In the Coventry Stakes we run Confucius and Great Barrier Reef. We were happy with Confucius’ two runs. He was a bit green on his second start at Naas, but we think he has come forward nicely from that. Great Barrier Reef has also won his races, both at the Curragh. He won nicely the last day, even though he was a bit green and had to do a little bit more work. We think he’s come on from that. I think both of them will be very happy on fast ground at Ascot.
We run Mission Central in the King Charles III Stakes. He’s taking on older horses over five furlongs, but his prep has gone well and we’re looking forward to seeing what he does. He looks a quick horse.
Gstaad and Puerto Rico run in the St James’s Palace Stakes. We think Gstaad has come forward again from the Curragh and everything has gone well for him since. He raced around a bend when he won at the Breeders’ Cup and, even though that was left-handed, we think he should be okay at Ascot.
Like Gstaad, Puerto Rico was trained for the Newmarket Guineas and then, at the last minute, we decided to go to France with him the week after (finished fourth). It could be that he just went down a little bit that week, because he was trained to go the week before. So we think and hope he might leave that run behind him. We’re very happy with his work since. He handles all types of ground.
Wednesday
We’ll probably run Victorious in the Queen Mary. She’s a filly who has won twice at Naas over six furlongs, but we think she might be sharp enough to handle the drop down to five. She’s a very good filly and everything has gone well with her since her Group 3 win.
We’re not really sure what we’re running in the Queen’s Vase - it could be Port Of Spain or Endorsement. Port Of Spain finished fifth in a good 10-furlong handicap at Newbury. So he would be going up in trip by four furlongs here. Endorsement won a listed race at Leopardstown on his first run over a mile and a half. He seemed to get it well, so there’s a chance he could run here too. Both of those horses wore cheekpieces last time out and it’s possible they will do so again.
Minnie Hauk will take her chance in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes. We think her run at the Curragh the last day [fifth in the Tattersalls Gold Cup] was a little of a non-event. Ryan [Moore] just took his time for the first three furlongs and then the pace just went out of the race. She was back too far for a mile-and-a-half filly to do anything and Ryan looked after her. We’re hoping she will leave that run behind her. I think the vet’s report on the day said she was a bit off but, apart from a bit of a bruised heel, we found nothing amiss with her.
Sergei Diaghilev, a horse who won over six furlongs on Irish Guineas weekend at the Curragh, might go for the Windsor Castle. That race is over six furlongs this year. and he will come on for the run but, by Wootton Bassett, he will be happy stepping up to seven later on in the year.
Thursday
We might run two in the Chesham - Aix La Chapelle and South Dakota. Aix La Chapelle is by Justify out of Immortal Verse, dam of Statuette, Tenebrism and Henri Matisse. He should come forward a good bit from his Curragh maiden win. South Dakota finished fourth in Sergei Daiaghilev’s maiden and might also run here.
Port Ferdinand might run in the King George V Handicap over a mile and a half. He finished fourth in a conditions race over a mile at Naas last time out, but we think he could be well enough in if he steps up in trip.
For the Ribblesdale, we have Composing. She finished last of six in France last time out, but we have put blinkers on her since. We think they have helped her and that she will be okay over a mile and a half.
Scandinavia is on track for the Gold Cup. He’s in good form since Leopardstown and we’re looking forward to seeing what he can do over two and a half miles. It’s very possible that he could like it.
We could run Accredited in the Britannia Handicap. He won a maiden at Naas in March and then was fifth in a conditions race at the same track in May. We also have Flushing Meadows and Dorset as possibles for this race, but it looks like Accredited could be the one at the moment.
Italy is our most likely runner in the Hampton Court. We think we haven’t seen the best of him yet. He wears a hood and he just needs to get relaxed and do things right. He hasn’t been out since finishing fourth in the Ballysax Stakes, but we’ve been very happy with him since. The other possibility for this race is Causeway, but he would have to carry a penalty.
Sun Goddess was being considered for the Queen Mary, but we might switch her to the Albany over six furlongs. She’s a Sioux Nation filly, who won her maiden by five lengths at the Curragh on Guineas weekend. She looks a quality filly at the moment.
We think this might be the first time we see the real Albert Einstein when he runs in the Commonwealth Cup. He’s had his three runs and we have brought him on gradually. He’s very well since his last run in Newbury and we think he’s fairly close to what he could be.
Brussels could run here too - Albert’s pace would suit him - and so could Charles Darwin. He lost his action briefly in the Lacken Stakes at Naas, where he finished last.
He’s better than that and we’re hoping he might leave that run behind. He might run in a pair of blinkers - we were happy with his work this morning.
Both Precise and True Love will run in the Coronation Stakes. Precise has come forward again since the Irish 1000 Guineas. True Love won the Newmarket Guineas and was second at the Curragh and she looks to have come out of that race well too.
Benvenuto Cellini could make a quick reappearance in the King Edward VII Stakes. It depends on how he comes out of Epsom - we will know a bit closer to the time. We’re just conscious that we want to run him on a bit of nice ground next time and, if we wait too long, then the ground could go against us. Causeway and Endorsement are also possibles for this race.
Carry The Flag and New Yorker are in the Norfolk. Carry The Flag won over five furlongs at Naas and then was second to Great Barrier Reef over six at the Curragh.
New Yorker has put in a couple of disappointing runs, but we’re hoping he might run well.
Lambourn and Jan Brueghel are our two for the Hardwicke but, like Benvenuto Cellini, we’ll have to be happy they have recovered fully from Epsom.
Neolithic could run in the Jersey. He won over seven furlongs at Gowran Park and possibly did not stay the mile when third to Causeway at the Curragh. Dorset won the Goffs Million and a Group 3, both over seven furlongs last year. His only run so far this year was in the French Guineas on very soft ground.
We’re not sure what we will run in the Golden Gates Handicap, but it could be Amadeus Mozart, who finished second to Endorsement at Leopardstown over a mile and a half.
Illinois is qualified for the Queen Alexandra, but he ran disappointingly at Epsom so we will have to see how he is.