Frankie Dettori will win from the front on Chaldean – our Guineas hero is as good as we can get him
ROYAL ASCOT is the biggest week of the year for the yard.
We’ve had 11 winners there so far and I’m hoping we can add one or two more to that tally.
It seems a lifetime ago we had our first victory at the meeting with Dark Missile back in 2007 under a very fresh-faced and eagle-eyed William Buick claiming 5lb.
We’ve had some great days since then . . . and so has William.
Obviously for us 2020 was a standout when we managed to train a winner for The Queen with Tactical in the Windsor Castle Stakes.
It was Covid so, sadly, Her Late Majesty could not attend.
However we talked about the racing on the telephone before and after the win and we were all delighted.
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There is a lot riding on the next five days — prize-money and, of course, from a stud value point of view.
If we can get one on the board early it will take off a lot of the pressure.
Hopefully our flagbearer CHALDEAN (4.20) can do just that in the St James’s Palace Stakes, and he goes there in top shape.
It looks like there could some rain around today, though we aren’t sure how much we will get.
But if there is a downpour or two it won’t inconvenience him, he is quite happy with a bit of juice in the ground.
He likes to race positively in his races anyway but being drawn nicely in stall one the only way for him and Frankie to go is forward and wind it up.
In my mind, he is the one they all have to beat — and he is as well as we could have him.
I’m looking forward to seeing what BERKSHIRE SHADOW (2.30) can do in the Queen Anne.
Going into the Lockinge, I just wanted to see him finish off his race over a mile, because I was sceptical about him truly getting the trip.
But he confounded all of us by seeing out his race really strongly, finishing well from off the pace for third.
If he can fill the same position today we will be over the moon, and I definitely think he is one of the more interesting outsiders.
The rest of our runners on day one will need to step up if they are to win but I think we have a few each-way squeaks.
We have two King Power horses, NOTRE BELLE BETE and FOXES TALES, running in an open-looking Wolferton at 5.35.
Foxes was disappointing last time which was unlike him, but he has winning form at the Royal meeting so he would be in with a shout if bouncing back.
Notre Belle Bete ran a lovely race in a big handicap at Newmarket on Guineas weekend and will like this slightly longer trip.
SPANISH PHOENIX (3.05) is taking a big step up in the Coventry but if the ground turns soft he’ll like it, as will our Copper Horse runner BERKSHIRE ROCCO (6.00) who loves it at the track but needs rain.
DESERT COP (3.40) is a longshot in the King’s Stand, but he gets a bit of weight and is in great form.
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