Trainer Charlie Fellowes has a number of lively outsiders entered during Royal Ascot week and will be hoping for rain to enhance their chances.
The Newmarket-based Charlie Fellowes is no stranger to a long shot Royal Ascot winner, having been successful with Thanks Be (2019 Sandringham Handicap), Onassis (2020 Sandringham Handicap) and Chiefofchiefs (2020 Silver Jubilee Handicap) at odds of 25/1 and above. He has enjoyed an excellent start to the 2023 season with stable flag-bearers Vadream and Grand Alliance recording Group victories.
Vadream appreciates cut in the ground and relished the torrential conditions at Newmarket over Guineas weekend when scoring in the Group 3 Palace House Stakes. With the ground expected to be firm at the Royal Meeting, Fellowes was asked about her likely participation: "Not if it [the ground] stays the way it is at the moment, but the forecast is a bit dodgy isn't it? I think there's a chance there's rain around. So it completely depends on numbers, if the ground is good to soft or softer, she'll run on Tuesday in the King's Stand. If it looks like it's probably not going to be that soft, then we'll take a chance and wait for Saturday [the Jubilee]. If the ground's not soft enough on Saturday, we'll sit tight and not run, there's just no point".
The same concerns do not apply to Fellowes' other 2023 Group winner, Grand Alliance, who was a surprise winner of the Group 3 John Porter Stakes. "Grand Alliance in the Hardwicke, I don't mind about the ground with him. I guess if I was being a real party pooper, I'd say I want it rattling quick so Hukum can go away and run somewhere else because I think he will be very hard to beat if he turns up. But we go on anything. I'm happy with him and and the majority of my runners over the week want a bit of cut in the ground."
Newmarket novice juvenile winner Cloudbreaker is double-entered at Royal Ascot. "Cloudbreaker is in the Ribblesdale. She is also going to get an entry in the mile and a half handicap [the King George V Stakes]. And she'll run in one of them. If she gets into the mile and a half handicap, I'd say we'll go there. If we're not going to get into the mile and a half handicap then she'll run in the Ribblesdale. But she's a nice filly, I was really pleased with her run at Newbury, she worked well with Grand Alliance yesterday. I think the step up to twelve furlongs would suit her, and she'll be a lively outsider there."
Fellowes enjoyed a successful trip to Kempton Park on Wednesday night with Tawalla and Holy Fire completing a one-two for the yard in the six furlong handicap. Tawalla heads a competitive team of horses heading for handicaps at Royal Ascot.
"Tawalla will get an entry in the Holyroodhouse. Like Vadream, he needs cut in the ground so he will not run if it's rattling quick, especially over five [furlongs]. What else? Atrium in the Hunt Cup again. He doesn't want it rattling quick, I'd like good or softer for him, but he'd be a really lively chance on a track that he's won at several times.
"A horse I really like, he's going to be borderline to get in and he doesn't want it quick. Shahbaz runs, hopefully, in the Britannia. I think a drop back to a mile is really interesting. He's got loads of speed. I don't think he stayed over ten [furlongs] last time at Ascot and he's been working with Atrium. He's been working really well. I think the stiff mile there will suit him, but again he does not want the ground too quick."
Group 2 Vintage Stakes winner Marbaan has not shown the same level of form since his Goodwood success but appeared to be heading in the right direction when second in the Listed Cathedral Stakes at Salisbury.
"Marbaan in the Commonwealth Cup, he'll go on anything. Don't mind about him. He's in good order. I was really pleased with him at Salisbury. He looked much more like a sprinter after his first run in the Pavilion. I was slightly in two minds, are we going to be Jersey [Stakes, over 7f] or are we going to be Commonwealth Cup? But Jamie [Spencer] came back at Ascot and said give him one more run over six [furlongs]. I think he'll sharpen up big time. I'm convinced this is a sprinter and he looked like a sprinter at Salisbury in a really good Listed race against older horses where he just was a little bit unlucky. Little Big Bear looked impressive at Haydock and will be very hard to beat, but I'm really happy with my fellow, he looks well and I think Ascot it will suit him."
The yard will not be represented in any of the juvenile races after a virus affected the two-year-olds in the early part of the season.
"Yeah, we had something go round about about two months ago now, I'd say about eight or nine in one of the barns just got some very puffy hind legs, temperature and bloods all wrong, and luckily it stayed in the two year old barn and didn't get anywhere else, but it's just completely mucked up the first half of my season with them. I've run two, both of them ran really, disappointingly, both of them were horses we didn't think had been affected by it, but I wonder if it went round more than we realised.
"I'm actually scoping 15 of them today [Thursday], hoping to get the green light to work them tomorrow, so hopefully we're back on track this week. I've got a few that I really like, but it's not been ideal. My owners have been really patient because there's a few of them that really needed to be running by now but it's just horses."
When asked about the best chance for the week, Fellowes said: "You know what? It's one of those weeks where there isn't a standout in my string. They all have really solid chances. You know, we've had three Royal Ascot winners, they've been 33/1, 33/1 and 25/1. So the fact that they're not going to be like 5 or 6/1 is not going to be an issue, but they're there, the horses are running really well. Yeah, if it came up proper soft and we got rain Monday, proper rain Sunday and Monday, I think I'd be very excited about Vadream in the King's Stand.
"I think a really stiff five [furlongs] on soft ground is just ideal. It's not going to be like that so I think I'm in dreamland but she's the one in one of the big races that's really popping. You never know and you never know in England, it could easily tip it down and she's in great order. Kieran has struck up a good bond with her. Of the bigger prices, Shabaz is the one whose working really, really well at the moment and if he snuck in a Britannia off 87, I think that track is absolutely tailor made for him, I could see him running a big race."
