Jamie Lynch guides you through the fourth day of Royal Ascot 2014, where the Coronation Stakes takes centre stage.
Royal Ascot is a quintessentially British event, with global reverberations. It’s not only the crowd that’s cosmopolitan, as the horses are drawn from all over the world too, and Royal Ascot can be seen at its international best in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes, with runners from Ireland, France and America, as well as a strong home contingent.
The home defence is led by Lightning Thunder, for whom it’s a case of always the bridesmaid and never the bride, runner up in both the English and Irish 1000 Guineas. My Titania was supposed to be a star of both those shows, but setbacks have left her waiting in the wings until now, which isn’t the ideal preparation for this championship event.
The French fillies seem to be a step ahead of their European counterparts this year – Andre Fabre deployed Miss France to beat Lightning Thunder at Newmarket – and Lesstalk In Paris has the Gallic flair to make them all go in the Coronation. Her failure as favourite in the French Guineas can be put down in part to different tactics, surprisingly held up that day, when front-running had come so naturally to her previously.
With lessons learnt from Longchamp, and the prospect of an easy lead, Lesstalk In Paris makes sense as a win bet in a race that looks up for grabs, with no standout filly in the field. Lesstalk, more action.
The King Edward VII Stakes is known as the Royal Ascot Derby, because it’s at Royal Ascot, over the same trip as the Derby. Revelatory stuff. But horses coming here straight from Epsom have a poor record, largely because of the short timeframe between the two races.
Don’t be surprised, therefore, if Western Hymn, who acquitted himself well for sixth in the Derby, doesn’t match expectations less than two weeks on. Not taking part can be just as off-putting as taking part at Epsom, at least where Snow Sky is concerned, a late withdrawal from the Derby, giving him a question to answer here. Swerving those two, what’s left has the makings of a trifecta, with Adelaide on top of Bunker and Miner’s Lamp. It’s a longshot, but, as the saying goes, if you’re not living on the edge you’re taking up too much room, and room is always at a premium in the packed Royal Ascot stands.
The Queens Vase wouldn’t be the Queens Vase without a Mark Johnston representative. Bidding to enhance Johnston’s remarkable record in the race is Hartnell, definitely one of the two horses to concentrate on. Right through his career, including when second to Snow Sky in the Derby Trial at Lingfield, Hartnell has looked the sort of out-and-out galloper that will relish the demands of the long-distance Queens Vase.
Stamina is the name of the game, and Marzocco is another who impresses as having plenty of it, getting better with each increase in trip so far. It’s hard to choose between them, but you can keep them both on side through an exacta, with marginal preference for the lighter-raced Marzocco.
The word ‘minefield’ might best describe the closing Buckingham Palace Stakes, but there’s a sneaky one in there who’s very different from the rest, and he goes by the name of Watchable. The majority of this big field of handicappers are well established, whereas Watchable has raced only four times in his life, and there’s plenty of improvement in him yet, particularly now he’s stepping up in trip.
What he lacks in experience he makes up for in potential, and Watchable could well be a rewarding each-way play against largely exposed rivals, in the hope that he’ll go one better than his sister Infallible managed (in the Coronation Stakes) on this day in 2008.
