DONNACHA O’Brien returns to Royal Ascot this year without his usual flagbearer in dual Royal winner Porta Fortuna, but there’s a definite case to be made that he’s back with his best squad yet for the five days.

Highly impressive Weatherbys Ireland Greenlands Stakes winner Commanche Brave captains the Bawnmore Group 1 team, priced between 8/1 and 12/1 for a rich international edition of Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.

Reinventing him as a sprinter looks an excellent move from the 27-year-old trainer, having started that process when behind Ka Ying Rising at Sha Tin two starts ago.

“Comanche Brave is in good form and I think he probably took his form to another level in the Greenlands Stakes at the Curragh the last day,” said O’Brien.

“It was his first time back at sprint distances, other than when in Hong Kong, which was a tough ask for him. I thought it was a really impressive performance so we’re hopeful that he goes to Ascot with a big chance.”

Speaking to Sky Sports Racing, he added: “We wanted to get him some experience at that real high tempo [in Hong Kong], and I think that stood to him. He wouldn’t have been around a right-handed bend too many times and we were pleased – it was a big effort from him. A straight track was always going to suit him a lot better and he took a step forward at the Curragh.

“He ran okay in the Jersey last year [when third as 11/4 favourite] but it was probably one of his lesser runs of the season. It was still solid. I think the six furlongs this year will suit him a lot more. He’s got a lot of pace. We’re hopeful.”

American star

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Balantina could be on course to return from a 231-day absence in Friday’s Coronation Stakes, though O’Brien is anticipating improvement from this comeback effort.

“We gave her a good break after America and she’s really grown and strengthened, put on a lot of condition,” he explained.

“It’s taken us a good while to get her fit and there. She’s coming now. I don’t think she’ll be 100% when she gets there but it’s looking like we’ll still let her have a run. There aren’t too many options around Ireland or the UK at a similar time and Ascot is a beautiful track.

“It looks a very strong race and we’ll see how her final breezes go but she’s in very good form and looks great. Whatever she does at Ascot, we think it’s going to be a nice starting point for hopefully a good rest of the year with her.

“She finished third in the Albany Stakes last year and ran very well. She loves fast ground – it’s very important to her. Any of her below-par runs last year were on softer ground, where I probably shouldn’t have run her. It’s hard to know what the weather is going to do, but it looks like it might dry out into the next week.”

It was a cracking return from last year’s Cheveley Park Stakes runner-up Havana Anna when winning the Goffs Lacken Stakes on Royal Ascot Trials Day at Naas last month. She’s firmly on course for Friday’s Commonwealth Cup.

Sprinting ace

O’Brien said: “She’s in good form and came out of Naas very well. She should take a good step forward for that first run of the year. She’s a very solid, fast, hardy, likeable filly. It looks a competitive race.

“Venetian Sun was obviously very impressive in her prep, and then you have a few highly-rated ones from Dad’s as well, but we think she goes there with a strong chance too.”

On Coventry Stakes hope High King, who impressed at Fairyhouse last month, O’Brien said: “He’s a nice horse, one we’ve always thought a lot of. I probably ran him a bit too undercooked for his first start at the Curragh [when 12th], he was very green. He took a massive step forward to his second run like we expected him to; he was quite impressive there.

“He’ll take his chance in the Coventry as a beautiful, big, strong, son of Calyx. He’ll love fast ground and six furlongs should suit him. These two-year-old races are very hard to predict but we think he’s a smart horse and he’s worth his place in the line-up.”

There are a number of chances for O’Brien through the week in handicaps and other group races.

“We’ve had the Sandringham in mind for Glyfada for a little while,” he said.

“She’s a fine, big strong filly by Camelot. There’s plenty of speed in the pedigree and we dropped her back to a mile at Killarney last time. That probably mightn’t have looked to make sense on paper but she coped with it very well and the form of that race is working out well.

“It’s a straight mile at Ascot now and probably a big field where anything can happen, but we think she’s on a pretty nice mark and has a chance. If Spinning Around gets in at the bottom of the weights, she might come here too.

“Kilmeaden is in the Ascot Stakes on Tuesday. It’s a big step up in trip for him but we think it’ll suit him. Shaihaan could possibly go for the Hampton Court [on Thursday] but he has the option of the Irish Derby either.”