There used to be an old adage that if you did not win on the first day of Royal Ascot, you should put your money away because that was the easy day. Of course, in those days, the Saturday was the Heath meeting (not part of the main event) and the Tuesday card is all pattern races. It was clearly a good performance in the opener by Ribchester and the quick time off a strong pace makes him a good horse not a great one. The runner up is no slouch and clearly they will find him a race on quick summer ground. Even with Frankie sidelined, Lady Aurelia did not fluff her lines and doubled her Royal tally. On the book there was nothing between her and Marsha but the latter could not go with the American filly, who is all speed. At around the 5/2 mark in the morning exchanges, there was a degree of temptation about Barney Roy but I generally do not back excuse horses because they eventually lead to more excuses. If the ground is fast at Goodwood, I can see him going to the Sussex Stakes rather than Ribchester. There must be every chance that Thunder Snow will head to Sandown in the second week of July if he recovers from his exertions. In the last furlong he just looked a little short of that extra bit of speed needed in the top mile races as he could not overhaul Lancaster Bomber. I am wondering how long before the Ballydoyle excuse machine gets cranked up about Churchill. He won two Classics running the same race and, having been such a forward juvenile, others may simply have improved past him as three year olds.
For what it's worth here's my view of the St James Palace Stakes.Churchill always appeared a bit soft to me. I have said on more than one occasion that I think a mile is a stretch for him. I was mightily impressed by the Greenham, but maybe I was naive to think that the talented teenager I saw that day would be a man on Guineas day.. Yesterday we saw the young man. QM says he doesn't like backing excuse horses but look again at the 2000G. The horse must have lost so much momentum by nearly falling, it had to be a valid excuse. So why did he only beat Lancaster Bomber by a reasonably short distance? Well I think the fact that the saddle slipped must have had some effect. But I think a bigger reason is that Lancaster Bomber was highly suited by the fast pace (it was a very fast time), the going (being by War Front) and showed his true ability at 8f in a fast race. The two Guineas were relatively sedate affairs playing totally into the hands of Churchill, this pace was far from sedate. I think Churchill had never gone as fast and his stamina was shot. He had every chance coming into the straight if he was the horse people believed him to be. He had had the puff run out of him. Rather than Moore riding a bad race it might be that he was riding the horse to get him home. Barney Roy looks a very good horse to me. His action is near perfect and I believe he can be better. He should keep to a mile for now. A few of us were certain that Barney Roy would beat Churchill if the race was run the right way. It was and Churchill was never a 1-2 shot!
Yes - I conducted a personal wealth review last night, decided I probably wasn't the richest person on the forum, and that I'm going to need the economic wisdom and horse-trading cojones of a UK Brexit-negotiator to put matters right across the rest of the week. The Queen Anne was OK - laid Ribchester at 1.90- something and traded out at 2.10-something, but Churchill was an unrelieved disaster. I think Bustino's read it right - he's a good horse when he's in his comfort-zone, and vulnerable when he's out of it: but Barney looks a good horse, full-stop. Still, onwards and upwards: modest punt on Highland Reel in the PoW, then lock up the wallet until Winter turns the Coronation into a procession (ho, ho).
Nice to see the Racing Post picking up on things. https://www.racingpost.com/bloodsto...-twist-in-ascot-legacy-of-warren-place/290163
