23 June 2017

Shock - Day Three!

Every day of Royal Ascot so far has brought a surprise or shock result. On Tuesday, against all odds, Churchill failed to win the St James's Palace Stakes. On Wednesday French raider, Le Brevido, claimed the Jersey Stakes and yesterday the Michael Bell-trained Big Orange (in the favourite pun of the day!) 'pipped' last year's winner, Order Of St George, at the post by a short head to carry off the Gold Cup. What is also impressive is that this son of Duke of Marmalade was attempting the two-and-a- half-mile trip for the first time after winning back-to-back doubles in the Princess of Wales’s Stakes and the Goodwood Cup. There were a few moments when it looked as though the odds-on Aidan O'Brien-trained favourite was going to make it when Ryan Moore brought his mount on with a long powerful run on the outside but the eventual winner bravely held off the challenge for his well-earned shock victory.

An Artist at Work

It's only the third renewal of The Commonwealth Cup today but already the six-furlong Group 1 contest has established itself as a firm favourite among racegoers. Today's race is set to maintain this popularity. As expected, the focus of attention falls naturally on the Aidan O'Brien-trained Caravaggio. As his juvenile performance at Dundalk in April last year revealed, this son of Scat Daddy seems to be able to do no wrong. He was an impressive winner of the Coventry Stakes at this meeting last year, following that up with a cracking four-length victory in the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh in August. Connections have obviously taken the wise decision to send their protégé down the sprinting route rather than stepping him up to a mile. Caravaggio's only outing this season was at Naas where he notched up another four-length-plus win. As the latter success was on soft ground, it is anticipated that he should run even better on the quick surface he'll be on at the Berkshire track today.

Crystal Clear?

Today's King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot was lined up for the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Crystal Ocean as a result of his coming an impressive third in last month's Dante Stakes at York. Well fancied before that race, following a maiden victory at Nottingham, this son of Sea The Stars seemed destined to step up to a mile-and-a-half trip. Also of advantage is the fact that the Sir Evelyn De Rothschild-owned colt gave the Derby a miss so it will be up to those runners today who did compete unsuccessfully in the 'Greatest Flat Race in the World' to prove that they have fully recovered from their exertions.