Royal Ascot preview: Patrick Mullins on Closutton team

SCARAMANGA (Ascot Stakes)

He came back from Nashville great after winning the Iroquois Steeplechase and had previously run a cracker in the Coral Cup. He did manage to get beat in a charity race before both of those so Janice Walsh who rode him there has been getting a good bit of stick in the yard for that!

I’m not sure he’ll get in, off his mark it will be touch and go.

BRING ON THE NIGHT (Ascot Stakes)

He ran brilliantly in the race last year. We were gutted coming back in, Ryan (Moore) came with a perfect-looking run and got held off by a horse who it turned out was a stone-and-a-half well-in in Coltrane.

He worked very well at the Curragh on Tuesday and we’d like to think if he turned up in the same form as last year he’ll be unlikely to meet another Coltrane. You never know mind, but I’d like to think he can gain revenge for his defeat last year.

VAUBAN (Copper Horse Handicap)

We’re really excited to get him going on the flat, you don’t really get these Black Type three-year-old horses anymore and he was that when we bought him.

He’s not the most electric hurdler, he’s not one you’d say is better because he’s jumping as he doesn’t hurdle particularly well. His handicap mark was earned as a three-year-old, he’s five now, so we’d like to think he’s better than that rating and his work is very good.

I love to see our horses who have raced over jumps in the winter going onto the flat, I think that’s a big advantage. I think it can be slightly different when they suddenly become good flat horses and don’t race over the winter. They’re not at such an advantage then.

He’ll probably run in the Copper Horse Handicap on the first day and I’d like to think he’s better than his mark. He’s in fantastic form at home and with a bit of luck in running, we’re really looking forward to seeing him run.

ABSURDE (Copper Horse Handicap)

He’s in the same race and again has very good flat form. He’s very sharp with a lot of speed. When he came to us he was a little bit quirky but I think jumping has turned him around a bit. He’s not typical of horses we usually take to this meeting, they’ve normally had their hurdling season as such, but we’ll see.

He’s in good form and one to look out for when he goes back onto the flat but whether that’s at Ascot I’m not so sure.

ECHOES IN RAIN (Gold Cup)

She’s had another super year and got another Grade One win at Punchestown which was fantastic. The mares’ hurdle at Cheltenham wasn’t run to suit her, they went no gallop and she was very keen. She’s a funny mare in that she can be keen, but I think she prefers a trip too – and she has done well on the flat.

She won with me at Galway off a mark of 87 then she was second in the Irish Cesarewitch off 97 so this is a massive step up again. Obviously, it’s a wide-open Gold Cup but she’s going to have to improve another seven or eight pounds even with her mares’ allowance.

Realistically if she could get some Group One Black Type on the flat that would be amazing for her owners who are breeders and that would be the objective. But Burning Victory probably wasn’t quite as good as Echoes In Rain over hurdles and she was fourth in the Gold Cup.

Obviously, that’s different years and different fields, but it gives us a bit of hope.

STRATUM (Queen Alexandra Stakes)

To win the Queen Alexandra for a third time would be a tremendous achievement. He’s a super little horse, everyone at home loves to ride him and he’s had some career, winning over fences, hurdles and at Ascot twice for us.

We’ve copied our preparation from last year, he’s had the one run, which he needed in Leopardstown. Frankie Dettori came over and had a feel of him that day but I don’t know who’ll ride him at Ascot, you know what Willie is like with jockey bookings!

I’m pretty sure he’s the horse in that race that every jockey wants to ride and if he could go back and complete the hat-trick that would be magic, but it doesn’t get any easier as you get older.

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