ROYAL ASCOT HERE WE COME…
Jason Fildes reveals which of Highclere’s horses could be running at Royal Ascot next month – and this year there will be a crowd!
Unlike last year when Royal Ascot was held behind closed doors, this time there will be a crowd. However the capacity has been reduced from the usual 70,000 to a maximum of 4,000 per day so it’s even more important to have horses good enough to run so the owners can attend!
I’m delighted to say that there’s a strong Highclere team heading to the Royal meeting this year, headed by Thunderous, who is entered for the Hardwicke Stakes on the Friday. He finished third in the Jockey Club Cup at Newmarket and showed his liking for the slightly longer distance of 12 furlongs.
Also from Middleham, Karl Burke intends to run Spycatcher in the Jersey Stakes on the final day of the meeting. He completed his preparation in a listed event recently – an ideal gap ahead of the big race in June. Both Spycatcher and Thunderous would like slightly softer ground so we would be happy to see some rain in the build up to the meeting. No doubt all those lucky enough to go will be hoping it is sunny and dry during the week itself.
At one point we thought Title might be a Derby horse but he’s not quite up to that class so the King Edward VII stakes on the final day looks absolutely perfect for him. Unlucky when just beaten at Newbury by a nose in a desperately close photo finish, Title is being aimed at the race by his trainer, Roger Varian.
The same trainer’s Ascension is another who could run at the meeting – probably in the Royal Hunt Cup. Finally, Parachute is a possible for the King George V Handicap. He looks to be an improving horse.
The two year old races are a very exciting part of Royal Ascot as it’s the first opportunity to see the potential stars of the next generation competing against each other. Horses to look out for are Stromboli in the Coventry Stakes and Cachet in the Albany Stakes. It is very early days for these young horses and some have only had one run in their life so a lot can change between now and the Royal meeting with potentially more youngsters performing well in prep races and getting themselves on the ‘team bus’.
All in all plenty to look forward to and it’s going to be fabulous to see a crowd back at Royal Ascot, even if it is an even more exclusive ticket this year!
Highclere – Jason Fildes
01200 444622
07721 311778
jason@highclere.co.uk
highclereracing.co.uk