Following Wednesday's confirmation stage, G1 2,000 Guineas winner Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is one of 11 possible runners in the G1 St James's Palace S. on the opening day of Royal Ascot on Tuesday, June 18.
Unbeaten in four starts for Charlie Appleby, Notable Speech will be tasked with trying to confirm his Newmarket superiority over runner-up Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), who also has Ascot firmly in his sights having resumed winning ways with a determined victory in the G1 Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh last time.
Other notable entries include last year's G1 National S. winner Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire})–one of four colts still in contention for Aidan O'Brien–and the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains hero Metropolitan (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}), who was supplemented at a cost of £46,000 on Wednesday.
The G1 Queen Anne S. which kicks off the meeting could feature up to 16 runners, including the 2023 runner-up Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), a six-time winner at the top level and a key ride for Kieran Shoemark in his first season as the retained rider at John and Thady Gosden's Clarehaven Stables.
Speaking to Boylesports, Shoemark said of Inspiral, “She had a fantastic year last year, capping it off at the Breeders' Cup. She returned in the Lockinge and needed the run [when finishing fourth], maybe more so than we anticipated. She has been in great order since.”
The G1 Lockinge S. was won by Inspiral's stable-mate Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) and he too remains in contention for the Queen Anne, along with Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), who finished second and sixth, respectively, in the Newbury feature. Last year's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. winner Big Rock is set to be joined on the journey from France by Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}), who was last seen gaining the first Group 1 success of his career in the Dubai Turf at Meydan in March.
The other top-level race on the card is the King Charles III S. in which leading fancies Big Evs (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}), Regional (GB) (Territories {Ire}), Asfoora (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}) and Kerdos (Ire) (Profitable {Ire}) have all stood their ground in a 19-strong entry.
Added to the race at a cost of £46,000 was the George Scott-trained Seven Questions (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who won the G3 Palace House S. at Newmarket at the beginning of May before finishing third behind Kerdos in the G2 Temple S. at Haydock three weeks later.
“Seven Questions seems to be improving all the time,” Scott said of the three-year-old. “We could not be more happy with him and we were delighted with his work this morning. He showed himself to be in great form. He is a horse who seems to be progressing with every start, so we have decided to push the button on the supplementary entry for the King Charles.
“His form ties in quite nicely with a couple of the main players in the race, but at the same time, we've got to be realistic. You're not supplementing a 6-4 shot, he's probably going to be 14-1 or 16-1, but in an open race we feel it's worth taking a chance.”
Elsewhere on the card, 31 two-year-olds have been entered in the G2 Coventry S. over six furlongs. They include four for Ballydoyle– headed by the G3 Marble Hill S. runner-up Camille Pissarro (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB})–and Cowardofthecounty (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}), trained by Aidan O'Brien's son Joseph and an impressive winner on his debut at the Curragh.
“Cowardofthecounty has had a good preparation since his debut,” said the trainer. “The plan has always been to come here since then. He made a really good debut and the form of the race has worked out well.”
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