Connections of talented sprinter Shouldvebeenaring (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) has “unfinished business” in Pattern races as they target Royal Ascot glory in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee S.
The four-year-old has been knocking on the door for Group-class triumphs ever since making the step up from Listed company after his victory in the King Charles II S. at Newmarket in May 2023.
His near-misses include a second in the Sandy Lane S. on his next run before returning to Haydock last September to be beaten by a neck in the Sprint Cup.
A third in the Group 1 Prix de la Foret over seven furlongs at ParisLongchamp followed in October and those performances provide connections with the belief that Shouldvebeenaring has a big day in him.
“You can imagine that slightly patient tactics at Ascot could work,” said Tom Palin, of Middleham Park Racing. “He didn't disgrace himself by any stretch of the imagination in the Commonwealth Cup last year, I just think we were drawn on the wrong side, so there is a bit of unfinished business at Ascot.
“But really his season revolves around the six-and-a-half-furlong French Group One (Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville in August) and going back to Haydock for that Sprint Cup, where we really do have unfinished business in that Group 1 against Regional (GB) (Territories {Ire}).
“Those are probably his two Derbys for the year, but absolutely the Jubilee will be his next run and we're looking forward to seeing how that pans out.
“If we have a bit of pace on our side, hopefully we can come and pick them up late on-and normally it's not a bad thing to do at Ascot.”
Globetrotting Brave Emperor (Ire) (Sioux Nation) returns to British soil for the first time since finishing down the field in the Hampton Court S. at Royal Ascot last year.
Successes in France, Germany, Italy and Qatar have earned the Archie Watson-trained four-year-old an entry in the Queen Anne S. this time around.
Malc (GB) (Calyx {GB}), trained by Richard Fahey, will renew his rivalry with Elite Status (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) in the Commonwealth Cup at the same venue where he beat him by half-a-length when second in the Norfolk S. 12 months ago.
Palin said of Brave Emperor, “He is thoroughly deserving of a stab at these sorts of races. He's earned his right to have a go the hard way by doing Listed races, Group Threes and Group Twos in far-flung places, so there's not a more deserving horse to roll the dice in one of these English Group Ones.
“And as you saw in the Lockinge, it is a wide-open division, and who knows, he might be able to get loose rolling away at the front end in the same way Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) did and he might just stay there, we know he's a tough horse to go past.”
On Malc, Palin added, “He was second in the Norfolk last year, so he's got previous at Ascot. He's had his little ailments at the end of his two-year-old career, but I felt the way the race panned out in the Carnarvon at Newbury, again we were just drawn this side and we were the best of anything drawn that side by quite a long way.
“I know Elite Status looked mighty impressive that day and he was always held in high regard, but we did beat him at Ascot last year and I feel that if you change the draw, at least put us over that side, we would have definitely given Elite Status something to think about.
“The way that Ascot pans out for the likes of Malc, just a little more patient tactics, I expect him to be quite a live 66-1 each-way shot.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
