Lady Aurelia, twice a winner at Royal Ascot, edged in front of Battaash in the betting on Monday for a 60-second duel between two of the fastest horses in the world, in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot on Tuesday.
Even the English weather is expected to behave itself as the Royal meeting begins with a dry forecast and quick summer ground for a major Flat meeting for what feels like the first time in years. That may have played a part in punters’ calculations on Monday, as Lady Aurelia’s odds dipped below 2-1 with most bookmakers while Battaash, the easy winner of the Prix de l’Abbaye last season, can be backed at 11-4. The two market leaders were locked together at 9-4 on Monday morning.
There is no mystery about the plan of attack when it comes to Lady Aurelia. This is her third consecutive trip to Royal Ascot from Wesley Ward’s stable in the US and she has won the Queen Mary Stakes and then the King’s Stand last year in identical style, bursting from the stalls and daring a rival to attempt to match strides with her. As yet no rival has and Lady Aurelia has recorded victories by seven lengths and then three, which are remarkable margins for top-class sprint events.
John Velazquez, who has flown in from the US to take the ride on the filly, will take the same approach on Tuesday and quick ground will help to ensure that her blinding speed lasts all the way to the line.
The case against her, meanwhile, revolves around Battaash. Is he a better rival than she has faced at Ascot to date? And is there a chance that the big two will battle each other to a standstill by the final furlong and allow an unexpected winner to chase them down at the post?
“She’s bucking and kicking, which is just what you want to see, as she’ll need to be every bit as good as she ever was to get the job done again,” Ward said on Monday. “She loves it here and she thrives here. She’s doing great. It should be a great race and that’s what racing is all about.”
Battaash raced against Lady Aurelia in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York last August, when he boiled over in the preliminaries and failed to run up to form. He seemed more relaxed before his first race of the season at Haydock last month but horses can be highly sensitive to a big‑race atmosphere and cautious punters may wait until he is safely at the start before stepping in to back him.
Somewhat unusually the head-to-head in the King’s Stand Stakes does not involve runners for either Aidan O’Brien or the Godolphin operation but the fiercest rivals in Flat racing are well represented both on the opening day and throughout the week ahead.
Royal Ascot 2.30 Recoletos (nap) 3.05 Cosmic Law 3.40 Finsbury Square 4.20 Romanised (nb) 5.00 Coeur De Lion 5.35 Sharja Bridge
Thirsk 1.40 Prairie Spy 2.10 Deira Surprise 2.45 Kingstreet Lady 3.20 Beauty Filly 3.55 Madrinho 4.35 Bayshore Freeway 5.10 Mutawaary 5.45 Fyrecracker
Stratford 1.50 Stylish Dancer 2.20 Conistone 2.55 Cernunnos 3.30 Wells De Lune 4.05 Just A Feeling 4.45 Hatcher 5.20 Iniesta
Brighton 5.40 Born To Finish 6.10 Spirit Kingdom 6.40 Kachumba 7.10 Mr Tyrrell 7.40 Seinesational 8.10 Sharp Operator 8.40 Deer Song
Beverley 6.30 Pesci 7.00 Sea Youmzain 7.30 El Astronaute 8.00 Rampant Lion 8.30 Roddy 9.00 Bollin Ted
Tips by Chris Cook.
A much-needed first success in the Derby for the royal blue Godolphin colours will mean that Sheikh Mohammed’s operation, the biggest in the global Flat racing business, will arrive in Berkshire in confident mood. John Gosden, meanwhile, who has become something of a third force in the battle for major honours on the Flat, is also in the running to finish the week as the leading trainer.
All three of the big players have a runner with a chance in the St James’s Palace Stakes, which is, in theory at least, the feature race of the day. But romantics will undoubtedly side with Tip Two Win, the runner-up in the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, who arrives from the much smaller stable run by Roger Teal, just down the road from Ascot at Great Shefford.
That form would probably see Tip Two Win heading the market – were he trained by Gosden or O’Brien. “I suppose it’s down to fashion,” Teal said. “The big stables are more fashionable than small yards like ours, who don’t often win Group Ones.”
Victory for Tip Two Win on Tuesday would be one fashion faux pas of which most of those at Ascot would thoroughly approve.
