Grand finish to a gruelling Queen Alexandra June 18, 2021 A GOOD few more millimetres of rain and a hundred or so hooves will have hit the track come the time of the final meeting of the week, the 2m5½f Queen Alexandra Stakes (6:10pm). You need to be on the lookout for rock-solid stayers with form on testing ground and THE GRAND VISIR stands out as an obvious [...]
Could be game, Seasett and match in Golden Gates June 18, 2021 IT’S GOING to be pretty tough going come the last few races on Saturday and it could pay to look for horses off low weights. One of those is SEASETT, who I fancy to give Richard Fahey a second winner of the week in the Golden Gate Handicap (5.35pm). The recent rain will have been music [...]
Art has the Power to shine brightest in Diamond Jubilee June 18, 2021 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 [...]
EP: 68 Royal Ascot – Saturday – Day 5 June 18, 2021 Saturday sees the final day of Royal Ascot 2021 where the sprinters take centre stage. The Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes, run over 6 furlongs is the feature race of the day. Our guest Ed Walker runs the exciting 4-year old Starman and Ed joins us to talk through his chances. City A.M. racing editor [...]
France can plunder Commonwealth June 17, 2021 THERE’S usually a good French horse that slips under the radar at Royal Ascot. Our friends across the Channel have bagged at least one winner at the meeting in four of the past six years and SUESA is fancied to complete a successful raid in the Commonwealth Cup (3:40pm). After a taking win first time up this [...]
Novemba to rain at Ascot June 17, 2021 WHEN the declarations were made for the Coronation Stakes (4.20pm) earlier in the week, I was desperately hoping that the German filly NOVEMBA would feature among the final field. The challenges of travelling anywhere in the world at the moment are tough for all of us, but pale into insignificance when you consider the difficulties of moving a [...]
Flotus can make it a Friendly Friday June 17, 2021 WHEN Frankie Dettori gets on top of a horse trained by the Crisford family, take note. The Italian operates at a 30 percent strike rate when teaming up with Simon & Ed Crisford and they’ve already had a Royal Ascot winner together with A’Ali in 2019. He rides FLOTUS in the opening Albany Stakes (2.30pm) on Thursday and based on her debut [...]
EP: 67 Royal Ascot – Friday – Day 4 June 17, 2021 It’s Day 4 of our special daily Royal Ascot podcasts, previewing each of the five days racing Trainer Clive Cox won the Commonwealth Cup 12 months ago and he runs Supremacy, Diligent Harry and Isabella Giles in this year’s renewal. Ed Walker has the exciting filly Primo Bacio in the Coronation Stakes and both trainers [...]
Forecast rain could derail Stradivarius’ shot at history June 16, 2021 WHEN Yeats won his fourth Ascot Gold Cup (4.15pm) in 2009, few, if any, thought his incredible feat would be matched. However, in Stradivarius we have a genuine contender who could match him. John and Thady Gosden’s star stayer bids to make it five Royal Ascot wins in a row – one in the Queen’s [...]
Time for a Divinely good Ribblesdale bet June 16, 2021 THERE has been no more impressive performance on the Flat so far this season than Snowfall’s 16-length demolition job in the Oaks. Yet while Frankie Dettori was out in the clear saluting the crowds as he sluiced up the stand’s side rail, DIVINELY was withering her way through a mud-splattered field late on to finish third. Jockey Seamie Heffernan [...]