Royal Ascot Day Four: Qazyna Looks Good to Take the Sandringham

The feature race on Day four of Royal Ascot is the Group 1 Coronation Stakes and it is a top class renewal with the winners of the 1000 Guineas (Billesdon Brook), and French (Teppal) and Irish (Alpha Centauri) equivalents clash over the round mile.

Clemmie, ,  heads the market for Aidan O’Brien and the money suggests she has come on a great deal for finishing in mid-division at the Curragh on her reappearance. She has the plum draw in stall one but I felt Billesdon Brook (4.20) was a good winner of the Newmarket Guineas for Richard Hannon and at I would be disappointed if she didn’t make the frame.

The selection started at Newmarket but there appeared no fluke about the result – Jessica Harrington has yet to taste success at Royal Ascot and her Alpha Centauri, , looks the main danger.

After an excellent opening day John Gosden and Frankie Dettori had a high-profile reverse when Cracksman was a disappointing second in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes on Wednesday – it really does look as if he needs cut in the ground to be at his brilliant best.

In the opening Albany Stakes (2.30), I hope to see Angel’s Hideaway, , at go close for the Gosden/Dettori combination, but the form of her Haydock win was given a knock when the runner up was turned over at 4/11 at Thirsk last time.

Marginal preference is for the once-raced Just Wonderful (2.30) of Aidan O’Brien who looked a potential star when scoring on debut at the Curragh last month. The selection is  and Ryan Moore keeps the ride.

In the King Edward VII Stakes I hope Delano Roosevelt (3.05) is ridden prominently by Moore having finished a never nearer sixth in the Derby earlier in the month. The selection is and that is, arguably, the best form on offer although I still think there might be a big race in Wells Farhh Go (St Leger perhaps?) on softer ground later in the season.

I am a big fan of Equilateral (3.45) and he must go close in the Commonwealth Cup for Charlie Hills although I appreciate this is a massive step up in class from his Doncaster reappearance when he ran away with a modest Novice event. The selection is although I feel he is likely to drift given he remains a colt of potential and others have the form in the book.

Sioux Nation was very impressive when scoring at Naas last time and he has a cracking record on fast ground, having won the Norfolk Stakes here over the minimum trip 12 months ago. He is and it would be no surprise to me if he were vying for favouritism come post time. Note we are paying 4 places on the race.

My two against the field in the Sandringham are Poetic Charm – making her belated seasonal reappearance from stall 24 – and Qazyna (5.00) in stall four with marginal preference for the latter. The Roger Varian-trained filly is dropping back in trip to a mile from ten furlongs having looked a non-stayer over the longer trip behind Lah Ti Dar at Newmarket last time.

The filly had previously run away with a Newmarket maiden and that form has been franked by the subsequent wins of the second and third. The selection is who are paying five places and that looks a fair each way price.

Walton Street (5.35) is 5lbs higher than when winning at Meydan when last seen in a 12-furlong handicap and he can reward each way support in the concluding Duke of Edinburgh Stakes. The Charlie Appleby-trained four-year old has won three of his six career starts and remains open to further improvement.

The selection is and we are paying 1/5^th odds first five and I will be disappointed if he doesn’t run well in the Godolphin Blue.

Tips:

Billesdon Brook 

Angel’s Hideaway

Just Wonderful 

Delano Roosevelt 

Equilateral 

Qaznya  (NAP)

Walton Street