Royal Ascot live on Sky Sports Racing: Five dark horses who could slip under the radar this week
Sky Sports Racing’s Elliot David has unearthed five horses entered at Royal Ascot this week who may have slipped under the radar.
LAW OF THE SEA
Ascot Stakes – Tuesday
All eyes are sure to be on 2022 runner-up Bring On The Night, with the ultra-attractive profile of being a Willie Mullins-trained contender ridden by Ryan Moore.
Mullins will bid to equal the great Martin Pipe’s record of five victories in this but with odds of 9/4 surely skinny enough in a maximum field of 20, there’s likely to be each-way opportunities elsewhere.
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Recent renewals have seen a new name on the trainers’ roll of honour in Ian Williams who, having trained the first and third in 2019, returned with another winner in 2021.
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Though 2019 winner The Grand Visir is back once more, Williams may be best represented by younger legs in recent recruits LAW OF THE SEA and Zinc White, both of whom ran hugely encouraging stable debuts at Chester on May 12.
It was the former, fifth in the 2021 Queen’s Vase, that caught my eye in the Chester Cup. He travelled strongly into contention prior to trouble in-running that saw him boxed in at a crucial point.
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Franny Norton was unable to ride him out at the finish as a result, but he was staying on with a purpose that suggested he’d stay the marathon Ascot trip and was ultimately a good trial. He’ll take the same route as 2021 winner Reshoun in running in the Chester showpiece prior to a tilt at this.
Having cost his new connections a pretty penny at the Racing In Dubai Horses-In-Training sales in September, he’s got a similar profile to that of The Grand Visir back in 2019 as a recent recruit to the stable who’s ran a nice race in defeat prior to coming to Ascot.
His defeat at the hands of Solent Gateway over Haydock’s two-mile trip on May 27 can be forgiven, with that rival dictating the gallop throughout under a canny Hollie Doyle ride. Law Of The Sea was unable to get past him that day, but with a big field likely to allow a waiting ride similar to the one we saw at Chester I think he represents good each-way value.
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Michael Owen chats to Sky Sports Racing about his team set to line up at Royal Ascot.
WAIPIRO
Hampton Court Stakes – Thursday
A host of the contenders for this 10-furlong contest are stepping up in class, with several contesting Group company for the first time. The same can’t be said for Ed Walker’s Derby 6th WAIPIRO and I’m surprised there’s some 14/1 and 12/1 available for him in places.
He’s a big, scopey horse who will keep improving as he matures, with rider Tom Marquand reporting there would be “a little bit of fine tuning to do with him” following his Epsom run. Having been a step slow into stride that day, he just found himself further back than ideal as a horse that had raced prominently and enjoyed himself on his previous two starts.
Prior to that, he’d ran a highly rated Godolphin star in Military Order close in Lingfield’s Derby Trial, that rival just out-staying him on that occasion and I think this drop down two furlongs in trip could be perfect for him at this stage of his career.
This has been a race that has suited prominent racing in recent years, with the likes of Hawkbill, Benbatl, Hunting Horn, Sangarius and most recently Claymore all prominent during their victories. A characteristic of all these winners was their potent blend of speed and stamina, something which I believe Ed Walker’s charge possesses.
RHOSCOLYN
Buckingham Palace Stakes – Thursday
Though this 29-runner cavalry charge is clearly one of the trickiest betting heats you’re ever likely to see, I think there’s something to be said for the chances of 2022 third RHOSCOLYN who has been seemingly out of form and finds himself down to a mark of 93 having been quietly campaigned of late.
That rating is 10lb below the 103 off which he ran last year and level with his last winning mark, coming in June 2021. Despite not having won in two years, he’s ran numerous strong races in deep handicaps and shouldn’t be written off on that alone.
Having carried a welter burden of 9st 10lbs last year he’d carry around 10lb less this year and at his current odds of 50/1 surely has a squeak if declared for the shrewd Horse Watchers team, though I’d certainly wait until declarations are made given trainer David O’Meara’s five entries here.
Image: Silvestre De Sousa riding Rhoscolyn (left) to victory at Goodwood
NAVASSA ISLAND
Albany Stakes – Friday
We’ve a trio of winning debutants atop the market for Friday’s Albany Stakes, arriving with attractive profiles in Carla’s Way, Jabaara and Soprano. However, following her impressive debut in Group Three company at Naas when going down by a neck to the useful Porta Fortuna, I’m interested in a horse with a ‘2’ next to her name in Michael O’Callaghan’s NAVASSA ISLAND.
As Donnacha O’Brien’s filly was always well positioned, the debuting daughter of Territories had to do things the hard way and close from her in-rear position. She careered home inside the final furlong from an unpromising position passing the furlong pole, clocking a good time figure in the process and the performance can be upgraded.
It was no surprise to see she held a high level of ability, having clocked one of the fastest times at Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Ups and subsequently cost 240,000gns, and she looks the early two-year-old type her trainer excels with. Out of Roger Sez she’s a half-sister to top-class two-year-old filly Lezoo, very much bred for the job and Colin Keane will take the ride.
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Sky Sports Racing’s Dave Orton tries to get Aidan O’Brien to reveal his Royal Ascot banker!
CLOUNMACON
Sandringham Stakes – Friday
Johnny Murtagh took the 2021 renewal of the Sandringham Stakes with a progressive filly in Create Belief, who went on to Group Three success and he looks to be plotting the same pathway with this year’s contender Clounmacon.
The daughter of Kodi Bear fell to a head defeat at the Curragh on May 26 in a race where on another day she may have won, but she came home strongly up what is a testing uphill finish and ought to appreciate the demands of Ascot.
That Curragh Fillies Handicap was also where Murtagh put the finishing touches to the preparations of Create Belief in 2021 and though that filly was able to win the race, the defeat of this year’s contender shouldn’t dissuade backers. At number 17 on the list she’d be guaranteed a run and if declared I’d expect regular rider Ben Coen, who rode in 2021, to resume duties.
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