Royal Ascot analysis: Mark Howard with five horses to take out of Royal Ascot

Even though he is six years of age, BIGGLES is still capable of more having run on into ninth position in the Buckingham Palace Handicap Stakes on Thursday. Ralph Beckett has always believed ease in the ground is important to the Zoffany gelding who was keeping on in ninth under Ryan Moore last week. Placed in the Victoria Cup over the same course and distance on his previous start, he was drawn low in stall 3 and was less than five lengths in arrears of the winner Witch Hunter – the first 8 home were drawn 24, 23, 12, 21, 22, 14, 17 and 13.

Successful in 6 of his 15 career outings, including four victories in 2022, that was his first run on good to firm with his wins being gained on either good or slower or the all-weather. The Bunbury Cup at Newmarket (15th July) offers another opportunity for him to plunder a big prize and the stiff uphill climb to the finish will play to his strengths. Any rain during that week would also be beneficial for a horse who has the ability to win such a prize.

Having been slow to come to hand and the prevailing fast ground playing against her, we still haven’t seen the best of Biggles’s stablemate BLUESTOCKING who finished strongly in the Ribblesdale Stakes on Thursday. The well bred Juddmonte owned filly chased home Ballydoyle’s Warm Heart for a second consecutive occasion this season but would have been considerably closer than the three and three quarters of a lengths had Frankie Dettori’s mount enjoyed a smoother passage along the far rail. Forced to come off the fence, Ralph Beckett’s filly was making up ground hand over fist and remains a highly promising filly.

Connections were in two minds whether to run her beforehand due to the drying conditions and she is expected to come into her own during the second half of the campaign, once the heavens open. Entered in the Irish Oaks (22nd July), that is an option but there are alternatives such as the Group 2 Lancashire Oaks at Haydock (8th July) or the Listed Aphrodite Stakes at Newmarket (22nd July). Either way, she is a talented filly who is capable of winning Pattern races over middle distances.

POINT KING’s chance in the Copper Horse Handicap on Tuesday was effectively over within the first hundred yards having been slowly away from his wide draw. Joseph O’Brien’s lightly raced four year old, who had been narrowly denied in a Group 3 on his reappearance at Leopardstown on his previous start, was never a threat to the runaway winner and Melbourne Cup bound winner Vauban. However, James McDonald’s mount made late headway staying on into eighth position. Rated 104, the Zoffany colt may have aspirations of heading down under himself one day, but is handicapped to win a good staying event in the Northern hemisphere before then.

Indeed, he looks every inch a Sky Bet Ebor type being a Listed winner over a mile and six already. His young handler struck in the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes on Friday with Okita Sushi, who himself disappointed at York last August, and has another good prospect on his hands. Ironically, his Royal Ascot winning stablemate finished behind Point King when the pair met in the Saval Beg Stakes last month.

Hughie Morrison won the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket 14 years ago with Supaseus and the East Ilsley based handler may have a prime contender for the 2023 version. ROYAL CAPE was a running on sixth in the Britannia Stakes on the third day suggesting a step up in distance wouldn’t go amiss. A colt by Gleneagles, he is out of a twelve furlongs winner Luca Cumani trained and is therefore bred to stay further than a mile.

A ten lengths winner on testing ground at Windsor during the spring, he then stayed on behind the well handicapped Covey in the Silver Bowl at Haydock last month. Ridden by Tom Marquand for the first time and racing off a mark of 89, he was less than six lengths behind the improving winner Docklands. He has been entered in a three year old heritage handicap at Newmarket’s July meeting (14th July) over ten furlongs, which implies his trainer feels he wants further, too. While he has run two solid races on good to firm, he looked very much at home on a slow surface in April and could prove even better when the mud is flying. The sort to keep on progressing, the assessor hasn’t caught up with him yet, especially over further.

Despite only finishing eighth in the King George V Stakes on Thursday, WONDER LEGEND ran much better than that position suggests having sat too close to a furious pace set by Davideo – Ralph Beckett’s front runner covered the second and third furlongs in 10.22 and 10.63 seconds under a kamikaze ride. James Ferguson’s runner covered the same section of the track in 10.25 and 10.97 seconds but was still very much in contention and hit the front turning for home.

Not surprisingly, the Sea The Stars colt weakened inside the final quarter mile. Beaten seven and a half lengths, it was a good effort in the circumstances. The first four home all came from the rear as the pace collapsed. Racing on faster ground compared to his win at Doncaster last time, connections were inclined to blame that for his defeat. Regardless of the conditions, Wonder Legend would have gone close if ridden with more restraint and is the sort to gain compensation in a three year old heritage handicap this summer. Rated 94, he looks tailormade for the £75,000 0-105 three year old handicap at Goodwood (2nd August).

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