LOVE, Love, Love!
Wow I can’t wait for today’s Group 1 Priince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot which promises to be an absolute cracker. But more of that later…
TV coverage of Day 2 begins with the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes for juvenile fillies over 5f.
It’s very hard to weigh up who will be the best of these, but ILLUSTRATING looked good on debut.
Trained by Karl Burke, Illustrating was just nudged out to win first time at Catterick.
That would not be the usual place you would find a Royal Ascot winner, but it was a reasonably sized field and the runner-up had already shown some decent form.
Next the Group 2 Queen’s Vase for 3yo over 1m6f.
WORDSWORTH was expected to win a Listed event at Navan last time but didn’t quite come up to scratch.
He hung a little bit in the closing stages that day which is not ideal but at least compared to most of these he has proven stamina.
Another Group 2 in the Duke of Cambridge for fillies and mares over 1m.
LADY BOWTHORPE has to be the one to beat for Willie Jarvis and provides Kieren Shoemark with the chance of a famous Royal Ascot success.
This mare is improving with every race, and ran an absolute cracker last time when second to Palace Pier in the Lockinge at Newbury.
Now back to Love who goes in the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes over 1m2f.
It’s arguably the race of the meeting, and will have appeal all around the world with horses having starred in Australia, America, England, and Ireland.
While it is not going to be easy on her seasonal debut, LOVE looked like she could be one of the truly great horses last year when winning two Classics.
After the big one the Royal Hunt Cup over 1m.
ASTRO KING has a very high draw so it has to be taken on trust that the high numbers are not at a huge disadvantage.
However, if that is the case then he has every chance of taking this for the legendary Sir Michael Stoute. I thought he was very unlucky when third in the Thirsk Hunt Cup.
In the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes over 5f I usually don’t like the fillies against the boys but RUTHIN looked really good at Keeneland in a big field by American standards.
That race was also over a bit further than this so stamina is no issue in Europe which can sometimes be the case.
Day 2 ends with the Kensington Palace Handicap for fillies and mares over 1m. DREAMLOPER was just touched off last time and I thought he should have won. He’s 1lb better off with the winner Lights On who reppposes.
Good luck!
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