Royal Ascot

Prix du Jockey Club runner-up First Look (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) has been purchased by Wathnan Racing and is under consideration for next week's royal meeting, according to agent Richard Brown. The winner is likely for the G3 Hampton Court S. on Thursday, June 20. Formerly raced by Ecurie Ama Zingteam, the son of the stakes winner Bilissie (GB) (Dansili {GB}) won once in a pair of juvenile starts for Andre Fabre and has placed in a trio of group races from three appearances at three. Besides his second...

NEWMARKET, UK -- Even the larks were still wiping the sleep from their eyes when Kitty Rose (GB) was put through her paces on Thursday morning. The Listed-winning daughter of Invincible Army (Ire) was bred in Britain and has raced in Ireland but will be flying the flag for Australia at Royal Ascot next week having recently joined the stable of Mick Price and Michael Kent Jr. The co-trainers' representative Ben Elam is currently overseeing the filly's preparation in Newmarket, where Kitty Rose arrived a week ago from her original...

The big rematch between Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and White Birch (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) is on as the pair are set to line out in the Prince Of Wales's S. at Royal Ascot on Wednesday. Last season's dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin had the edge in those Classic contests, but it was John Murphy's White Birch who accounted for Aidan O'Brien's colt in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh last month. Nevertheless, the bookmakers have the Ballydoyle runner as their favourite at odds of 7-4, expecting...

Karl Burke says that he is confident Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) will prove a tough nut to crack when she bids to follow up in the Coronation S. at Royal Ascot. Fallen Angel will face a stern test at Royal Ascot, with Roger Varian's 1,000 Guineas winner Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Aidan O'Brien's Opera Singer (Justify) both in opposition. Burke told Sky Sports Racing, "She's in great form, came back from Ireland in good order, she did a nice piece of work...

Lazzat (Fr) (Territories {Ire}), unbeaten in all of his five races including last weekend's G3 Prix Paul De Moussac at Longchamp as well as the G3 Prix Djebel, is among four supplementary entries added to Goffs London Sale which takes place on Monday 17 June. The Jerome Reynier trained three-year-old [Lot 25] boasts big-race potential and features among three other Royal Ascot entrants added to the sale. Johnny Murtagh's three-time winner and Listed placed Asian Daze (Ire) (Frontiersman {GB}) [Lot 22] will target the Sandringham S., while Raw Ability (Ire)...

Is there any stallion out there who is better represented in the juvenile division than Mehmas (Ire)? He seems to be banging in a winner every other day in Britain and Ireland but it's his statistics with two-year-olds that are really off the charts.  This year alone, with the season still in its infancy, Mehmas has sired 17 individual two-year-old winners in Europe and enjoyed 19 successes overall. For context, fellow Tally-Ho Stud resident Kodiac (GB) is on 12 individual juvenile winners while No Nay Never has eight, Soldier's Call...

For France, there's a Classic weekend to contend with before Royal Ascot commences but next week's action in England could well include the strongest French challenge ever assembled for the royal meeting. Next Friday's G1 Coronation S. is already being hotly anticipated for its potential clash of the English, Irish and French 1,000 Guineas winners Elmalka (GB), Fallen Angel (GB) and Rouhiya (Fr), but before that the G1 St James's Palace S. could provide an equally enthralling meeting of some of the best three-year-olds in Europe. Notable Speech (GB) and...

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....

Former champion jockey Oisin Murphy will ride G1 QIPCO 1000 Guineas runner-up Ramatuelle (Justify) in the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot on June 21. Murphy replaces Aurelien Lemaitre. The filly, who earned a 'TDN Rising Star' badge on debut, was third to the re-opposing Elmalka (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) at Newmarket. The G3 Prix du Bois and G2 Prix Robert Papin heroine was second to dual Group 1 winner Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) in the G1 Prix Morny at two. In her 3-year-old bow,...

The G1 St James's Palace S. is shaping up to be one of the hottest races at Royal Ascot this year and both Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) and Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) received positive reports from their respective trainers on Tuesday as they prepare to try and topple Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the day one highlight. Trained by Charlie Appleby, Notable Speech heads the ante-post betting for the St James's Palace following his striking success in the G1 2,000 Guineas, but Richard Hannon has not given...

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...

Christophe Soumillon will ride both Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) at Royal Ascot next week. Trainer Maurizio Guarnieri confirmed Soumillon would take over from the regular rider of the pair, Aurelien Lemaitre, due to his greater experience of Ascot. Big Rock, who won the Queen Elizabeth II S. on Champions Day when trained by Christopher Head, disappointed on his seasonal reappearance in the Lockinge at Newbury when he had valid excuses. He will be aimed at the Queen Anne next week....