Horse Racing

Royal Ascot Ascending – Get Ready For Regal Racing

Only four days to go until the most elegant, prestigious and exclusive race meeting of the flat racing season will burst forth to dazzle us: the Royal Ascot Festival. There is no racing event to rival the international attention – bet it from the media or private horse racing fans – which this extraordinary event attracts every year.

Tuesday 15th June marks the beginning of five days of flat racing madness at historic Ascot Racecourse – and what a worthy first day it will be. Ascot Racecourse hosts six high-profile races to get the crowds in the mood for this epic meeting.

The Queen Anne Stakes, the King’s Stand Stakes, the St. James’s Palace Stakes, the Coventry Stakes, the Ascot Stakes and the Windsor Castle Stakes – all of them featuring the finest flat racing contenders of the season, are sure to thrill even the most hardened spectator. The Royal Ascot is, after all, famous for delivering on all counts: equine excellence, action, style and drama.

Giving the festival the most appropriate introduction possible, the Queen Anne Stakes features three of the most ferocious runners we have had the pleasure to see this year. Paco Boy, Rip Van Winkle and Goldikova are all being put through the finishing paces to unleash their talent on the track in this year’s first Royal Ascot race. Expectations are weighing on all contenders; however, few will feel as crushing a pressure to perform as Freddy Head-trained Goldikova. The five-year-old has only finished out of the money once in her twelve career starts, recording eight wins, one runner-up and two third places since May 2008. Handled as the horse most likely to win both the Queen Anne Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Mile, this mare is definitely a contender to keep an eye on. However, Hannon-trained Paco Boy proved his penchant for the Queen Anne Stakes in 2009, when he raced to an impressive victory at this very event. Connections and a great number of punters are counting on a repeat performance by this outrageously talented runner.

Race number two on day one, the King’s Stand Stakes, may be a great stand-alone event but it is part of something much bigger – the Global Sprint Challenge. This annual contest between the world’s finest sprinters on the flat includes three races on English soil, the first one being the King’s Stand Stakes. On 19th June, the last day of the Royal Ascot Festival, the Golden Jubilee Stakes present another leg in this extraordinary competition.

The St James’s Palace Stakes, the third race on Tuesday, is a true meeting of the giants – featuring 2,000 Guineas Stakes winner Makfi, who still remains unbeaten; Irish hero thoroughbred Arcano and Richard Hannon’s star pupil Canford Cliffs. Furthermore the race is looking to include an all-star cast from the stables of prolific trainer Aidan O’Brien; Steinbeck, Viscount Nelson, Fencing Master, Encompassing and Beethoven are possible runners for this iconic one mile race.

The sole Group 2 race of the day, the Coventry Stakes, is a great opportunity for this year’s two-year-olds to show off their skill in the quaintest of environments. Although the favourites for this event are still unclear and there is feverish discussion about which juvenile will emerge victorious, one thing is certain: anyone planning to follow the three-year-old racing next season should be watching this race like hawk. After all, this season’s novices and maidens are the contenders for next season’s Triple Crown.

Madness over two miles and four furlongs is due to ensue in the Ascot Stakes. This handicap will quite possibly feature the biggest field of the day. Jane Chapple-Hyam, who trained last year’s winner Judgethemoment, has already announced her students Rangefinder and Tyrrells Wood as entrants in Tuesday’s event.

The final event of the day, the Windsor Castle Stakes, is a listed race which provides a chance to shine for the less infamous two-year-old thoroughbreds of the season. However, this does not mean that the Windsor Castle Stakes is any less exciting or of mediocre quality compared to the previous events. Featuring new talents well worth checking out, this is a race you wouldn’t want to miss.

Aside from these high class racing events, Tuesday also marks the beginning of the only racing festival to guarantee you royal company. Her Majesty The Queen is a constant presence at the Royal Ascot Festival – in fact, Paddy Power offers antepost odds on the colour of the hat Her Majesty will wear on Thursday 17th June (Ladies’ Day) with Blue leading at 4-1 and Polka Dot an outsider at 100-1.

So get your Sunday best laundered and find yourself headwear to rival the Mad Hatter – the spirit of the Royal Ascot commands you!

14:30 Queen Anne Stakes
15:05 King’s Stand Stakes
15:50 St James’s Palace Stakes
16:25 Coventry Stakes (Group 2)
17:00 Ascot Stakes (Handicap)
17:35 Windsor Castle Stakes (Listed)