Art has the Power to shine brightest in Diamond Jubilee
SOME wonderful sprinters have won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (4.20pm) in the past, but it is going to be more about the ability to handle conditions than anything else on Saturday afternoon.
The first place to start has to be with Dream Of Dreams who has tasted agonising defeat in this race for the last two years.
Beaten a head by the great Blue Point two years ago, Sir Michael Stoute’s seven-year-old went down by the same margin to Hello Youmzain 12 months ago.
He finally got the Group One monkey off his back when winning the Sprint Cup at Haydock before disappointing back at Ascot in the Champions Sprint.
This is his time of year, though. He won a Listed race at Windsor impressively last month and he has to be one for the World Pool Quinella or Swinger.
But for win purposes I’m going to side with Tim Easterby’s ART POWER who was such an impressive winner of the inaugural Palace Of Holyroodhouse Handicap at last year’s Royal meeting.
Things didn’t work out for him in the Nunthorpe, but he ran very well to be fourth in both the Sprint Cup and Champions Sprint, both on soft ground.
Now a four-year-old, connections tried different tactics on his seasonal reappearance in the Duke Of York Stakes last month.
He clearly didn’t like being held up, so you can expect Silvestre de Sousa to make much more use of him at a track and on ground that he loves.
At around the 15/2 mark, he looks a solid each-way bet and I would put him in along with Dream Of Dreams in a Quinella or Swinger.
The other one I’d throw into that would be Paddy Twomey’s Sonaiyla who will definitely handle the ground.
A Group Three winner last time out at the Curragh, the daughter of Dark Angel gets further than six furlongs which could be vital in these conditions.
POINTERS
Art Power e/w 4.20pm Ascot
Quinella/Swinger: Art Power, Dream Of Dreams, Sonaiyla