Buckaroo to play Games with his Wolferton rivals June 19, 2023 AS HAS become the norm at Royal Ascot, the five-day meeting gets underway with the Queen Anne Stakes (2.30pm) and this year’s renewal, on paper at least, looks a cracker. The market is finding it hard to split Inspiral and MODERN GAMES, but while I respect the former hugely, I’m firmly in the latter’s camp. [...]
Time to get aboard Royal Scotsman in St James’s Palace June 19, 2023 TODAY’S third and final Group One, the St James’s Palace Stakes (4.20pm) pits the winner of the English and Irish 2000 Guineas against each other as CHALDEAN takes on Paddington. Some have crabbed the form of Chaldean’s 2000 Guineas win, but I thought he was much the best at Newmarket and bar unseating Frankie Dettori [...]
Bring on the Ascot Stakes for Mullins’ unexposed Night June 19, 2023 THERE was a sense of disappointment for favourite backers in last year’s Ascot Stakes (5.00pm) when BRING ON THE NIGHT couldn’t get past Coltrane having been produced perfectly inside the final furlong. Looking back on that performance now, it can be seriously upgraded considering Coltrane is rated nearly 20lbs higher and is favourite for Thursday’s [...]
There is a Point in taking on Vauban with Chillingham June 19, 2023 EVERY year there are always a few horses that punters latch onto in the ante-post markets in the build-up to Royal Ascot and this season one of those is most definitely Vauban in the Copper Horse Handicap (6.10pm). Last year’s Triumph Hurdle winner and this season’s Champion Hurdle fourth was originally recruited from the flat [...]
EP: 207 Royal Ascot – Tuesday June 19, 2023 Three Group 1 races for us to enjoy on the first day of Royal Ascot as the best week of international racing gets underway on Tuesday. The Queen Anne, the King’s Stand and the St. James’s Palace Stakes all look to provide a great deal of excitement for flat racing fans, and we get to [...]
Sweet success on the cards for Gummy Gummy and Purton June 16, 2023 THERE are ominous signs that jockey Zac Purton’s quest to ride the most Hong Kong winners in a season is in danger of coming up short. Purton arrives at Sha Tin on Sunday with 10 booked rides on a highly competitive 11-race programme, and will surely need a red-letter day if he is to give [...]
Speedy Fortunes to be made with Galaxy Witness June 16, 2023 THE feature race of the day, the £260,000 Lek Yuen Handicap (12.35pm) over seven furlongs, sees the return of the Douglas Whyte-trained Flaming Rabbit, who was unlucky to be caught out by Tuchel over a mile last month. Given an enterprising, near pin-point-perfect ride by Lyle Hewitson, his supporters could be forgiven for making a [...]
EP: 206 York, Sandown & Hong Kong June 16, 2023 With Royal Ascot just around the corner, it’s a fairly low-key day of racing in the UK on Saturday. Sandown’s card features the five furlong Listed Scurry Stakes with York the venue for the Grand Cup, run over the famous Ebor distance of a mile and three quarters. Morning Wire Racing editor Bill Esdaile previews [...]