That's your lot for today ...
Racing has finished for the afternoon, but we’ll be back tomorrow with lots of build-up, news and live action from the second day of this years Royal Ascot Festival.
Updated
Windsor Castle Stakes (5.35) result
1 Washington Dc (R L Moore) 5-1
2 Areen (J P Spencer) 14-1
3 Steady Pace (James Doyle) 4-1 Fav
27 ran
Also: 5-1 Soapy Aitken 4th
CSF: 67.23
Tricast: 321.95
A treble for Ryan Moore
Even the world’s most sullen sportsman might be able to raise a smile after winning the fourth, fifth and sixth races on the card to record a 54-1 treble. Aidan O’Brien trained this one, so that’s a double for the Irishman.
Windsor Castle Stakes (5.35) 5f
Ruby Notion blasts away in front on the far side with Washington DC in second. Washington DC takes over from Areen and holds on to win under Ryan Moore. Washington DC wins by a short head on the line from Areen and Steady Pace.
Windsor Castle Stakes (5.35) 5f
There are 27 runners sprinting over five furlongs. If it’s thorough, competent text commentary you’re after, then this probably isn’t the service for you. They’ll be off in a second and finished in about 60 more.
Windsor Castle Stakes (5.35) betting
- Steady Pace 4-1
- Washington DC 5-1
- Soapy Aitken 6-1
- Orvar 10-1
- Ruby Notion 10-1
14-1 bar
Updated
Just one race to go ...
If my previous experiences of attending Royal Ascot are anything to go by, we’re approaching that time of day when many of the ladies who arrived this morning looking stunning in all their finery will be preparing to traipse off the course, holding their impossibly high-heeled shoes in one hand, a bottle of fizz in the other, mascara running down their faces, hats all skew-whiff and looking unsteady on their bare feet as they’re escorted by equally sloshed men drunkenly attempting to “unsquash” the top hats they’ve accidentally sat on. Oh, how I wish I was there ... it’s a wonderful day out.
Disciplinary corner ...
In the wake of Hong Kong raider Able Friend’s disappointing performance in the opener, his jockey Joao Moreira’s afternoon has just got a whole lot worse. The Brazilian has been handed a seven-day ban for excessive use of the whip and picked up a fine of a few hundred quid for his troubles as well.
Windsor Castle Stakes (5.35) preview
A 27-runner contest for two-year-olds, many of which have run just once or twice. Good luck! Aidan O’Brien’s Washington DC is the likely favourite and his form with the Coventry favourite Round Two is highly respectable but you could fret over the fact that O’Brien has never won this race.
Soapy Aitken is an unbeaten Clive Cox horse with plenty of zip while Mark Johnston’s Ravenhoe is by no means unbeaten but is certainly battle-hardened. Wesley Ward fields Ruby Notion but neither the available form nor the rumour mill suggest she’s the trainer’s best chance this week. Hannon and Hughes have a go with Orvar but, like O’Brien, their record in this is surprisingly weak.
Ascot Stakes (5.00) result
1 Clondaw Warrior (R L Moore) 5-1 Fav
2 Fun Mac (R Hughes) 8-1
3 Elishpour (W J Lee) 25-1
4 Noble Silk (Oisin Murphy) 20-1
19 ran
Non Runner: 8
CSF: 42.98
Tricast: 971.37
Updated
A nice story there ...
Clondaw Warrior wins for a syndicate of wives and girlfriends of assorted Irish jump jockeys, including Ruby Walsh and David Casey. He went off as 5-1 favourite. “He wasn’t comfortable,” says Ryan Moore of the finish. He may not have been, but he’s held on to give Ryan Moore his second winner of the day.
Ascot Handicap (5.00) 2m4f
Boite is reeled in as Fun Mac, Ray Ward, Clondaw Warrior ... CLondaw Warrior gets up to win for jockey Ryan Moore and trainer Willie Mullins. He hung in bravely to beat Fun Mac by three-quarters of a length. Clondaw Warrior wins the Ascot Stakes.
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Ascot Handicap (5.00) 2m4f
Boite leads from Statutory, followed by Royal Irish Hussar. Boite extends his lead to six or seven lengths from Statutory as they pass the 10 furlong pole ... about 35 or 40 lengths separate first from last ... Boite continues to lead by eight lengths and they’ve three furlongs to run ...
Ascot Handicap (5.00) 2m4f
The field jump away for the longest handicap of the week, with Asbury Boss leading them along under Shane Foley, from Boite and Statutory. The field is well strung out and they’ve a circuit of the track to race ...
Ascot Handicap (5.00) 2m4f
They’re milling around at the start of the Ascot Stakes, with several horses in the stalls already. Any second now ...
Clondaw Warrior's co-owner speaks ...
Her name is Gillian Walsh, who is the wife of jump jockey Ruby and she’s optimistic about the chances of the Willie Mullins-trained second favourite. She says it’s great to be able to enjoy a day’s racing without having to worry about her husband being stretchered off the course. I don’t know if Ruby takes a drink or not, but if he’s been enjoying himself in the champagne bars since this morning, that eventual outcome remains a live possibility.
Ascot Handicap (5.00) betting
- Ray Ward 6-1
- Clondaw Warrior 15-2
- Digeanta 10-1
- Lycidas 11-1
- Broxbourne 12-1
- Fun Mac 12-1
- Asbury Boss 16-1
- Boite 16-1
20-1 bar
Ascot Handicap (5.00) preview
The only handicap on Day One, this is run over two and a half miles, so you’re really looking for a horse called God’s Mercy, because he’ll need to endureth forever. Clondaw Warrior rather leaps off the page, bringing together those great racing talents Willie Mullins and Ryan Moore. He looks well handicapped too but is not certain to stay so far.
Ray Ward, another possible favourite, hasn’t won for a couple of years but went close in a marathon at Goodwood last summer. Lycidas has claims from the handful of races he’s run this year. It’s a race that jumps trainers have now won five years in a row, so take an interest in the three from Nicky Henderson’s yard (Hurricane Higgins, Royal Irish Hussar, Broxbourne). Tony Martin, Michael Halford and Warren Greatrex are also having a slosh at summer glory.
The winning jockey speaks ....
“It was a bit messy early and Frankie got his own way in front, but he made up three lengths there,” says Ryan Moore. “I think he’s improving. I never really had to get serious on him, just hands and heels and he won it. He’s about the best one there is of his generation. I think he could get a little bit further, but there’s no real need because he has plenty of pace.”
St James's Palace Stakes (4.20) result
1 Gleneagles (R L Moore) 8-15 Fav
2 Latharnach (W Buick) 25-1
3 Consort (L Dettori) 6-1
5 ran
Also: 40-1 Aktabantay 4th
Non Runner: 2
CSF: 15.85
Updated
St James Palace Stakes (4.20) 1m
Swinging right-handed into the final turn with three furlongs to go, consort quickens from the front anbd Gleneagles begins his run with a furlong-and-a-half to go. Gleneagles hits the front and wins by two-and-a-half lengths. Gleneagles wins the St James’s Palace Stakes under Ryan Moore to give trainer Aidan O’Brien a record seventh win in the race.
St James Palace Stakes (4.20) 1m
They’re away, with Latharnach dropped in early doors. Frankie Dettori takes Consort to the front, followed by Aktabantay and Gleneagles and Make Believe ...
St James Palace Stakes (4.20) 1m
They’re loading the stalls - we’ll be off any second now ...
St James Palace Stakes (4.20) 1m
The five runners are down at the start for this mile on the round course, rather than a straight-up cavalry charge like the opener. The winner will take £229,854.15.
St James's Palace Stakes (4.20) betting
- Gleneagles 4-7
- Make Believe 7-2
- Consort 6-1
- Latharnach 50-1
- Aktabantay 40-1
Updated
St James's Palace Stakes (4.20) preview
As it is designed to do, this race once more features a clash of Guineas winners but the betting market is strongly behind Gleneagles and it is easy to see why. A Classic winner in England and Ireland, he had to overcome adverse circumstances for the most recent of those successes, whereas Make Believe, the French Guineas hero, had everything fall right for him on his big day.
If Gleneagles is the brilliant miler he appears, these conditions will allow him to prove it. Consort takes a big step up in class but high hopes were always held for him and he was promising last time. Belardo looks over-priced at 25-1 for a horse who only trailed Gleneagles by a length and three-quarters when they last met.
Martin Harley rides his second Royal Ascot winner
He says it was a close thing, because he switched his whip from one hand to the other mid-race and almost drops it. It would have cost him the race, as he won by the most slender of margins: a short head.
“I didn’t think he’d win a race like this, but I thought he was getting to this kind of level,” says winning trainer Robert Cowell, who seems a very nice man indeed. “It was a brilliant ride by Martin and I’m just so pleased for the owners, because I said I wanted to up the bar, they just said to do whatever I thought was best.”
Sadly for the Power family, the favourite Sole Power came late, as is his wont, but just didn’t have enough of a kick to catch the leaders; perhaps old age is catching up with him, as it does with us all.
King's Stand Stakes (3.40) result
1 Goldream (M Harley) 20-1
2 Medicean Man (J Moreira) 50-1
3 Muthmir (P Hanagan) 3-1
18 ran
Also: 5-2 Fav Sole Power, 14-1 Pearl Secret 4th
Non Runner: 17
CSF: 767.43
Tricast: 3946.87
Updated
King's Stand Stakes (3.40) 5f
Goldream wins the King’s Stand Stakes in a photo from Medicean Man. The 20-1 shot wins under jockey Martin Harley for trainer Robert Cowell.
King's Stand Stakes (3.40) 5f
Shamaal Wind was slow out of the stalls, as was Sole Power.Take Cover makes the early running, while Sole Power picks up on the far side but doesn’t have enough in the tank to reel in the leaders. Medicean Man and Goldream cross the line together and it looks like the latter has got it on the nod. We await confirmation ...
King's Stand Stakes (3.40) 5f
They’re loading the stalls with the 18 runners and rideers, so it won’t be long until the off. Sole Power takes up his place in stall No6.
The favourite is owned by a certain bookmaker ...
The horse who traditionally wins his races with a late swoop is owned by the scions of the Paddy Power bookmaking industry and Paddy junior, the firm’s mouthpiece, says he thinks the horse will win. If he does so, he’ll have to finish ahead of Australian raider Shamal Wind, who’s come a long way for this afternoon’s five-furlong dash.
Updated
King's Stand Stakes (3.40) betting
- Sole Power 11-4
- Muthmir 4-1
- Shamal Wind 8-1
- G Force 8-1
- Pearl Secret 14-1
- Rangali 20-1
- Jack Dexter 16-1
20-1 bar
Watching a replay of the Coventry Stakes
Buratino won fairly easily, with two lengths in hand over Air Force Blue. Behind them, Round Two was extremely disappointing, having travelled with high hopes from Jim Bolger’s Irish yard. Tom Queally was lucky to stay on board War Department, after his horse got clipped by a rival mid-race, ruining any chance he might have had.
King's Stand Stakes (3.40) preview
A wildly competitive sprint in which the short odds available is the most offputting thing about Sole Power, attempting a third consecutive win in the race. The second most offputting thing would be his age, eight, making him older than any winner since WWII. Mind you, I don’t suppose many eight-year-olds with his credentials have lined up. He is fast, fast, fast, gets his ground and should give his jockey, Richard Hughes, a real thrill at his final Royal Ascot.
Muthmir is the young(er) pretender from Britain, while G Force tries to show he can cope in the best company at five furlongs, a distance which has so far seemed on the sharp side for him. Shamal Wind runs for Australia but her form doesn’t put her in the highest grade. Rangali, from France, ran several big races as a three-year-old sprinter last year and may be capable of better this year, having needed his reappearance run.
Mecca’s Angel is a non-runner.
The winning jockey speaks ...
“He’s the most exciting two-year-old around at the moment,” says William Buick on his way to the winning closure, where he’ll be greeted by winning trainer Mark Johnston, who saddled first, fourth and fifth in the Coventry Stakes.
Coventry Stakes (3.05) result
1 Buratino (W Buick) 6-1
2 Air Force Blue (R L Moore) 7-2
3 Eltezam (L Dettori) 12-1
17 ran
Also: 9-4 Fav Round Two, 33-1 Beaverbrook 4th
Withdrawn: 8
CSF: 25.07
Tricast: 266.08
No 8 Finnegan was withdrawn not under orders. Rule 4 does not apply.
Updated
Coventry Stakes (3.05) 6f
Eltezam is quick out of the gates and is joined by Sir Roger Moore, which is not as weird as it sounds. Ode To Evening leads from Beaverbrook, with Buratino making ground. Air Force Blue charges through the centre to take up the running from Buratino, but it’s Buratino who prevails by a couple of lengths under William Buick for Godolphin after flying clear in the closing stages. Buratino wins the Coventry Stakes.
Coventry Stakes (3.05) 6f
They’re loading the stalls, so it won’t be long before this six furlong sprint is under way. Can Air Force Blue land the gamble? Stay tuned.
Going change at Ascot
It’s now good to firm all over the course. Meanwhile in the betting ring, Round Two is now 9-4 for the next, while Air Force Blue is now 7-2, having opened at 5-1. He was available at 8-1 this morning.
Another significant non-runner ...
Mecca’s Angel has been withdrawn from the King’s Stand Stakes (3.40).
Today’s non-runners
- 3.05: No8 Finnegan
- 3.40: No17: Mecca’s Angel
- 4.20: No2 Belardo
Coventry Stakes (3.05) betting
- Round Two 9-4
- Air Force Blue 5-1
- War Department 15-2
- Buratino 15-2
- Eltezam 12-1
- Age of Empire 14-1
- Qeyaadah 16-1
20-1 bar.
Able Friend: the post mortem
Hong Kong’s finest miler didn’t give a very good account of himself on his first trip abroad. “He just didn’t fire and four out there was nothing in the tank, but we’ve really enjoyed the experience and now we’ll take him back to Hong Kong,” said his trainer John Moore.
Important non-runner news ...
American raider Finnegan has been withdrawn from the next, the Coventry Stakes (3.05). Belardo is out of the St James’s Palace Stakes (4.20).
Non runners
- 3.05: No8 Finnegan
- 4.20: No2 Belardo
Coventry Stakes (3.05) preview
The strongest two-year-old race of the week and often a pointer to the following year’s Classics, the Coventry is always a puzzle because it brings together so many horses who have impressed in their one or two starts so far.
Round Two comes from the Irish yard of Jim Bolger, who has won many a good juvenile race in the past 10 years and rates this one the fastest two-year-old he’s had for decades. Air Force Blue runs for Aidan O’Brien, three times a winner of this race in the past eight years, and he wouldn’t have to improve much on his Curragh debut, when he started strongly and just tired in the last 50 yards.
Age Of Empire represents the Hannon/Hughes combo that has won two recent Coventrys and he skated up at York last month, showing astonishing improvement on his debut. Presumably he can’t take another leap forward like that but if he did, he’d be hard to catch. Finnegan is trained by Wesley Ward, the American trainer who has made a summer home of Ascot. He’s bred to be good and turned in what looks a fast time in scoring at Pimlico.
The winning jockey speaks
“It’s amazing ... just before the race we don’t know if we can beat Able Friend, but today The Boss was the best,” he says, referring to his mount. “When you can win a Group One in Ascot it’s amazing.” That win has earned the horse’s owners £212,662.50.
Queen ANne Stakes (2.30) result
1 Solow (M Guyon) 11-8 Fav
2 Esoterique (P C Boudot) 16-1
3 Cougar Mountain (R L Moore) 16-1
8 ran
Also: 8-1 Toormore 4th
CSF: 27.40
Tricast: 256.38
Updated
Queen Anne Stakes (2.30)
Richard Hughes takes Toormore to the front to lead by a length from Glory Awaits nad Night of Thunder as they approach halfway at a strong pace. Able Friend is being ridden off the pace as Richard Hughes tries to steal a march on Toormore. Abel Friend looks beaten two out and Solow comes through to win by a length. The Queen Anne Stakes goes to the favourite, Solow, ridden by Maxime Guyon for trainer Freddy Head.
Updated
Going behind the stalls for the Queen Anne
Those burghers of Hong Kong who are backing Able Friend in their droves won’t be pleased to see that he’s sweating up a storm. They’re in the stalls ...
Able Friend is being backed off the boards in Hong Kong
He’s currently 11-4 on the course, but a mere 2-5 on the Hong Kong equivalent of the Tote.
En route to the start for the Queen Anne Stakes (2.30)
Able Friend looks a picture of good health and a mighty animal, but is lightly on his toes as he gets led around the parade ring. It’s unsurprising, as this is his first time out of Hong Kong and he’ll never have experienced an atmosphere or surroundings quite like this before - Sha Tin and Ascot racecourses don’t have a great deal in common. He’s 7-4 in the betting at the moment. On the way down to the start, Here Comes When excuses himself from the parade to get led in splendid isolation. Under Silvestre de Sousa, Glory Awaits looks a bit nervous, while 6-4 favourite Solow bucks upon being released by his handlers, before cantering down to the start.
De Watigrant: equine artist with the royal touch
The renowned racing and equestrian artist Hubert de Watigrant has an exhibition at the Osborne Studio Gallery in London’s Motcomb Street until 10 July which is well worth making a detour to see when next in the capital.
De Watigrant, whose father was a successful breeder and trainer living in South West France, has included a number of paintings with Royal Ascot as the backdrop in the current exhibition.
Here are some examples of his current work.
Updated
Joao Moreira speaks ...
The Hong Kong-based Brazilian rider of Able Friend says that he is unconcerned by speculation that his mount won’t fancy running a straight mile, as he’s used to riding around bends at home in Sha Tin. He goes on to say that while he respects his rivals in the Queen Anne Stakes, he’s very confident that his invader will do himself justice.
Queen Anne Stakes (2.30) betting
- Solow 6-4
- Able Friend 11-4
- Night of Thunder 5-1
- Toormore 15-2
- Esoterique 20-1
- Cougar Mountain 28-1
- Here Comes When 40-1
- Glory Awaits 100-1
More Queen Anne Stakes betting
The royal procession is under way
Expect the first carriage, containing the queen, Prince Philip, Prince Harry and the Duke of York to make all down the home straight. If you bet on Her Majesty wearing a pink hat, you can go and collect. Having said that, you might not get paid out unless you wrote “fuschia” on your betting slip.
Updated
Royal Ascot Top Jockey betting
- Ryan Moore 4-9
- Richard Hughes 15-2
- Frankie Dettori 8-1
- James Doyle 16-1
- William Buick 16-1
20-1 bar
The best prices in the Top Jockey betting
Queen Anne Stakes pre-parade ring ...
Able Friend is being given a walk around by two handlers ahead of the first and he looks massive - a huge imposing presence.
Queen Anne Stakes (2.30) preview
Royal Ascot starts with what may very well be the race of the week, pitting stars from Britain, France and Hong Kong against each other, with an Irish outsider (Cougar Mountain) doubtless waiting to save the bookies and make us all feel daft. From the east comes Able Friend, the winner of his last six at Sha Tin, where he has racked up more than £4m in prize money. It’s hard to match the value of that form against what happens in Europe but you only have to watch him to see that he’s a major talent.
But the favourite is Chantilly’s own Solow, also on an unbeaten run of six since his connections realised he shouldn’t be racing much beyond a mile. This grey beast looked awesome landing a £2m pot in Dubai in March but meets stronger opposition here. The home champ, Night Of Thunder, lacks the glamour of that pair, having spent much of last season getting beat. But he had his excuses, won a good Group One last time and I don’t think he’ll let down the patriots, should there happen to be one or two in the stands.
Channel 4’s coverage has started ...
Clare Balding and Nick Luck are the presenters, while housewives choice and fashion expert Gok Wan will be on hand to help us make sense of all the millinery on show.
Updated
Updated
Ruby Walsh speaks ...
The Irish jump jockey is at Royal Ascot, having swapped his usual racecourse attire of silks, breeches and boots for top hat and tails. He says he expects Solow to win the Queen Anne Stakes and seems bullishly confident of the horse’s chances. Make of that what you will.
Updated
Alastair Down writes ...
The Racing Post columnist and former Channel 4 racing presenter is in sparkling form as he sets the scene for today’s racing in today’s edition of his paper ...
As ever, Ascot’s opening day is not merely a feast but a veritable banquet of brilliance. It is the stuff of life for punters and purists alike, although in the crowd there will be plenty of preening popinjays and poodle fakers who wouldn’t know a horse from a harpsichord.
The royal procession is arriving soon ...
It’s almost that time ... for the royal procession down the centre of the track as has been highlighted by our reporter at the track, Greg Wood. I attended a Serpentine gallery exhibition by artist Mark Wallinger back in 1994 when one of his installations was a series of video monitors on top of wheeled flight cases, each isolating the royal carriage’s leisurely progress down the track on the Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (respectively, as it was then) of Royal Ascot.
The British Council described the work thus: ‘Simultaneous footage exposes precise choreography: the Queen’s frozen smile and rigid curls, the tilt of her head, her gloved wave, the Duke of Edinburgh raising his top hat, the national anthem striking up. Appropriately for an event whose media coverage focuses on the parade of hats and dresses rather than the sport, here we have a close-up on clothes, on the Queen’s dolly mixture of pinks, tangerines, limes; the difference from day to day is barely discernible, just as the four BBC commentaries merge in a confused blather.’
This year, as BBC radio racing correspondent Cornelius Lysaght points out, we do have Prince Harry too. He doesn’t go to Ascot that often.
#RoyalAscot: royal party led by Queen, Duke of Edinburgh to include Prince of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew
— Cornelius Lysaght (@CorneliusRacing) June 16, 2015
Updated
The Carriage List is in ...
William and Kate won’t be part of the royal procession, but the good news is that Princess Beatrice appears to have taken a day out of her hectic Going On Holidays schedule to put in an appearance. I’m genuinely curious to know whether she considers this afternoon’s activities as “work” or a day out? Also, it’s nice to see that the Duke of Devonshire is going to the races. Interesting fact: he’s named after a pub at the bottom of Balham Hill in South London.
No sign of an immediate return on Qipco’s £50m in the day one carriage list … pic.twitter.com/2Pp7eyCJht
— Greg Wood (@Greg_Wood_) June 16, 2015
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Mecca’s Angel - no decision till after the first race
Trainer Michael Dods is prevaricating over whether to run third-favourite Mecca’s Angel in the King’s Stand Stakes today. He’s worried about the ground for the 7-1 shot in the 3.40 race but won’t make a decision until after the first race has been run at 2.30.
Connections of Mecca's Angel will wait until after the Queen Anne to make a decision on whether she runs in the King's Stand
— Racing Post (@RacingPost) June 16, 2015
Updated
McCririck to vote for Jeremy Corbyn
Now there’s a headline you never expected to read. John McCririck, formerly of Channel 4 Racing and famous for his lack of Coke and his large underpants on Big Brother, has arrived at Ascot.
McCririck has embraced social media and posts regularly on Twitter (though we suspect his wife, better known as The Booby, does all the spade work as usual). He flagged up his arrival in the winner’s enclosure today. Yesterday, he was highlighting the fact that both he and his wife were going to join the Labour party and vote for the left-wing candidate, Jeremy Corbyn.
I'm in the Winners Enclosure @Ascot where I belong pic.twitter.com/v07g4omoz1
— John McCririck (@RealMcCririck) June 16, 2015
For £6 Booby+I are joining @UKLabour to vote Trot Jeremy Corbyn as Leader. Would ensure eternal defeat. Join us, sign up! @Conservatives
— John McCririck (@RealMcCririck) June 15, 2015
News round-up: Chrome out, Rules in, Cookie out
The most significant pieces of news this morning so far on day one concern the big races on Wednesday and Thursday. California Chrome has been officially confirmed as a non-runner in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot tomorrow.
Last year’s Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner was reported to be sore on Monday trainer Art Sherman has officially withdrawn him from the Group One race.
The four-year-old has been based with Newmarket rainer Rae Guest, who said: “He’s not going to run, he’s got a badly bruised foot. He’s been X-rayed and there’s no damage, there’s just a bit of pus and it will take a few days to come right. It’s just a minor thing but it’s very disappointing.”
On Thursday, the long-time ante-post favourite Forgotten Rules has been declared in a field of 14 for the Gold Cup, but Clever Cookie will miss the race.
Trainer Dermot Weld has said Forgotten Rules will only run if there is sufficient give in the ground but the clerk of the course has indicated he will water the course on Wednesday evening.
Unfortunately for Peter Niven, though, he felt the ground was too quick for Clever Cookie, who was generally fourth favourite for the race.
Updated
Chris Cook’s Windsor Castle Stakes (5.35) preview
A 27-runner contest for two-year-olds, many of which have run just once or twice. Good luck! Aidan O’Brien’s Washington DC is the likely favourite and his form with the Coventry favourite Round Two is highly respectable but you could fret over the fact that O’Brien has never won this race.
Soapy Aitken is an unbeaten Clive Cox horse with plenty of zip while Mark Johnston’s Ravenhoe is by no means unbeaten but is certainly battle-hardened. Wesley Ward fields Ruby Notion but neither the available form nor the rumour mill suggest she’s the trainer’s best chance this week. Hannon and Hughes have a go with Orvar but, like O’Brien, their record in this is surprisingly weak.
Updated
Ascot Handicap (5.00) preview
The only handicap on Day One, this is run over two and a half miles, so you’re really looking for a horse called God’s Mercy, because he’ll need to endureth forever. Clondaw Warrior rather leaps off the page, bringing together those great racing talents Willie Mullins and Ryan Moore. He looks well handicapped too but is not certain to stay so far.
Ray Ward, another possible favourite, hasn’t won for a couple of years but went close in a marathon at Goodwood last summer. Lycidas has claims from the handful of races he’s run this year. It’s a race that jumps trainers have now won five years in a row, so take an interest in the three from Nicky Henderson’s yard (Hurricane Higgins, Royal Irish Hussar, Broxbourne). Tony Martin, Michael Halford and Warren Greatrex are also having a slosh at summer glory.
Updated
St James's Palace Stakes (4.20) preview
As it is designed to do, this race once more features a clash of Guineas winners but the betting market is strongly behind Gleneagles and it is easy to see why. A Classic winner in England and Ireland, he had to overcome adverse circumstances for the most recent of those successes, whereas Make Believe, the French Guineas hero, had everything fall right for him on his big day.
If Gleneagles is the brilliant miler he appears, these conditions will allow him to prove it. Consort takes a big step up in class but high hopes were always held for him and he was promising last time. Belardo looks over-priced at 25-1 for a horse who only trailed Gleneagles by a length and three-quarters when they last met.
Updated
King’s Stand Stakes (3.40) preview
A wildly competitive sprint in which the short odds available is the most off-putting thing about Sole Power, attempting a third consecutive win in the race. The second most off-putting thing would be his age, eight, making him older than any winner since WWII. Mind you, I don’t suppose many eight-year-olds with his credentials have lined up.
He is fast, fast, fast, gets his ground and should give his jockey, Richard Hughes, a real thrill at his final Royal Ascot. Muthmir is the young(er) pretender from Britain, while G Force tries to show he can cope in the best company at five furlongs, a distance which has so far seemed on the sharp side for him. Shamal Wind runs for Australia but her form doesn’t put her in the highest grade. Rangali, from France, ran several big races as a three-year-old sprinter last year and may be capable of better this year, having needed his reappearance run.
Updated
Coventry Stakes (3.05) preview
The strongest two-year-old race of the week and often a pointer to the following year’s Classics, the Coventry is always a puzzle because it brings together so many horses who have impressed in their one or two starts so far.
Round Two comes from the Irish yard of Jim Bolger, who has won many a good juvenile race in the past 10 years and rates this one the fastest two-year-old he’s had for decades. Air Force Blue runs for Aidan O’Brien, three times a winner of this race in the past eight years, and he wouldn’t have to improve much on his Curragh debut, when he started strongly and just tired in the last 50 yards.
Age Of Empire represents the Hannon/Hughes combo that has won two recent Coventrys and he skated up at York last month, showing astonishing improvement on his debut. Presumably he can’t take another leap forward like that but if he did, he’d be hard to catch.
Finnegan is trained by Wesley Ward, the American trainer who has made a summer home of Ascot. He’s bred to be good and turned in what looks a fast time in scoring at Pimlico.
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Queen Anne Stakes (2.30) preview
Royal Ascot starts with what may very well be the race of the week, pitting stars from Britain, France and Hong Kong against each other, with an Irish outsider (Cougar Mountain) doubtless waiting to save the bookies and make us all feel daft.
From the east comes Able Friend, the winner of his last six at Sha Tin, where he has racked up more than £4m in prize money. It’s hard to match the value of that form against what happens in Europe but you only have to watch him to see that he’s a major talent. But the favourite is Chantilly’s own Solow, also on an unbeaten run of six since his connections realised he shouldn’t be racing much beyond a mile. This grey beast looked awesome landing a £2m pot in Dubai in March but meets stronger opposition here.
The home champ, Night Of Thunder, lacks the glamour of that pair, having spent much of last season getting beat. But he had his excuses, won a good Group One last time and I don’t think he’ll let down the patriots, should there happen to be one or two in the stands.
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William Hill Royal Ascot tipping competition
You could win a £50 bet from William Hill by proving your tipping prowess. All you have to do is give us your selections for all of today’s races at Ascot.
As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional level stakes of £1 at starting price. Non-runners count as losers.
Please post all your tips in a single posting, using the comment facility below, before the first race at 2.30pm. There are six races at Ascot today and you must post a single selection for each race.
Our usual terms and conditions, which you can read here will apply, except that this will be a strictly one-day thing. If we get a tie after all the races have been run, the winner will be the one who posted their tips earliest out of those with the highest score.
If you don’t win today, don’t despair. We are running an identical competition on each day of the Royal meeting, up to Friday.
Click here for all the day’s racecards, form, stats and results.
And post your tips or racing-related comments below.
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Greg Wood sets the scene for Day One
Confirmation that one of the week’s star attractions will miss the meeting is not an ideal way to start Royal Ascot, but the news that California Chrome, America’s Horse of the Year in 2014, is out of tomorrow’s Prince of Wales’s Stakes was all but inevitable after it emerged that he was lame on Monday evening.
In all other respects, however, we seem set fair for the most prestigious and competitive meeting of the season. There is scarcely a cloud in the sky at present, and not a drop of rain in the forecast until after Ladies’ Day on Thursday at the earliest. That, of course, presents some issues for Chris Stickels, the clerk of the course, as the ground will be lightning-fast by Saturday without a little intervention from his watering system, but there is no sign of any move to turn on the taps before tomorrow evening.
Some bookmakers have been playing up the superficial similarities between today’s opening card and the first day at Cheltenham in March, when Willie Mullins supplied four favourites in the first five races, three of which went off at odds-on. The layers were saved from an immense payout only by the fall of Annie Power at the last flight in the Mares’ Hurdle with the race at her mercy, but they will fancy their chances of avoiding such brinkmanship today as only Gleneagles, a 4-6 chance for the St James’s Palace Stakes, is an odds-on chance. The remainder - Solow in the opening Queen Anne Stakes, Round Two in the Coventry and Sole Power, the winner for the last two years, in the King’s Stand - are odds against and thus, strictly speaking, unlikely to win, so at least one can be expected to come up short.
Interesting horses to look out for in the first few events include Finnegan, a persistent talking horse in recent days and the first member of Wesley Ward’s 10-strong contingent from the States to take to the track. If he goes in in the Coventry Stakes, the odds against his remaining runners in the juvenile events - including Ruby Notion, currently a 10-1 chance, in the concluding Windsor Castle Stakes - may contract abruptly.
The GoingStick readings for the course at 8.15 this morning were 8.5 on the stands side, 8.3 in the centre and 8.5 on the far side, and the going is officially good, good-to-firm in places all over.
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