So far, 2015 has been a year to remember for Dermot Weld, even with his star
turn Free Eagle (High Chaparral) kept out of action, but Moyglare Stud’s
homebred is back at center stage at last in Wednesday’s Prince of Wales’s S.
(Eng-G1).
Restricted to just four outings so far, he followed a seven-length win in
Leopardstown’s Enterprise S. (Ire-G3) over 1 1/4 miles in September with a third
on unsuitably soft ground in the Champion S. (Eng-G1) at Ascot the following
month. Denied a comeback run in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Ire-G1) at The Curragh
last month when suffering a minor setback, the bay nevertheless enters this test
with stable confidence behind him.
“Free Eagle is in good form; we’re very happy with him. We’d have loved to
have got a run into him before a race like this, but it wasn’t to be,” jockey
Pat Smullen commented. “He’s in tremendous form and everybody knows what I think
of him. Let’s hope we have a good run round and whatever happens, I think we’ll
have a lovely season with him.”
Frank Gillespie’s fairytale horse of last year, The Grey Gatsby
Mastercraftsman), has yet to set the world alight this term, finishing 4 1/4
lengths adrift of Tuesday’s Queen Anne S. (Eng-G1) victor Solow (Singspiel) when
second in the March 28 Dubai Turf (UAE-G1) at Meydan before disappointing when
only fourth in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Ire-G1) at The Curragh May 24. While
that form is a way behind his defeat of Australia in the Irish Champion S.
(Ire-G1) in September, the gray — who also plundered the Prix du Jockey Club
(Fr-G1) last year — took a few runs to reach concert pitch in 2014.
“It was a good run in Dubai, coming back in trip on a sharp track and Solow
is a very good horse who had had a prep run as well,” trainer Kevin Ryan said.
“He loves a stronger pace and probably wants a bit more cover than he got at The
Curragh, but it was a messy sort of race and I didn’t hide the fact he would
improve an awful lot for the run; he was quite heavy. Hopefully he runs his race
here.”
Unbeaten since being gelded, Western Hymn (High Chaparral) comes here on the
back of wins in Sandown’s Gordon Richards S. (Eng-G3) and Brigadier Gerard S.
(Eng-G3) and gets the Frankie Dettori treatment here.
“I’d say this is the best race of the meeting and although he is an improving
horse, he has to step up one more notch,” Dettori said.
Ectot (Hurricane Run) had a truncated three-year-old campaign, which included
a win in the Prix Niel (Fr-G2) over 12 furlongs at Longchamp in September. That
generated a whirl of excitement regarding his prospects in the Prix de l’Arc de
Triomphe (Fr-G1), but he was 17th of 20 in the October showpiece and has
questions to answer on this comeback despite racing manager Al Shaqab Racing
Manager Harry Herbert’s positivity.
“I am really excited about this horse,” he said. “He has missed having a prep
run this season because of a foot issue, but that is all fine now. Although he
has had a delayed preparation coming into this race, he has been working very
well and Elie Lellouche is delighted with him. He goes on any ground and has
been trained for this race and fitness-wise he should be spot on. He has
definitely slipped under the radar, but he should not be underestimated.”
International competition is supplied by Queen Elizabeth S. (Aus-G1) winner
Criterion (Sebring) and Tenno Sho (Jpn-G1) hero Spielberg (Deep Impact), with
the former bidding to provide Australia with a rare winner in this category.
“After watching Australian horses do so well in the sprints, I’ve always
thought that if I had a horse that was good enough, it would be great to take
the English on at their own game with middle-distance horses,” conditioner David
Hayes explained. “The Prince of Wales’s S. is going to be a very hard task, with
a tough international field. But all I can say is Criterion is very healthy and
I have been very happy with his work. The horse has had a look around Ascot. I
was pleased with him and young Chad Schofield, who rode him, said he handled the
undulations very well.”
California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit), whose participation was cast into doubt
Monday due to a suspected stone bruise, was officially removed from the Prince
of Wales’s Tuesday morning. “It’s just a minor thing, but it’s very
disappointing,” said trainer Rae Guest, who has been housing California Chrome
in Newmarket. “He’s been X-rayed and there’s no damage, there’s just a bit of
pus and it will take a few days to come right.”
Inaugurated in 2004, the Duke of Cambridge S. (Eng-G2) has already fallen the
way of trainer Sir Michael Stoute on four occasions, and the Newmarket-based
conditioner will seek a fifth renewal of the straight-mile test with last year’s
heroine Integral (Dalakhani) and the year-younger Bragging (Exchange Rate).
Integral has registered two Group 1 victories since prevailing here last
year, in the Falmouth S. (Eng-G1) and Sun Chariot S. (Eng-G1), and returns to
this contest coming off a seventh in the Queen Elizabeth II S. (Eng-G1) and a
promising fourth in the Lockinge S. (Eng-G1) on seasonal return at Newbury last
time. She is leaning towards odds-on favoritism on the books, but is burdened
with an additional five pounds incurred for those top-level scores.
“Like all these races at Royal Ascot it is obviously a challenge, but she
goes there in very good shape and I think she deserves to be favorite,”
commented Cheveley Park’s Chris Richardson. “She ran a very good race at
Newbury, Sir Michael thinks she’s progressed nicely since and he seems very
happy with her. She does have the penalty to contend with, so that is a
consideration, but she showed what a class act she is in this race last year and
hopefully she can do it again.”
Juddmonte’s relatively unexposed Bragging is a typical example of Stoute’s
patient approach and goes postward, dropping down to a mile, off a breakthrough
win going nine furlongs in Newmarket’s Dahlia S. (Eng-G3) and a sixth in the
Middleton S. (Eng-G2) over an extended 10 furlongs at York.
Dancing a jig will be the order of the day in the winner’s enclosure if
veteran handler Clive Brittain can produce Rizeena (Iffraaj) to claim a third
straight win at the Royal meet. The four-year-old bagged the Queen Mary S.
(Eng-G2) as a juvenile in 2013, adding the Moyglare Stud S. (Ire-G1) to her
resume later that term, and prevailed in the Coronation S. (Eng-G1) going around
the turn here last year. She was a below-par seventh to Bragging in the Dahlia
last time.
“I couldn’t have her in better condition or in a better frame of
mind,”claimed a typically bullish Brittain. “Her work has been good, as it
always is, but she seems in a particularly good place at the moment. We’re
putting a line through her run at Newmarket. It was disappointing, but it was
too bad to be true and Newmarket has never been a lucky course for her.
“We gave her a short break afterwards and built her back up and she obviously
prefers Ascot. It’s a proper race, but she’s a proper filly. If we get beaten by
a better filly, what can you do? I don’t think we’ll get beaten by a better
conditioned one.”
Euro Charline (Myboycharlie), who hit the board behind Rizeena in last term’s
Coronation, boasts a course win in the Valiant S. and returns to European action
after besting Stephanie’s Kitten (Kitten’s Joy) in the Beverly D. (G1) at
Arlington and running a commendable fourth to Solow (Singspiel) when venturing
into the males’ domain in the Dubai Turf last time.
“She seems well and seems fit, and we have been very happy with her last
couple of pieces of work,” trainer Marco Botti said. “This is her first run
since Dubai, but it was always her target and the ground should not be an issue.
I don’t think we could have her in better shape than she is at the moment.
Integral is a good filly and won the race last year, but Euro Charline has never
disappointed us and I think it should be a good match.”
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