Royal Ascot 2012 - Discussion thread

[deswalker]

Isn't it about time we had one of these? Mods - feel free to move this around of cut me off if you feel its a duplication.

Anyway, the ground could be the critical thing once more this year as for the second year running we are going to be soft side for Ascot by the looks of things. Official going descriptions at the moment are Soft on the straight course and Soft, Heavy in places on the round course.

The weather will be drying up today but more rain to come no doubt.

I'm hoping it doesn't affect my main hope for the festival, Colour Vision in the Gold Cup...


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[Micko70]

I looking forward to watching Hughie Morrison's Coquet in the Ribblesdale stakes, i backed her in the Oaks where she was very unlucky.

She started to make her move on the rails but got badly blocked by a struggling horse dropping away and was virtually pulled up.

She stayed on again inside the final furlong to finish 6th, she would easily have been placed if not getting stopped

Watch the final 3 furlongs HERE, she is the one with the white cap just going onto the rails when the video starts.

[aidanldrebin]

I was thinking the same thing re Royal Ascot thread.

Tuesday's entries are published later today, and it'll be interesting to see whether Englishman is one of those entered for the Coventry Stakes. His debut win over 5f on the Friday of Newbury's Greenham meeting was visually impressive - quickening smartly from the back of the field to get up close home and reel in Smoothtalkinrascal. However, it is the form of that race that really marks this colt down as a potentially smart sort, with the runner-up, fourth, fifth (twice, including the Listed Marble Hill Stakes), seventh and 10th (twice) all winners since.

He shaped as though he would get another furlong (also bred for it), and the fact his debut win came on bad ground suggests that he would cope better than most with ease in the ground, should it indeed come up soft for the opening day as seems likely. The same stable's Funk Soul Brother came through nicely to win a maiden at York's Dante meeting last month, but the form of that race has taken a few knocks since then.

It will certainly be interesting to see who is entered. The Taj from the Hannon stable did it well at Doncaster last Friday on ground that wouldn't have been ideal, and he is apparently very high in the 2yo pecking order at the yard and was on course to debut in the same maiden Canford Cliffs and Strong Suit won en route to victory in this before the ground came up soft. That would suggest that he could even be the best 2yo in the stable at present, though that is pure conjecture on my part. Odooj from the William Haggas stable won nicely first time up at Chester, and although that wasn't a maiden with a great deal of depth to it, this colt looked distinctly above average and should have a fair amount of improvement to come yet. Morawij won on his debut and has always been the Coventry horse in the Varian yard, mainly because he was one of the few colts in the stable to come to hand this early; still, he did it nicely in the end at Haydock and can hopefully run a bit better than the winner of the same maiden 12 months ago did in this race, Mezmaar.

I hope Hannon runs The Taj and not Jalaa, the latter a son of Street Cry who made a winning debut at Leicester and who is qualified for the Chesham Stakes on Saturday; would much rather see him in that race, as he shaped on debut as though more than ready for a step up in distance, and would follow the exact same route as the yard's 2008 winner Free Agent.

Micko, I am afraid Coquet will be no price. After everyone had stopped banging on about how unlucky The Fugue was in third, they quickly latched on to how unlucky Coquet was (even more so than The Fugue) and I am sure she entered every notebook in the country. There is no doubt she is a major player, but the one concern would have to be the fact that the Ribblesdale would be her third run within a month.
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[El Capitan]

I've been to Ascot a few times but never Royal Ascot. Heading there on tuesday under the tag of "entertaining a client" and cannot wait.

Is Frankel definitely running in the Queen Anne Stakes? would love to see him in the flesh...actually what I am trying to ask is, is there any chance Cecil would remove if he the ground weren't to his liking/way too soft?

[drogerson]

He won on debut on Soft ground at HQ, and won his two Group races as a juvenile on Good-to-Soft.
He shouldn't really have any problems as his Dam Kind and Sire Galileo won Listed race on soft ground.

That said his last few races have all been on Good ground, and I think if it got boggy they would be looking at it for sure. I think Good-to-Soft would be ok, any worse and they'd consider it.
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[Micko70]

With rain forecast for London on Friday, Saturday & Sunday and even possibly Monday i wonder if it's worthwhile backing something at a big price now in case Frankel doesn't run.

8/1 for Excelebration & 10/1 for Strong Suit available, although the former has never ran on soft, Strong Suit finished 2nd on Soft

[El Capitan]

thanks Drogerson

I'm just ecstatic to be going, and fairly happy that it was arranged for an early day in the week - the less crowds the better. Frankel running would be the icing - although at 1.22 the only way I am getting involved is for him to win by +however many lengths.

[horage]

perhaps we could have a list of runners who have won or placed on soft going and those with a soft ground bloodline : pivitol and saddlers wells
spring to mind but I'M SURE this sites experts could come up with some
soft ground form horses for royal ascot ......

[drogerson]

At the bottom of the racingpost cards, there's a tab for stats which gives you who's won what on the expected ground. It's down for soft at the moment so all the stats will be for soft runs.
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[djnap93]

2.10 Yarmouth - went with Pixilated, now regretting it and wish I went with Ritaach, stupidly lumped on or was it

[budgie27]

It would have to be a bog for Frankel not to run and his only real opponent is Excelebration and good horse though he is it's proven he isn't good enough to beat Frankel, Strong Suit won't be favoured by any cut in the ground and at this distance at this course he wouldn't be strong enough to beat the front two on his debut. The best bet in the race looks to be the 1-2 that Coral have put up for Frankel to win by 3+ lengths. Though Excel may get closer as he was warm before Newbury but Frankel also looked like he might improve 5+ lengths IMO. I see some bookies going 2 places 1/4 odds which is weird with 12 runners at this stage. Though there will likely be less than 8 runners come Tuesday if there is soft in the going description.

I've backed Ortensia at 6-1 in the Kings Stand as Bated Breath and Sole Power will be more inconvenienced by softer ground. That likely ground should see her beating Sole Power off 2lbs worse terms. If it's Good or better then Bated Breath looked solid enough.

I've backed Society Rock 16-1 and Midnight Cloud 10 EW in the Golden Jubilee on Saturday the course and trip should suit both and if it comes up soft they both have a chance of upsetting BC or at least placing if she lives up to her star billing.

The only other one I've backed at this stage is F&G in the Gold Cup at 15/8 but I thought that was as short as I'd want to back him at.

[InsideMan]