Sam King takes a look at the feature Prince Of Wales's Stakes on day two of Royal Ascot.
There's no doubt the feature Group 1 Prince Of Wales's Stakes has taken a substantial hit in recent weeks with the defection of the two sons of Ulysses, Passenger and White Birch, but it remains a contest of deep intrigue headed by Auguste Rodin.
Although something of a Jekyll and Hyde character, there's no doubting Aidan O'Brien's four-year-old is the class act in this line-up when at his brilliant best but will he produce it? The simple answer to that is, who knows?
Last year's brilliant dual Derby hero and Breeders' Cup Turf champion flopped twice in his contrasting six-start season. A woeful effort in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket could hardly inspire confidence as he headed into Epsom, yet he did what all good horses do and bounced back to his brilliant best. A follow-up success in the Irish Derby had pundits purring over a mouthwatering clash of the generations in the King George Stakes later that month, but once again Aidan O'Brien's son of Deep Impact failed to raise a leg, finishing last of twelve as he was beaten a grand total of one hundred and six-and three-quarter lengths.
Victories in the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes and Breeders' Cup Turf would see Auguste Rodin start a short price for his four-year-old reappearance in the Dubai Sheema Classic and for the third time in his unpredictable career, the Ballydoyle colt failed to beat a rival home. Aidan O'Brien's enigmatic performer did put that behind him when runner-up to the absent White Birch Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh last month, but at a current price of 6/4, it's tough to see how punters can be confident in a horse who just might not play ball on the day.
The decision by John and Thady Gosden to run Inspiral over the mile and a quarter rather than in what looked like a substandard renewal of the mile Queen Anne Stakes on the opening day looks an interesting one. A six-time Group 1 winner, one could only dream of the clash her and Auguste Rodin could throw up if both turned up at their brilliant best, but she too has a tendency to throw in the odd wobbler.
The daughter of Frankel completed a Group 1 hat-trick with a last-gasp success in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf and although she remains unexposed over the ten-furlongs, there's no doubt she needs to build on an underwhelming fourth in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, albeit that was a muddling contest.
There's also the small matter of her possibility to miss the break, as she did when a disappointing sixth at odds of 11/10 in the QEII on Champions Day two years ago. All in all, there look to be enough negatives to take her on at the prices.
The two French raiders Horizon Dore and Blue Rose Cen both deserve their place in the line-up, although the former seems to want softer ground and the latter needs to prove she can replicate her best form under the care of her new trainer. Therefore, it could be best to side with Alfaila, who makes his belated reappearance having not been seen since finishing fifth behind Auguste Rodin in the Irish Champions Stakes last season.
Owen Burrows is something of a dab hand at getting horses to their peak after lengthy breaks, as he's proved with the likes of Hukum in recent seasons. A 284-day absence is hardly concerning given he landed an Ascot handicap in fine style on his return in 2022, while the turn of foot he produced to dispatch My Prospero in the Group 2 Sky Bet York Stakes last July following 294 days off was nothing short of exceptional.
Rattling ground at the royal meeting will be right up his street and this strong travelling son of Dark Angel should get a nice toe into the contest from stall two. Sean Levey proved it can pay to be patient from down on the rail when producing Rosallion to perfection in yesterday's St James's Palace Stakes and high off steering Israr to victory in the Wokingham 24 hours ago, I'd expect Jim Crowley to ride his relatively unexposed five-year-old full of confidence.
In conclusion, the big two at the top of the betting could serve up an absolute crackerjack if at their absolute best, but with odds of 8/1 freely available, the Owen Burrows-trained Alfaila looks worth siding with on his seasonal return.
