Royal Ascot 2017

Just over two weeks until we are under way!

Smart Call has an early entry in the Duke Of Cambridge www.racingpost.com/racecards/2/ascot/2017-06-21/673523

Only over 1600m so not sure the trip is ideal but the fast pace over a straight mile might suit?

Should go close Bob

Ribchester looks mighty hard to beat in the Queen Anne - 1/1.

Michelle Payne, the only winning jockette the of the Melbourne Cup, is set to ride in the Queen Anne.
RacingUK

Would love to have seen Smart Call entered for the Hardwicke

Fast Show: meet Wesley Ward's Royal Ascot team
BY DAVID MILNES 5:20PM 7 JUN 2017
US trainer Wesley Ward's latest Royal Ascot raiding party were cooling their heels at the National Stud in Newmarket on Tuesday after arriving from Kentucky at 10pm the previous evening.

The grouping, which is headlined by last year's top sprinter Lady Aurelia, was nine-strong instead of the intended ten after two-year-old filly Fairyland was prevented from travelling due to warts on her mouth.

Hopefully the Albany Stakes hope will get the all-clear to be able to join the group, which consists of six fillies and three colts, next week.

Ward, who has won seven races since 2009 at the royal meeting, is due to fly in next week, before which operations are being overseen by his understudy Blake Heap

The team are based at the New Heath yard at the National Stud, which lies close to the July course and hosted Lady Aurelia last summer before her third in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes.

Heap said: "Everyone travelled over well last night and they ate up. It was pretty late when we arrived but they are doing good. We have nine over so far and we may have Fairyland to join them next week.

"It's a big group but we had ten for Royal Ascot last year so it's nothing new. They all had a leadout this morning and the vets have just arrived to rehydrate them, which will take about an hour."

Of the team, all eyes were on Lady Aurelia, who is 7-2 favourite for the King's Stand Stakes. Heap added: "Like most of these, Lady Aurelia had her final work on Monday before leaving and she'll just have an easy gallop before Royal Ascot."

Other three-year-olds to make the trip are Bound For Nowhere (Commonwealth Cup) and Con De Partiro (Sandringham) but most interest was with the potential speedballs in the juvenile sextet including one particular colt bound for the Norfolk Stakes.

Heap said: "McErin is a beautiful horse. He's a big boy for a two-year-old and can be a bit of a handful. He won his first race real nice and then finished third in a stakes race on a muddy track. He's switching from dirt to turf but he's worked well on grass so we're hopeful it will work out. We also have Arawak for the Coventry Stakes."

Of the fillies, Happy Like A Fool is 3-1 favourite for the Queen Mary -and with good reason if you listen to Heap. He said: "Happy Like A Fool won her maiden very well and is potentially very nice. The same can be said for Nootka Sound, Elizabeth Darcy and Princess Peggy.

Jockey Flavien Prat has been booked for the ride on fellow US-raider Run Away for Simon Callaghan in the Norfolk Stakes.

Best racing on the planet , hope Gavin gets the opportunity to show of his skills

Cox hoping for further Royal Ascot success with high-class team
BY JACK HAYNES 4:33PM 8 JUN 2017
Clive Cox is assembling another high-class squad for Royal Ascot having enjoyed notable success at the five-day meeting in recent years.

Group 1 victories with My Dream Boat, Profitable and Lethal Force in the past four seasons have showcased Cox's ability to train his stars to peak on the big day and the Lambourn trainer is hoping for more of the same this time around.

Commonwealth Cup second-favourite Harry Angel, returning winners My Dream Boat and Profitable, and fast-improving filly Priceless are among the strong squad that is exciting the team at Beechdown Stables.

Cox said: "We don't have too many horses for the handicaps this year, which is an indication of the strength and number of Group horses we have this time around, along with some nice two-year-olds.

"We're very much looking forward to Royal Ascot once again - it's treated us well of late."

It was hard not to be impressed with Harry Angel's emphatic victory in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock last month - after which

It was hard not to be impressed with Harry Angel's emphatic victory in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock last month - a triumph that caught the eye of Godolphin, who purchased the colt from Peter Ridgers.

The son of Dark Angel is towards the head of the market for the Commonwealth Cup, for which he is a best-price 7-2, while stablemate Tis Marvellous, another intended runner, is a general 33-1 chance.

Cox said: "Harry Angel has come out of the race very well indeed and we were delighted with the performance - he was very impressive in course record time.

"He's showed a very high level of form throughout his career and I'm very excited about his chances."

The King's Stand will be a memorable 60 seconds for owner Alan Spence whatever the outcome. Spence, former owner of last year's winner Profitable, will see the now Godolphin-owned sprinter take on his filly and stablemate Priceless - a race Cox is looking forward to.

Cox said: "Profitable has trained really well since his run in France and is ready to defend his crown, while Priceless has had a pleasing campaign so far and is very much on target for the race. I'm very pleased with her.

"She has another step up to make at Ascot but it's great when you have a filly in form. Both horses are very impressive individuals."

Of his juveniles, Cox plans to run Koditime in the Norfolk or Windsor Castle, Heartache in the Queen Mary and Prince Of The Dark in the Coventry, and is also hoping a return to Ascot will bring out the best in last year's Prince Of Wales's Stakes winner My Dream Boat.

Paul and Clare Rooney's five-year-old will either attempt to defend his crown in the 1m2f event or contest the Hardwicke Stakes three days later.

Law aiming for Gold

St Leger hero Harbour Law is on target for the Ascot Gold Cup, for which he is a general 25-1 shot, on June 22.

Ian Mongan, husband of trainer Laura Mongan, said: "He's in good form and is going to Kempton on Friday to do his last proper bit of work. Ascot has come around quickly but we're really excited.

"He was a bit under the weather after the Sagaro Stakes but the race didn't really pan out the way we wanted. The Gold Cup has always been the main target."

Cover heading straight to Stand

David Griffiths has opted to side-step Take Cover's Royal Ascot prep in the Listed 188bet.co.uk Achilles Stakes at Haydock on Friday evening - a race the ten-year-old sprinter won last year - and head straight for the King's Stand Stakes on June 20, for which he is generally 33-1.

"I didn't declare him for Haydock because of the rain forecast and hopefully it will be a different story in a couple of weeks and he gets the quick ground he wants at Royal Ascot," the trainer said.

Caravaggio is 1/1 in the Commonwealth. An absolute beast, still unbeaten and will be very hard to beat.

I see all enclosures for Sat 24th are all already SOLD OUT

www.ascot.co.uk/royal-ascot-2017-tickets-on-sale

There are FIVE possible bankers next week

Churchill- St James Palace 4/6
Order Of St George - Gold Cup 11/10
Ribchester - Queen Anne 9/10
Caravaggio - Commonwealth Cup 11/10
Winter - Coronation Stakes 4/6

Bob Brogan wrote: There are FIVE possible bankers next week

Churchill- St James Palace 4/6
Order Of St George - Gold Cup 11/10
Ribchester - Queen Anne 9/10
Caravaggio - Commonwealth Cup 11/10
Winter - Coronation Stakes 4/6

In the Gold Cup, Torcedor definitely has a chance and has beaten Order Of St George in his last start. Vazirabad if it runs has a chance to.