16:40 Royal Ascot

Saturday 20 June 2020

All12:4013:1513:5014:2515:0015:3516:1016:40

Queen Alexandra Stakes (Conditions Race)

Off time: 16:44 | Winning time: 4m 59.88s

(1)

Fun Mac^t²³²

Age: 9| Weight: 9-5| J: Jim Crowley| T: H Morrison| OR: 85| BF

14/1

Finished fifth in this contest in 2017 (eighth in 2018), and 7½L fourth to The Grand Visir in last year's Ascot Stakes (2m4f, good to soft); finally back to winning ways at Pontefract (2m2f, soft) on his penultimate start; ticks some boxes.

Form: 540714-

(10)

Adrrastos²⁴⁴

Age: 8| Weight: 9-2| J: James Doyle| T: Jamie Snowden

25/1

Bold jumping, front-running 142-rated chaser with an excellent strike-rate (6-13) in that discipline; is versatile in terms of underfoot conditions, but this is a tough contest in which to make a belated debut on the Flat.

Form:

(7)

Affluence^p¹⁷

Age: 5| Weight: 9-2| J: H Crouch| T: Martin Smith| OR: 75

80/1

Won twice on the AW at Chelmsford (1m6f-2m) over the winter months; however, those successes came in Class 5 & 6 handicaps respectively and this is a whole new ball game; look elsewhere with confidence.

Form: 14-6155

(11)

Its'afreebee^p,t⁹⁷

Age: 10| Weight: 9-2| J: Hollie Doyle| T: R Spencer| OR: 82

28/1

Veteran; hasn't competed on the Flat for 616 days (since finishing 26th of 33 in the 2018 Cesarewitch); finished runner-up at odds of 25-1 in a Class 4 handicap hurdle at Market Rasen in March.

Form: 211260/

(5)

Monsieur Co^p,t¹²³

Age: 7| Weight: 9-2| J: J Fanning| T: K Dalgleish| BF

66/1

Initially thrived over fences in the north after joining Keith Dalgleish (ex-Paul Nicholls); that said, his improvement has somewhat plateaued since and he's very difficult to fancy on debut on the level at the age of seven.

Form:

(9)

The Grand Visir^p,t²⁴¹

Age: 6| Weight: 9-2| J: R Kingscote| T: Ian Williams| OR: 104| C

11/4

With various trainers over the years (initially William Haggas); earned his stripes for Ian Williams with an ultra-game win in last year's Ascot Stakes (2m4f, gd/soft) - Fun Mac behind; off since a spin in a maiden hurdle at Worcester last October.

Form: 01/7170-

(3)

Who Dares Wins^p¹⁰²

Age: 8| Weight: 9-2| J: Tom Marquand| T: A King| OR: 107

1/1

Dour stayer; sampled feature race glory with a gritty head win in last year's Northumberland Plate (2m½f); also seventh of 30 in the 2019 Cesarewitch; rates as a strong contender on return to the Flat after a mixed stint over fences.

Form: 321447-

(6)

Mukha Magic^p¹¹

Age: 4| Weight: 9-1| J: B A Curtis| T: Miss Gay Kelleway| OR: 85

40/1

Knows exactly how to win races, admittedly at a much lower level of competition; has risen through the ranks on the AW (Fibresand) this calendar year courtesy of a hat-trick of wins over 1m4f; is thought unlikely in this elevated company.

Form: 4-31116

(8)

Nate The Great¹⁴

Age: 4| Weight: 9-1| J: Oisin Murphy| T: A M Balding| OR: 94| BF

4/1

Formerly with Archie Watson; without a win since late 2018 and yet to score beyond 1m1f; posted a respectable comeback (stable debut) third in a Class 2 handicap at Newmarket (1m4f, good) a fortnight ago; stamina surely the major question mark.

Form: 30368-3

Non-Runners

(4)

Imphal³⁵¹

Weight: 9-2| Age: 6

T: G & J Moore J: R L Moore

(2)

Mekong²

Weight: 9-2| Age: 5

T: J A Osborne J: Non Runner

Forecasts

Who Dares Wins (1/1), Mekong (9/4), The Grand Visir (11/4), Nate The Great (4/1), Imphal (12/1), Fun Mac (14/1), Adrrastos (25/1), Its'afreebee (28/1), Mukha Magic (40/1), Monsieur Co (66/1), Affluence (80/1)

Such extreme tests of stamina can often produce surprising results, although at these weights it's relatively easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. On official figures the Ascot finale lies between the globetrotting Mekong and last year's feature race winners The Grand Visir (Ascot Stakes) and WHO DARES WINS (Northumberland Plate). The latter pair have competed over timber and birch respectively (with modest fortunes) in more recent times, returning to the Flat seeking a revival. Preference is for the stamina-laden Alan King-trained runner, who can also sport rock-solid Chester Cup form (fourth, third and second between 2017 & 2019) on his CV.