2012 QIPCO 2000 GUINEAS PREVIEW

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2012 QIPCO 2000 Guineas with Lydia Hislop and Steve Mellish
(Image and Footage : Racing UK)

QIPCO 2000 GUINEAS (G1)
Newmarket, 5 May 2012

Bill Oppenheim
Thoroughbred Daily NewsBy about 10:30 in the morning this Saturday (US), the day of the G1 Kentucky Derby, the first Group 1 European Classic of the season, the G1 English 2000 Guineas, will have been run at Newmarket. You’d be forgiven for not having really known much about it. The European champion 2-year-old of 2011, Coolmore’s 8-5 favorite Camelot (Montjeu), hasn’t run this year. That’s not unusual, but what is unusual is that the ground in Europe has been soft for virtually the entire month of April. It’s going to dry out and warm up this week (thankfully), but when that happens you’re really guessing. Montjeu is a Derby sire, not a Guineas sire, and the G1 Racing Post Trophy, which Camelot won in his second and final start last year, is a Derby trial, not a Guineas trial. Camelot is no doubt a really good colt, but his price reflects as much a lack of knowledge or conviction about the competition as it does his actual chances of winning the race.

No other colt was trading at under 10-1 on Betfair on Tuesday morning, which shows you how little confidence there is in what might win if the favorite doesn’t. Second choice yesterday, at 10-1, was Born To Sea, the John Oxx-trained Invincible Spirit half-brother to Sea The Stars. He broke his maiden impressively in a six-furlong listed race in September, but then ran second in the G3 Killavullan Stakes to Nephrite, a Pivotal colt trained by Aidan O’Brien who flopped in his first start this year.

Five horses yesterday were bracketed between 12-1 and 14-1 on Betfair. Co-third favorites at 12-1 were: Trumpet Major (Arakan), impressive winner of the G3 Craven Stakes at Newmarket’s opening meeting a couple of weeks ago; Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Top Offer, a Dansili colt trained by Roger Charlton who won a seven-furlong maiden race in August impressively, but missed an intended warm-up in the G3 Greenham Stakes because of the soft ground; and Abtaal (Rock Hard Ten), trained by Jean-Claude Rouget for Sheikh Hamdan, and who ran second earlier this month in the G3 Prix Djebel at Maisons-Lafitte.

In fact, very unusually, the first three from the Djebel are running at Newmarket, and the Djebel winner, French Fifteen, from the first crop by the good French miler Turtle Bowl (a son of the obscure Night Shift horse Dyhim Diamond), would therefore have to qualify as pretty good value at 13-1.

Last year’s G1 Dewhurst Stakes, usually the top 2-year-old race in Europe, was one of those messy events in which the first five finished within two lengths of each other. Trumpet Major was fifth that day, but is a shorter price in the betting than the horses which were one-two, but which haven’t had a run this year. The Dewhurst second, Power (Oasis Dream), who won the G2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot and the G1 National Stakes in Ireland, is presumably the Coolmore second string (danger!), at around 14-1. Parish Hill, the Dewhurst winner from the first crop by Teofilo, trained, like his sire, by Jim Bolger, is at 20-1. Parish Hall, by the way, is out of a Montjeu mare, so inbred 3x3 to Sadler’s Wells!

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

ROYAL ASCOT DAY 1 : A GOOD DAY AT THE OFFICE...

Click above to watch Prohibit winning the King’s Stand Stakes (Gr1)
(Image : Perth Now - Footage : At The Races UK)

“…and especially for South African Sprinter, Sweet Sanette.”

Bill Oppenheim
Thoroughbred Daily NewsThe Coolmore legions had good reason to be satisfied with the results from Ascot’s opening day yesterday: they had bought into Canford Cliffs (Tagula) at the end of last year, which looked a pretty smart move after he stopped the 6-year-old wonder mare Goldikova (Anabaa) from notching her 14th Group 1/Grade I win in the meet’s opening race - the G1 Queen Anne Stakes - run over Ascot’s straight mile. Then Frankel, by Coolmore’s world number one, Galileo, scraped home in the one mile G1 St James’s Palace Stakes, run on the round course, while Coolmore’s Zoffany, by the Juddmonte stallion Dansili, upgraded his stallion prospects by running a bang-up second. Then, to finish off the day, their investment in a second Juddmonte stallion paid off when Power (Oasis Dream) finished strongly to give Aidan O’Brien his sixth win in the G2 Coventry Stakes. All in all, a pretty satisfactory opening day; though the weight of expectation which Frankel carried yesterday is transferred today to Coolmore’s So You Think (High Chaparral), as short as 2-5 last night to win today’s G1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

The G1 King’s Stand Stakes over 5 furlongs was nearly poached by the Highlands-bred South African filly Sweet Sanette (Jallad) despite her near scratching after an accident in the preliminaries. She led the best sprinters around a merry dance for every yard except the final twenty five, and you’d have to say this was some compliment to the quality of sprinters in this country.

Formerly owned by Wally Brits and trained by Roy Magner, Sweet Sanette was a very good, but by no means great, sprinter before she left South Africa for Hong Kong, and one can’t help wondering what J J The Jet Plane would have done to this field which included Australia’s second best sprinter, Star Witness.

Even Sweet Sanette’s most ardent supporters would not suggest she was in JJ’s league, and while JJ remains the highest rated male sprinter in the world right now, he can only aspire to the No.1 spot if he can cross swords with the current Australian star, Black Caviar.

It was also a good day for Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte operation. Frankel may only have scraped home in the St James’s Palace Stakes, but his record now reads seven wins from seven starts, and his master trainer - the newly knighted (and slightly embarrassed, as usual) Sir Henry Cecil - will now go off and think about what he wants to ask his colt to do next. Henry mentioned the G1 Juddmonte International (sponsored by the owner) over an extended 10 furlongs at York, even as the wise guys were again trying to talk him into shortening him up to six furlongs. There’s a reason he’s been champion trainer nine times, and it’s not because he listens to the riders in the stands. Besides the fact a runner by their own stallion, Dansili, gave Frankel an almighty scare, Juddmonte could also be pleased that their stallion Oasis Dream - arguably the number two sire in Europe now behind only Galileo - had two winners on opening day: Prohibit in the G1 King’s Stand Stakes over five furlongs; and Power in the G2 Coventry, always the first really important 2-year-old race of the year.

The racing, as always, was fiercely competitive, and there were a few noteworthy performances in defeat - none more so than Goldikova’s loss to Canford Cliffs in the Queen Anne Stakes. Like Zenyatta, she went down fighting, and has now won 16 races, with four seconds and two thirds in her 23 career starts - only once unplaced, in a bog in the G1 Prix d’Ispahan, in her first start of 2009. Prince Khalid’s Cityscape, now a 5-year-old and by Selkirk, ran a lifetime best, finishing third, less than two lengths behind Goldikova; and Godolphin’s 6-year-old Rio de la Plata (Rahy) also ran a good race, in fourth.

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

ROYAL ASCOT 2011 CONTINUED

Click above to watch an interview with Henry Cecil discussing Royal Ascot 2011
(Image : Telegraph - Footage : At The Races UK)

ROYAL ASCOT
Tuesday 14th to Saturday 18th June 2011

The G1 King’s Stand Stakes looks below-par this year, and with no Black Caviar (Aus) (Bel Esprit), the best Antipodean offering is Star Witness (Aus) (Starcraft), who was only seventh behind her in Flemington’s G1 Newmarket Handicap when last seen March 12. What this year’s edition lacks in star quality - which also applies to Saturday’s G1 Golden Jubilee Stakes - it makes up for in diversity, as the runners hail from the States, Hong Kong, Hungary, France and Germany as well as Australia, Britain and Ireland. Probably the most important juvenile race of the meeting also takes place on the opening day and all eyes will be on Ballydoyle’s Power (GB) (Oasis Dream) as he bids to provide Aidan O’Brien with a sixth renewal.

Few will get rich on Goldikova, Canford Cliffs and Frankel today, and even fewer will have the firepower it takes to make a healthy profit from So You Think (NZ) (High Chaparral) in tomorrow afternoon’s G1 Prince of Wales’ Stakes. Forecast at 1-2 at best at present, the brilliant dual G1 Cox Plate hero has had a relatively soft time of things in the Emerald Isle so far, but the gloves will have to come off if last year’s runner-up Twice Over (GB) (Observatory) can regain some momentum after unplaced efforts in Dubai and Newbury. To a large extent, the betting is not a factor here, as Royal Ascot wants to see a star, and the noises from Ballydoyle suggest we will see one.

Wesley Ward, who has taken France by storm over the past few weeks, is looking for a third juvenile success at the meeting and there are exciting things expected from his G2 Queen Mary Stakes representative Gypsy Robin (Daaher).

Thursday’s G1 Gold Cup is missing last year’s hero Rite of Passage (GB) (Giant’s Causeway), but in Fame and Glory (GB) (Montjeu) this fixture’s historic showpiece still has a fascinating draw. What Aidan O’Brien did with Yeats (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) is now the stuff of legend, and to show that was no aberration, Ballydoyle nearly repeated the feat of transferring middle-distance class over this marathon trip with Age of Aquarius (Ire) (Galileo) 12 months ago. Success here would also be a major boost for Jim and Fitri Hay following their recent investment in the sport and high-profile link with Coolmore.

ROYAL ASCOT 2011
Overview

Tuesday 14th June
The opening day of what is sure to be a spectacular Royal Meeting gets off to a flying start with three Group 1 races (i.e. the very best in the world); the Queen Anne Stakes, the King’s Stand Stakes - the first British leg of the Global Sprint Challenge – and the St James’s Palace Stakes. As the first day of Royal Ascot, the fashion stakes are high but the atmosphere is relaxed which allows racegoers the chance to enjoy a glass of Champagne between races or explore the racecourse at their leisure.
Wednesday 15th June
The highlight of the second day is the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, arguably the most important race at the Royal Meeting in the modern era with £400,000 prize money on offer. Also on the card are the Group 2 Windsor Forest Stakes, for older female milers and the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes, for the best up and coming two year old fillies (females). Wednesday is perfect for groups of friends to enjoy the Royal Ascot experience at a slightly more gentle pace.
Thursday 16th June
Thursday’s highlight is the Group 1 Gold Cup, a battle of stamina and determination over two miles and four furlongs - this undisputed long distance world championship is not for the faint hearted! Style, elegance and the height of the summer social calendar all combine on Gold Cup Day, colloquially known as ‘Ladies’ Day’. Although the whole week of Royal Ascot is a fashion show like no other, it is Thursday when the designer creations and millinery masterpieces reach new heights. To commemorate 300 years of racing, the Hampton Court Stakes has been renamed the Tercentenary Stakes.
Friday 17th June
The feature race on Friday is the Coronation Stakes, which traditionally brings together the leading three-year-old fillies in Europe. Also on the card is the King Edward VII Stakes, colloquially called the Ascot Derby, as its conditions mirror those of the Epsom Classic. This is the perfect way to start the weekend with friends and work colleagues.
Saturday 18th June
The final day of the Royal Meeting always provides a dramatic climax and features one of the world’s most important and international races, the Golden Jubilee Stakes, - the second British leg of the Global Sprint Challenge. Saturday is a relatively new addition to the Royal Meeting, having been introduced as recently as 2002. Although the fashions are as elaborate as they are during the week, there is a pronounced, relaxed family feel as many people who are unable to attend until the weekend come to enjoy the experience of the greatest race meeting in the world.

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News and Royal Ascot

www.ascot.co.uk