aboard. With their policy of getting the best available jockey for their mounts, King's Trust is to be ridden by Ryan Moore.
Started slowly but soon made up ground and was disputing lead 2f out. Led at distance but couldn't get his effort together and faded in final furlong to be 4th. Promising, so let's hope he builds on that promise on his next run.
RP saying Kings Falcon going to Hong Kong 'We thought he couldn't get beaten at Ascot' - Irish Derby runner-up Serious Contender sold to Hong Kong | Racing Post
Thanks Janabelle, though I didn't see that coming. He was in the July Sales catalogue and I thought taken out as they thought he might do better. Obviously they had a better offer. I suppose that leaves Warrant Holder as the best 3yo Royal colt but he's not run since March, so there could be any number of reasons for that.
Two yearlings off to the Sales, both colts from mares already sold:- Cracksman out of Make Fast (half-brother of Tactical) Australia out of Approximate (non-winning mare, daughter of Estimate). What they send to the Horses in Training and December Breeding Stock Sales will tell us more. Two Royal horses mentioned in the Newmarket Gallops section of The Weekender. They are Golden Handshake and Rainbow's Edge, the latter getting a glowing comment.
Haggas outlined his plans for York with Aeolian set to run in the Galtres Stakes on Thursday and Golden Handshake (if he can get in off an OR of 88) set for the Melrose Handicap on Saturday. But there may be a revision of this plan with Rainbow's Edge also booked for the Galtres with Buick already framed to ride her. This Night of Thunder filly has only run 6 times, winning three (all over 8f) and being 2nd twice (both over 10f). She is a half-sister to Call to Mind (by Galileo) who won the March Stakes (14f) and the Belmont Cup (16f) while her half-sister by Dubawi, Reminder, didn't win over further than 6f.
For some reason there are two Royal runners tomorrow's Galtres Stakes. Hopefully one of them will win.
