Our columnist looks ahead to a huge weekend at Ascot where she expects the defending champion to prevail in the feature race.
Another Classic for Joseph O’Brien at the Curragh last Saturday – could his Johanna Walsh develop into a genuine contender for races like the Arc?
All we can say at this stage is that she’s trained by an O’Brien and looks to have a bright future, much like her trainer. Saturday’s hot favourite was Earth Shot, who beat her in the Ribblesdale denying Joseph a sixth Royal Ascot victory of the week, but was below par at the Curragh.
Regardless of underperforming favourites, Johanna Walsh proved to be a worthy substitute for Oaks winner Thundering On, who missed a crack at becoming a dual Oaks winner due to being a below par. I remember being told some time ago by a very good judge that Joseph’s talents as a trainer were being underestimated, and whilst he’s hardly flown under the radar (that thought is laughable), quite how good he is may only just be being appreciated now.
Was there a two-year-old who captured your imagination over the weekend?
As you know I was at Newbury on Friday and Saturday and the horse that immediately springs to mind is Arapaho Gold who maintained his unbeaten record when beating Nabati in the Listed Rose Bowl Stakes on Friday.
He was knocked sideways in the first furlong and then grabbed hold of the bridle and was fierce keen but despite those considerable inconveniences went on to win well. His owner loves having runners and winners at York and as this horse holds a Gimcrack entry that would be his natural next stop.
The Super Sprint on Saturday is always fun to watch and a three way photo compounded that. The nose defeat of runner up Angels Lane just denied trainer Henry Candy a headline win in the twilight of his career and I hope she can bag a decent prize for him before the season is out.
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It’s a big week ahead with the King George the undoubted jewel in the crown. Could Benvenuto Cellini give the quality older horses a few problems?
Of course, he adds intrigue and class to a race that is one of the most prestigious in the Flat racing season. However, Calandagan has an outstanding chance of becoming a dual winner of this middle-distance showpiece for trainer Francis Graffard, who also runs 2024 winner Goliath.
This is the goldilocks race for Calandagan because he excels at Ascot, the trip is ideal and ground conditions are optimal. His run in the Coronation Cup at Epsom needs a line drawing through it with dreadful conditions that he failed to act on, and it was a relief to see him bounce back under his customary late run in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud earlier this month.
The problem that his rivals have on Saturday is how on earth do they beat him? Leading Japanese contender Masquerade Ball couldn’t manage it on his home turf in the Japan Cup back in November and Benvenuto Cellini needs to improve again to do it on their first meeting.
Minnie Hauk gets 3lbs off Calandagan but that shouldn’t be enough, and Kalpana couldn’t beat him in this race last year with the same allowances, albeit she comes here in tip-top form.
So, Calandagan will become a rare beast if he wins again, joining the only other dual winners Dahlia and Swain, but still one away from history-making Enable and her unique three victories in this contest.
Can you nominate three more to look out for across the fixtures at Ascot, York or elsewhere this week.
Touleen may take some beating in the Valiant Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. She was one of the unluckiest horses at Royal Ascot when getting no run in the Coronation Stakes, and whilst I’m not convinced she would have beaten Precise that day, she looks primed for a first win of the season in this Group Three contest.
Ryan Moore gets another go on Completely Random in the International Handicap after the duo just failed to overhaul Double Rush in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot. Moore was a hostage to fortune that day because the horse needs to be ridden from the back of the pack, but he’s not the sort of rider to come away from that without a plan for next time, and that could come on Saturday in this red-hot handicap.
I’m keeping my cards close to my chest ahead of York on Saturday. The truth is I want as much time as possible to study the form for that meeting as it’ll be crunch time in the Sky Bet Charity Tipping Challenge on the final day of the Go Racing In Yorkshire Summer Festival. So, keep your eyes peeled for selections which are posted on the Sporting Life website each day, as the participants will be going all out for winners at York to try to save face, or finish top of the table!
An early one for next week instead, Tribal Chief is on my radar after good runs in the Lincoln and Victoria Cup this season. He was a bit too slowly away at Sandown last time which is a trait of his, but he could return to Goodwood next week for the Golden Mile having finished 6th in it last year before going on to win at the track later that same month.
I’m hoping Super Sprint-winning jockey Saffie Osborne gets another try on him having ridden him last time out because she excels on this type of hold up horse.
Published at 08:00 BST on 22/07/26
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