Royal Ascot Preview

Royal Ascot is the highlight flat racing festival of Europe. As a result it is the hardest place on Earth to have a winner! How the likes of Sir Michael Stoute have managed 75 is quite incredible but we managed to get the ball rolling last year when Agrotera gave us our first winner by winning The Sandringham impressively. This year we send our strongest team by some way, spearheaded by stable star Stormy Antarctic. 

Stormy Antarctic has been a model of consistency over the last few seasons and takes his chance in the Queen Anne tomorrow. Any further rain, thunderstorms or flash floods will be welcome and I think the bookies have underestimated him. It was only October last year when he finished a length and a half behind Roaring Lion over this course and distance and since then he has won a Group 3 and Group 2 in Europe. Neither he nor I care about his price but I am convinced he will run better than a 33-1 shot. 

Agrotera heads back to the scene of her emphatic Sandringham win on Wednesday. Gerald Mosse takes over this year and has a perfect record on her. She is not easy but she is very good and beat the favourite for the Duke Of Cambridgeshire comfortably when they met on her last visit to a racecourse. If she puts her best foot forward she will take all the beating and I see no reason why Rawdaa will turn the tables. Indian Blessing takes a chance in the same race and got her season back on track when winning a listed race at Musselburgh well. She was disappointing in Ireland but when everything goes right she is good and she will have the assistance of Jamie Spencer who is the master of Ascot’s straight mile. 

Cap Francais runs in the Hampton Court Stakes on Thursday. He is in great order and has not missed a beat since disappointing in the Lingfield Derby Trial where he did not stay on the soft ground. Coming back to a mile and quarter he will run a big race and is a very exciting colt with a big future. 

Glorious Lover is lightly raced and heads to the Britannia on Thursday where he could run a big race stepping up to a mile for the first time. He is a smart three year old with a bright future and he may surprise a few on Thursday. 

Royal Intervention is a very fast filly and I think the world of her. We are taking a chance in the Commonwealth Cup on Friday. She could run a huge race and I think I have her better now than I have all year. She will need to improve on what we have seen on the track from her so far this year but I would not rule that improvement out and the stiff six at Ascot will be ideal. She injured herself when beaten by Angel's Hideaway last year in the Princess Margaret and we are very excited about seeing her up against the best 3 three year old sprinters. 

This year we could throw two darts at the Sandringham. Hotsy Totsy has her first run for her new owners and her last run for us as she will head to America after this race. She has done nothing wrong so far in her short career and will relish the step up to a mile so we are very hopeful. Gallic could also line up and is in great order she was another one of ours not quite right earlier in the year but she is peaking now and will improve as the year goes on. A fast run, stiff mile at Ascot could be ideal for her. 

It will be very hard, as always, to come away with a winner but we have some lovely horses heading there this year and I am really looking forward to getting going tomorrow. 

Pictured below is our first runner of the week Stormy Antarctic and Assistant Jack.