John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on day four of Royal Ascot.
Venetian Sun can keep unbeaten sprint record in Commonwealth Cup
The Commonwealth Cup (15:05) gives the three-year-old sprinters a Group 1 opportunity before taking on their elders, and this year’s renewal could well be dominated by the pair who were successful at this meeting a year ago. Aidan O’Brien fields a trio of colts, including the highly regarded Albert Einstein, with Ryan Moore evidently retaining faith in him despite three defeats as favourite in his three runs this year.
However, stablemate Charles Darwin, the mount of Wayne Lordan, could be a bigger danger in first-time blinkers. He was a very good winner of the Norfolk Stakes when beating Wise Approach a year ago and ran too badly to be true at Naas last time so looks worth another chance and seems sure to make another bold bid from the front.
But the one who stands out on Timeform weight-adjusted ratings is Venetian Sun, winner of the Albany Stakes in emphatic fashion on this card twelve months ago. Her best effort at two came when beating colts in the Prix Morny at Deauville, getting the better of future Irish 2000 Guineas winner Gstaad and Wise Approach who went on to win the Middle Park Stakes. While Venetian Sun’s stamina was stretched in the 1000 Guineas, she made an impressive return to sprinting in the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock last time with a three-length beating of Division under just hands and heels, earning the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag. Fully 8 lb clear in the ratings taking her fillies’ allowance into account, Venetian Sun can become ‘Hot Trainer’ Karl Burke’s second filly to win the Commonwealth Cup, ten years after Quiet Reflection.
Rock’s Newmarket form looking solid
George Boughey can add to Bow Echo’s St James’s Palace victory on Tuesday with Hopewell Rock who has good claims in a typically competitive Duke of Edinburgh Stakes (15:40). Hopewell Rock used to run in the same colours as Bow Echo, those of the late Sheikh Mohammed Obaid, but the Wathnan Racing team were evidently taken with his last run, and it looks significant that they have added him to their squad in anticipation of a big run here.
Hopewell Rock won both his starts at two before finding things tougher in handicaps last year but his three placed efforts were good ones before heavy ground was a possible excuse for a lesser showing in the November Handicap.
However, gelded since last year, Hopewell Rock got back on track when returning from six months off at Newmarket on 2000 Guineas day when coming out best at the weights in third. He earned the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag for that effort as he was asked to come from much further back than the first two and kept on well after picking his way through. That form had a significant boost earlier this week as the pair ahead of him at Newmarket, Daiquiri Bay and Gamrai, also fought out the finish of Tuesday’s Copper Horse Stakes. Heading the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings, Hopewell Rock can be another Royal Ascot winner to come out of that contest.
‘Large P’ horse Water To Wine ready for bigger test
The six-runner King Edward VII Stakes (17:35) offers some respite from huge fields over the straight course elsewhere on the card and it looks a good opportunity for John & Thady Gosden’s exciting colt Water To Wine to take a successful step up to pattern company for his stable with the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag.
Water To Wine had been scheduled to take on Benvenuto Cellini in the Chester Vase but he was pulled out due to a temperature which in turn led to his missing the Derby. But the enforced gentler approach looks set to pay off now after two impressive wins at Newbury and Kempton.
Water To Wine was heavily backed for his debut in April and quickened away to win with plenty of hand from Alderman who gave an unexpected boost to that form when excelling himself at long odds by finishing fifth in the Derby. With Epsom off the agenda for Water To Wine, he made short work of a mixed bag of rivals in a novice at Kempton the following month, tanking along in front and pulling eleven lengths clear under just hands and heels from Ryan Moore. Retaining the ‘large P’ symbol from his debut, Water To Wine looks to have considerable potential and can keep his unbeaten record up in grade.
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