IN CASE YOU hadn’t noticed, it has been raining quite a bit over the last few days. Today’s going at Royal Ascot is currently pencilled in as good to soft, so it should pay dividends to keep an eye on horses who are known to handle the slightly slower surface.
The main event of the day is fillies’ Group One Coronation Stakes which goes to post at 15:45. There is no standout candidate in this year’s renewal and, with all of the 12-horse field (John Gosden’s Maqaasid is a non-runner) available at odds of 5/1 or bigger, there could be a chance to land a decent value winner.
At the head of the market is Together, a daughter of Galileo and the representative of the Aidan O’Brien / Ryan Moore partnership in today’s feature. A narrow runner-up in both the Irish and English 1000 Guineas already this season, her form speaks for itself and softer ground proved not to be too much of a problem when finishing a close third in the Tattersalls’ Millions at Newmarket last October. She is drawn in the widest of the stalls, however, which must be taken into consideration.
Theyskens’ Theory is one who should like the ground, as indicated by her Group 3 win over seven furlongs at Goodwood last season. A chest infection has meant that she is very lightly raced this season, missing out on the Classics and making just one appearance to win a listed race at York last month. She has beaten some class acts in the past, however, including Irish 1000 Guineas winner Blue Bunting, and could go close today.
After impressing as a two-year-old last season, Memory confounded her backers when she refused to race when sent off second-favourite for the 1000 Guineas. The form books clearly show that she is a more reliable prospect than that outing would suggest though she is still untested on the ground.
Jim Bolger had a winner with Banimpire yesterday and Claoimh Solais, rated just three pounds lower than Together and well-placed in the second stall, could produce a run better than her 12/1 odds suggest. She finished just over a length behind today’s favourite in recording a fourth-place finish in the Irish 1000 Guineas and a reversal of those placings would not be as unlikely as the odds suggest.
Elsewhere on the card, another of Bolger’s fillies, Teolane, is well-fancied to take the six-furlong sprint for the Albany Stakes (14:30). The two-year-old has readily improved all season and it is hard to think that she will be out of the frame today. The relatively-unknown Interlobil has been identified as a worthy challenger and, on the basis of her commanding six-length maiden victory at Redcar, cannot be dismissed too lightly.
The Group Two King Edward II Stakes (15:05) is more competitive this time around than might normally be the case, but John Gosden’s Nathaniel will be hoping that his previous form is solid. A close runner-up to Frankel last season and Treasure Beach last time out – both of whom have subsequently gone on to bigger and better things – he is worthy of his place at the head of the market.
The Godolphin challenger, Genius Beast, is highly-rated by the handicapper but will be stepping up in class for today’s outing, while Henry Cecil’s World Domination will be hoping to improve on the form which saw him finish fourth behind Carlton House in the Dante.
Nap of the Day
Preference is for Jim Bolger’s Teolane (7/4) in the first of the day. The stable won this race in 2008 and her form in winning a decent listed race at Naas last month indicates a strong prospect.
Each Way
Another of Bolger’s fillies, Claoimh Solais (12/1), could outrun her odds in the Coronation Stakes. The draw and the form-book suggest that she has every chance of reversing placings with market leader Together. If she can manage that much, who knows?
