Our man at the track Ben Linfoot reflects on Cazoo Oaks day and picks out some horses of interest for Royal Ascot following the Classic action.
Tuesday stars on Friday and has Sunday in her sights
Here’s a stat: In the last 25 years seven fillies beaten in the Oaks have won the Ribblesdale and seven horses beaten in the Coronation Cup have won the Hardwicke. So Friday’s take aways are dominated by notes for Royal Ascot.
But first a word for the winner of the Cazoo Oaks, Tuesday, trained by Aidan O’Brien, a man winning his 10th renewal of the race and his 41st Classic. Incredible numbers.
A late foal, Tuesday’s third birthday is actually today, June 3, and her whole career has been pointing towards this moment, carefully cultivated by her genius trainer who has built her up gradually with this one race in mind.
As a juvenile she only ran once, just 22 days after her second birthday, when she was a highly-encouraging short head to subsequent Group 1 winner Discoveries at the Curragh, but O’Brien has conditioned her at three, running her three times between the end of March and the end of May, all three races over a mile, including both English and Irish Guineas.
“We were minding her as she was so young,” O’Brien muses in the aftermath of her Oaks success. “We trained her gentle enough for Newmarket and let Newmarket bring her on for the Curragh. It’s very possible there’s more to come from her. Obviously come the autumn, what she could be could be unbelievable really.”
A full-sister to Minding, who won the Oaks before dropping back in trip to win the Pretty Polly and Nassau over 10 furlongs – and then even the QEII over a mile on Champions Day after that – Tuesday’s route looks more likely to end up in Paris for a crack at the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
A best of 16/1 for the Longchamp highlight, Tuesday has already come good on a Friday in June and you wouldn’t put it past O’Brien to prime her for a Sunday in October, too.
As for more immediate matters, John Gosden has half as many Ribblesdales as O’Brien has Oaks, but that’s not a bad record in itself and he has won the last three renewals of the Royal Ascot Group Two.
There’s no doubting Emily Upjohn was an unlucky loser in second after falling out of the stalls and she would be very well fancied to follow in the hoofprints of Yashmak (4th Oaks won Ribblesdale 1997), Bahr (2nd Oaks won Ribblesdale 1998), Miletrian (16th Oaks won Ribblesdale 2000), Punctilious (3rd Oaks won Ribblesdale 2004), Michita (7th Oaks won Ribblesdale 2008), Coronet (5th Oaks won Ribblesdale 2017) and Magic Wand (4th Oaks won Ribblesdale 2018) in the Ribblesdale winners beaten in the Oaks club.
At what point do we give up on High Definition?
Not yet is the short answer and I wonder if he could end up in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot in just 15 days’ time?
The Group Two contest was quickly ruled out for Dahlbury Coronation Cup winner Hukum, who will head straight to the King George in July, but it could be the perfect place for HD.
While the strong-travelling Hukum was in his element in a slowly-run Coronation Cup, such a scenario was exactly what High Definition didn’t want as he’s a strong stayer at the trip but lacks a change of gear.
However, as mentioned at the top of the piece, history tells us that the vanquished from the Coronation Cup often bounce back in the slightly calmer waters of the Hardwicke and High Definition would be right at home amongst this particular roll of honour.
In the last 25 years seven horses beaten in the Coronation Cup went and won the Hardwicke on their next start; Posidonas (6th Epsom won Ascot 1998), Fruits Of Love (6th Epsom won Ascot 1999), Zindabad (3rd Epsom won Ascot 2002), Doyen (2nd Epsom won Ascot 2004), Maraahel (3rd Epsom won Ascot 2007), Macarthur (3rd Epsom won Ascot 2008) and Idaho (6th Epsom won Ascot 2017).
High Definition ran well on Friday, beaten just four and three quarter lengths, despite being disadvantaged by how it all panned out.
He’ll have his critics after another defeat, but it could be worth blocking out the noise and siding with history if he rocks up in the Hardwicke at the Royal meeting.
Who’s the bet for the Hunt Cup – Totally Charming or Royal Champion?
Two very impressive handicap winners at Epsom on Friday, both in the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot, both cut to 12/1 for the race from bigger prices. Both will carry 5lb penalties and I’d wager both will be well-in should they line up.
It’s touch and go whether Totally Charming will get in even under a penalty, a 5lb nudge taking him up to a mark of 96, making him number 46 in the list currently, so it’s a possibility he’ll get in towards the bottom of the weights.
His convincing one and a half length victory in the World Pool Handicap showcases his claims for the race, while his all-weather back form is no bad thing at sand-based Ascot.
He’ll have his supporters, but the Hunt Cup horse for me is Royal Champion despite him excelling at 10 furlongs in the Cazoo Handicap under Andrea Atzeni.
Seemingly revitalised for being gelded, he ran away with this, making a mockery of a mark of 97 on handicap debut, something well worth bearing in mind given he can run in the Hunt Cup under that 5lb penalty.
Likely to be raised to something like 105 after this, he’s back on the group-race trail and the blood and thunder nature of the Hunt Cup could well draw out the proven stamina we saw today.
The same Epsom race has found the Hunt Cup winner before, as Mr Aviator was last in this contest before winning at the Royal meeting in 2008.
Royal Champion would go into Ascot in considerably better form and it might be hard to resist having a go, even if connections do have another likely type for the race in the form of Legend Of Dubai.