Our expert panel answer the big questions ahead of day four of Royal Ascot.
No Lake Victoria or Desert Flower in the Coronation Stakes – who catches your eye in their absence?
Ian Ogg: Supplementary entry Falaqayeh is exciting and Zarigana is an obvious one as the betting suggests but she's obviously fairly closely matched with Exactly on their Pouliches form and it's interesting that Red Letter has stood her ground at this entry stage.
A smart juvenile, Red Letter was a shade disappointing in the 1000 Guineas and even more so when beaten at listed level last time when very easy to back. She obviously has something to prove and can be backed at big prices but it wouldn't be the biggest surprise to see Red Letter take a step back in the right direction and she was only beaten under three lengths at Newmarket so it's not as if she has masses to find.
John Ingles: The obvious one now is French filly Zarigana who was beaten a nose in the Prix Marcel Boussac last autumn and was controversially awarded the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches last month. She certainly has the ability to win a Group 1 on her own merits though and looks the type to keep improving. She might have lost her two main rivals but has acquired two more with the supplemented listed winners Falakeyah and Kon Tiki who are both unbeaten, so they have the potential to make life difficult for the favourite.
Andy McLaren: As disappointing as it was to hear Lake Victoria won’t be running here, I still think Ballydoyle can take this with Exactly. She’s banged heads with the favourite, Zarigana, a couple of times already, having finished behind the French filly in the Marcel Boussac and the French 1000 Guineas, but wasn’t beaten far at all on each occasion and I think a positive ride around Ascot’s round course with Ryan Moore setting the fractions can see her turn that form around.
Shadow Of Light set to revert to sprinting in the Commonwealth Cup – how do you see the race at this stage?
AM: Shadow Of Light would be one of the strongest fancies of the week for me. He was last season’s champion two-year-old and lost nothing in defeat in the 2000 Guineas on his return after making a massive move on the outside of the field to hit the front two furlongs out before being run out of it by two stronger stayers late on. He showed a rapid turn of foot at Newmarket so this drop back to sprinting looks the right move, and I think he'll win.
JI: The drop back to sprinting certainly looks the way to go with Shadow Of Light given how he shaped when third in the 2000 Guineas and he gave a sound beating to the re-opposing Whistlejacket on his last start over six furlongs in the Middle Park Stakes. However, Juddmonte filly Babouche has two verdicts over Whistlejacket herself, in the Phoenix Stakes last year and when easily beating him in the Lacken Stakes at Naas last month. A well-run race will suit as she can take a strong hold, but she also has a fine turn of foot which can help her get the better of the Godolphin colt.
IO: Babouche, trained - like Red Letter - by Ger Lyons, looks a proper threat having returned to her best in the Goffs Lacken Stakes and helps to give Juddmonte a strong hand with Jonquil also featuring but I'm not in a rush to give up on Arizona Blaze. He may lack the potential of the principals but he's got a very solid book of form to his name, including when third in the Norfolk Stakes at last year's meeting.
He was disappointing in the Sandy Lane Stakes but the bookmakers reacted accordingly and it's worth remembering that was just a prep race and that Arizona Blaze may not have been ideally placed. If his price holds up on the day, he's on the radar for exotics and a potential each-way play with the hoped for extra places on offer.
Big entry for the King Edward VII Stakes – what’s on your shortlist at this stage?
IO: The market has got this race right more often than not of late and Zahrann looks a key player if taking his chance. An Irish Champion Stakes entry suggests this lightly raced colt is expected to continue to progress and he's certainly looked the part so far, improving with each start and running out a ready winner of a listed contest last time. Regal Ulixes would face a bigger step up in class but his promise in maiden and novice company has been self-evident and he could well prove up to this level at some stage this season.
AM: I like Johnny Murtagh’s Zahrann here. He’s improving rapidly, taking the step up to listed company in his stride last time as he ran out an emphatic winner at Leopardstown despite still looking a bit rough around the edges. Unlike plenty in here, this is his only Royal Ascot entry, and he should go close if continuing the race-by-race progression he’s shown so far.
Karl Burke’s Convergent is another who jumps off the page having finished third behind the Derby 1-2, Lambourn and Lazy Griff, in the Chester Vase last time. He’s in the Hampton Court on Thursday as well, and must be of interest wherever he turns up if you take the Derby form literally.
JI: A big entry but plenty of them have alternative engagements this week so it has the potential to cut up quite a bit. The unbeaten Amiloc would certainly be interesting if Ralph Beckett opted to run him here, though he’s also in the Queen’s Vase earlier in the week. One who doesn’t have other options at Ascot is Puppet Master who didn’t make Ballydoyle’s Epsom team despite winning the Lingfield Derby Trial. The step up in trip clearly suited him there as he ran much his best race, and that smart effort will likely make him the one to beat.
Give us one other horse for Friday?
AM: I’m writing this from the York press room where I’ve just seen Double Rush run a huge race to finish third in the Macmillan Sprint Handicap and I’d be very sweet on his chances if he’s turned out again in the Palace Of Holyroodhouse handicap next week.
It’s been a bit of a front-runners paradise on the Knavesmire today and Double Rush can have his effort marked up significantly after he ended up racing out on the wing with no cover and came from off the pace, closing all the way to the way to the line on the prominently ridden winner. That was his first run for 59 days too, so he’s entitled to come on for it, and Ascot’s stiff finish will play to his strengths. He’ll go well if the race doesn’t come too soon.
IO: The entry for the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes looks as exciting as you'd expect. Ethical Diamond, turned over at 7/4 last year, has Ryan Moore's name alongside while French Duke, a close sixth in the King George V at the 2024 meeting, is another to note for all he hasn't raced this season.
Another entry with a jockey already 'booked' is Hand Of God with William Buick pencilled in to resume a partnership that was successful in the Golden Gates Handicap. That was over 10 furlongs and Hand Of God isn't guaranteed to see out this extra quarter of a mile but he's certainly shaped as though he could and he retains plenty of potential for all that his reappearance at Newmarket's Guineas meeting was a notable letdown.
JI: Adrian Murray has a speedy bunch of two-year-olds and bargain buy Ipanema Beach, who looks set to run in the Albany Stakes, could prove one of the best of them. Well backed for her Curragh debut, she forged away to beat her twenty rivals by upwards of five and a half lengths and while this will be tougher, that big-field experience should certainly stand in her in good stead in what looks a wide-open contest. Her trainer knows how to get a juvenile ready for Ascot, as he won the Norfolk with 150/1-shot Valiant Force two years ago.
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