Royal Ascot analysis | market movers, updates and Timeform ratings
Tony McFadden highlights the key developments in the past week with Royal Ascot in mind.
Duke of Cambridge next for Epsom winner Prosperous Voyage
As we edge closer to Royal Ascot, and with many contenders now being put through their paces on the gallops at home rather than on the racecourse, it was understandably a quieter week in terms of market movers. However, one who was cut significantly for the Royal meeting was Prosperous Voyage following her victory in the Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom.
Prosperous Voyage didn't need to improve on last season's form to land that Group 3, though she did step up significantly on her reappearance effort and also overcame an enforced change of tactics to prevail, resulting in her being halved in price to 6/1 for the Duke of Cambridge Stakes.
Prosperous Voyage was slowly away and held up in a race run at a modest tempo, but she picked up well to quicken into the lead 100 yards out and won going away by three-quarters of a length.
The Duke of Cambridge Stakes, a Group 2 event, will provide a tougher test, though Prosperous Voyage will hold solid claims based on her defeat of a below-par Inspiral in the Falmouth Stakes last season. In the expected absence of Inspiral, who is set to contest the Queen Anne Stakes, Prosperous Voyage is only a couple of pound off the top-rated US raider Spendarella.
Erevann defeat not as damaging as it first seemed
Erevann had been a general 5/1 shot for the Queen Anne Stakes prior to last week's Prix d'Ispahan but he doubled in price after beating only one rival home.
That doesn't tell the whole story, however, as Erevann was beaten less than half a length in fifth in a blanket finish, and he wasn't seen to best effect having been asked to come from last in a race where they steadied the pace in the false straight, while he also didn't have much room to open up along the inside.
Erevann was below the pick of his form last season, when his efforts included a close-up third in the Prix Jacques le Marois and victory in the Prix Daniel Wildenstein, but he had excuses at Longchamp so it's unsurprising that he's been clipped back in again for the Queen Anne.
Erevann, who is a general 8/1 shot for Royal Ascot, is rated only 4 lb inferior to market leader Modern Games on the pick of his form.
Alabama backed ahead of Curragh task
Two seasons ago the first juvenile to emerge from Ballydoyle was Tenebrism, who went on to win the Cheveley Park Stakes, while last year the first two-year-old Aidan O'Brien ran was Blackbeard, who subsequently completed a Group 1 double in the Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes.
The first juvenile to represent the stable this year was Alabama, a typically well-bred colt being by No Nay Never and closely related to Norfolk Stakes and Phoenix Stakes winner Sioux Nation.
Alabama, unlike Tenebrism and Blackbeard, failed to make a winning start, though he shaped with promise in third, earning the Timeform Large P symbol to denote he's likely capable of much better form.
Alabama will get the chance to show how much he's progressed in the two months since he made his debut when he takes to the course again at the Curragh on Wednesday and it's notable that he has been supported for the Coventry Stakes ahead of that outing. The 20/1 has gone and he's now a general 14/1 shot, and as low as 10/1, seemingly in the expectation that he'll book his ticket to Royal Ascot on Wednesday.
Royal Ascot eyecatcher
Aimeric, who was identified as one of Timeform's Fifty to Follow for this season, made a winning return to action at Doncaster on Friday and is likely to be high on the shortlist if tackling the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (a mile and a half) or Copper Horse Stakes (a mile and three-quarters) at Royal Ascot in a couple of weeks.
Aimeric was always travelling best on his return from eight months off - he had also been gelded and given a breathing operation in the interim - and he only needed to be kept up to his work to beat a well-handicapped rival by a neck, with the pair pulling two and a half lengths clear of the third.
That was only Aimeric's seventh start and this lightly-raced four-year-old, who cost 360,000 guineas as a yearling and is a half-brother to Group 1 winner Aclaim, should still have more to offer.
Watch Race Replay
Unlimited race replays of all UK & Irish racing
Access to exclusive features all for FREE - No monthly subscription fee
Log in with your existing Sporting Life, Sky Bet, or Sky Games account. If you don't have any of those, it's completely FREE to register!
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org
Next Off
Most Followed
MOST READ RACING
