Mike Cattermole reflects upon the highlights of Royal Ascot

WAS THERE A DRAW BIAS AT ASCOT?

Ascot took place during the hottest week of the year and, as far as I know, there was not one complaint about the ground being either too fast or being overwatered.

Course records were broken on the first day and horses don’t break course records if they don’t let themselves down properly.

That said, it was a bit fast for some and it was a real shame to hear that Harbour Law had returned with a sore tendon after his honourable third in the Gold Cup and that Blue Point had come back a bit “jarred up” after filling the same place in the Commonwealth Cup. Overall, things could have been a lot, lot worse, though, and credit must go to clerk of the course, Chris Stickels.

While the temperatures soared, Stickels kept a cool head and changed the going to good to firm after the very first race of the week and it remained that for the next three days, in spite of the mercury nudging the mid-30s on both Tuesday and Wednesday.

Stickels was expecting a shower on Gold Cup day morning but he watered anyway as he couldn’t take the chance that the showers wouldn’t materialise. They didn’t, so he got that right, too. In spite of managing the watering very carefully afterwards, only the straight course was changed - to “firm in places” - on the final day. 

There have been comments from various trainers about the draw bias affecting their chances but how can we possibly know if there was a draw bias? You can tie yourself in knots about this.

Certainly, for the first two days it seemed as though the stands’ side might be the place to be and for the rest of the week, that seemed to change to the far side.

Without getting too technical, the winning draw positions for each race on the straight track last week were:

Tuesday: 1/16, 9/18, 18/17, 12/22

Wednesday: 10/20, 20/23, 10/14, 26/29 (Hunt Cup), 11/24

Thursday: 2/17, 3/29 (Britannia)

Friday: 13/20, 5/12

Saturday: 6/15, 3/19 (Diamond Jubilee), 1/27 (Wokingham)

Overall, that seems a pretty fair spread to me and I would tend to agree with what Ryan Moore said about the draw being influenced by where the pace was, although interestingly, his win on Sioux Nation was gained on the far side in the Norfolk in spite of the early pace being set up by American challenger McErin on the near side.

It is not as if the beaten horses on the “wrong” side were beaten out of sight, either. They weren’t.

I have read that Declan Carroll, trainer of Santry, runner-up in the Norfolk, thought that his colt was unlucky and likewise Jeremy Noseda, trainer of Take Me With You who was third, but first home on the stands’ side, in the Albany.

Roger Charlton trainer of Projection, first home on the stands’ side but only third in the Wokingham, may feel the same (and David Simcock, trainer of Polybius in fourth) and I can fully understand their frustration. 

But it can work the other way, too and I recall Jeremy’s Laddies Poker Two (dam of Winter) making the best of her way home in the 2010 Wokingham when it appeared to favour the stands’ side.

Certain rematches, which are sure to materialise soon, will fuel the arguments further. But, in truth, we will never know whether it made any difference at all.

CARAVAGGIO, THE HEIR APPARENT

Still unbeaten, Caravaggio’s win in the Commonwealth Cup on Friday was the most important of the week for Team Coolmore.

Incredibly, he was Scat Daddy’s fourth Royal winner of the week and seventh at the meeting since 2013. The stallion son of Johannesburg died suddenly in his paddock at Ashford Stud in Kentucky last December at the young age of 11.  His final crop are now yearlings.

In Caravaggio, the Coolmore team now have his replacement already lined up and waiting to stand alongside Scat Daddy’s other son and fellow Royal Ascot winner, No Nay Never.

Making stallions is what the whole operation is about and eyes now turn to the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on Saturday where Wings Of Eagles bids to make it a Derby double. If he does it – and I think he will – he and his sire Pour Moi will get the full treatment from the team’s impressive marketing machine.

Meanwhile, I suspect that Caravaggio will always have Harry Angel’s measure over a stiff six furlongs and waiting for them to tackle the older sprinters, led by The Tin Man, Tasleet and defending champion Limato, in the Darley July Cup next month is going to be something else.

The July Course’s six-furlong standard time is a full two seconds faster than Ascot’s though, so will Caravaggio be able to get up that impressive head of steam in time - and sustain it in The Dip - to stamp his authority? He is just 5/4 with SkyBet to do so.

I wonder if it might just suit Harry Angel (a 7/1 chance) more - could it be hard for all of them to peg him back?

GODOLPHIN STRIKE BACK

It was good for the game that it wasn’t all one-way traffic at Ascot last week with the boys in blue also notching six winners and only failing to beat Team Coolmore on a countback of second placings (7-6).

This will give Sheikh Mohammed’s team a timely boost as it goes forward under new boss Joe Osborne. The top table duels are set to continue and there has been no hint of any Godolphin boycott of Qatar-associated race meetings, so Ribchester could take on either Churchill or Winter in the Sussex Stakes.

More immediately, the Coral-Eclipse looks mouth-watering with Barney Roy and Cliffs Of Moher on a collision course. Barney Roy takes his time to hit top gear and he is already clearly a very good miler. I just wonder whether a mile and a quarter might suit him even better, though.

Roll on Sandown on Saturday week!

SIR MICHAEL STILL WAITS FOR THE RECORD

I thought that one of the biggest certainties going into last week was that Sir Michael Stoute would overtake the late Sir Henry Cecil, having drawn level with him last year, and notch a record-breaking 76th win at the Royal meeting.

It wasn’t to be of course, although most of Stoute’s 13-strong team ran well. Ulysses and Queen’s Trust, who were third and fourth in the Prince Of Wales’s Stake, deserve special mention. 

Stoute ended with one second (Mori), three thirds and four fourths after Mori, Crystal Ocean and Dartmouth had all started favourite. Not since 2011 had Stoute drawn a blank and before that, he had trained at least one winner there for every year since 1995, an extraordinary achievement.

Stoute’s first Royal winner was Etienne Gerard who won the Jersey Stakes 40 years ago - when Aidan O’Brien was just seven years old. Now, with O’Brien’s six-timer moving him to 61, it can surely only be a matter time before he catches our two great training Knights. 

When do you reckon then? 2022 or thereabouts?

ANOTHER ASCOT WINNER FOR W CARSON

Willie and Elaine Carson have done pretty well at the breeding game with Willie still the only jockey to ride a Classic winner (Minster Son) that he had bred himself at the couple’s Minster Stud.

Until last week, a Royal winner had eluded them and when Jack Hobbs was such a bitter disappointment in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, they must have thought that another year had passed them by.

Then Snoano popped up at 25-1 in Saturday’s Wolferton Handicap, much to the Carsons’ delight. Snoano is out of their Pivotal mare, White Dress, who sadly lost her Camelot foal earlier in the year.