Don’t miss another stop on Frankie’s Prosperous Voyage
THERE are loads of potential stories involving Frankie Dettori this week, but the charismatic Italian would love nothing more than taking out a big race or two for his mates.
In this afternoon’s Group Two Duke Of Cambridge Stakes (3.40pm), he climbs back aboard PROSPEROUS VOYAGE who is jointly owned by his friends Andrew Rosen and Marc Chan.
Trained by Ralph Beckett, the four-year-old daughter of Zoffany gave Dettori a memorable Derby Day success when landing the Group Three Princess Elizabeth Stakes earlier this month.
That was only her third career success, but her second came at the top level last July when beating Dettori and Inspiral in the Group One Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.
A 16/1 shot that day, she caused one of the biggest shocks of the season with Inspiral going off at 1/7.
Her reappearance in the Dahlia Stakes at Newmarket was disappointing, but the combination of soft ground and an extra furlong proved too much for her.
At around the 11/4 mark, she looks fair value to nudge Dettori closer to 80 Royal Ascot winners.
She is much more at home on a quick surface and while 10mm of rain hit Ascot overnight on Monday, a dry day is forecast and conditions are likely to be pretty much perfect by 3.40pm.
Jumbly looks like going off favourite on her second start for Joseph O’Brien after winning a Group Three at Ascot for Harry & Roger Charlton last summer.
She ran well at the Curragh last month to finish second to Just Beautiful in a Group Two, but she still has seven pounds to find on ratings with Prosperous Voyage.
The interesting contender from an each-way perspective is RANDOM HARVEST who was second to my main selection in the aforementioned Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom.
While it’s fair to say she had the run of the race, she still had to concede three pounds to Prosperous Voyage and was only beaten less than a length at the line, so it was a fine run.
She has run three times at Ascot and has finished first, second and third, albeit all of those efforts were in handicap company.
However, as big as 25/1 with some bookmakers, she looks overpriced and can run well for Ed Walker and Saffie Osborne.
The race has a nice shape to it from a World Pool Quinella perspective where you have to pick two to finish first and second in either order.
I would throw in Prosperous Voyage and Random Harvest, but I’d also add in Rogue Millennium who is a 9/1 shot in the fixed odds markets.
She ran a fine race to be second in the Group Two Middleton Stakes at York last month, battling it out against Free Wind.
This will be her first start at a mile, but if they go hard she’s the type of filly who could pick up the pieces in the closing stages.
It’s an interesting move by connections to drop her back to this distance and I certainly wouldn’t rule her out.
Of the others, Grande Dame has to be of interest for the Gosden yard who have won two of the last three runnings of this race.
She won at Ascot on debut in April 2022 and was then too keen when taking on stablemate Inspiral in the Coronation Stakes at the Royal meeting last year.
POINTERS
Prosperous Voyage 3.40pm Royal Ascot
Random Harvest e/w 3.40pm Royal Ascot
Prosperous Voyage, Random Harvest, Rogue Millennium
(World Pool Quinella) 3.40pm Royal Ascot