Royal Ascot is run at Ascot Racecourse owned by the Royal Family and is only a few miles from Windsor Castle. To enter the Royal Enclosure, women must be in dress with hat or fascinator (anyone, unlike myself, who watched the Royal Wedding would know what one of those things are) and men must wear dark morning dress and top hat. Hmmmm, a top hat, unless you are direct descendant, Abraham Lincoln or Fred Astaire, I don't think any American would have one of these things readily in their possession.
Racing on Tuesday includes the following races:
Queen Anne Stakes, Group 1, 1 mile race for older horses
King's Stand Stakes, Group 1, 5 furlong sprint for 3yo and up
St. James's Palace Stakes , Group 1, 1 mile race for 3yos
Coventry Stakes, Group 2, 6 furlong race for 2yos
Lets go to the Locks:
Queen Anne Stakes
An eight horse field that features a matchup equal to a heavyweight title fight. In one corner is the 6yo, racing mare freak, the Irish bred, French trained, Goldikova who is a winner of 16 races in 22 tries including winning this race last year and also winning the Breeders Cup Mile 3 times!! In the other corner is Canford Cliffs, who has never been out of the money in 9 tries including 6 wins. Two of the wins come at Ascot with CC winning the St James Palace Stakes as a 3yo and the Coventry Stakes as a 2yo - so is it only fitting for this horse to graduate up to win this Group 1?
Should really sit back and enjoy this race but it really isn't my nature to not have blood in a race. Since Goldikova and CC will go off at less than 2-1 lets go with the 25-1 Cityscape with a $10 win and $10 place bet. Cityscape is a mile specialist who has been in the money 6 times for the 7 stakes races it has run. Has run at Ascot twice already both runner-up finishes.
Kings Stand Stakes
A large international field of 21 horses may run. Current favorite is Aussie invader, Star Witness, who has a couple of Group 1 sprint wins to its name but current form is off with a 7th place finish in last and no wins since last October. There are 2 American horses in the field, Todd Pletcher's Bridgetown who comes off a runner-up finish in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint stakes raced at Churchill Downs on Ky Derby day. Bridgetown missed 3rd by a nose in the Breeders Cup Turf Sprint showing may deserve to be considered. The other American horse Holiday for Kitten would do well if this race was restricted to 3yo fillies but this is an open race so would look elsewhere. Sole Power at 7-1 comes in with good form with a Group stakes win in its last. Going to give Astrophysical Jet some consideration...AJ didn't fire in its 2011 debut but also didn't place well in its 2010 debut and then went on to win 3 sprint races including 2 Group 3 to end season. Tangerine Trees may be worth a bet at 20-1 - another horse that didn't fire in its last but is an seasoned sprint specialist.
Lets take an $2 exacta box on Sole Power, AJ, TT. Lets put $5 win and place on AJ.
St. James Palace Stakes
Horse features the super-freaky, Frankel. Mentioned this before but do yourself a favor and watch a replay of Frankel completely dismantle an accomplished field in the 2,000 Guineas. Frankel is 6 for 6 including winning at Ascot in September last year. I said after the 2k Guineas I'd never bet against this horse in my life but with Frankel going off at 1 - 3 (need to bet $3 to only win $1) - there are long odds on perfectly good horses. Dubawi Gold has been runner-up in both the English and Irish 2,000 Guineas and could pick up the win if Frankel falters. Grand Prix Boss is an interesting colt to consider has a 3 for 4 record going a mile... colt is Japanese bred and trained and comes into race with 2 Group 1 wins at 1 mile in Japan including winning the NHK Mile Cup in May. Victorie Pisa's Dubai World Cup win shows the world that Japanese breds can travel and can race with the best of the world. Zoffany may be given consideration with 6 wins/placings in 7 tries.
Since Frankel will win this race barring bad racing luck so don't want to burn alot of money here lets go $1 exacta box Dubawi Gold, Grand Prix Boss, Frankel and $5 win on Grand Prix Boss.
Coventry Stakes
Difficult to handicap this one just yet as 43 horses are considered to run but many are cross entered in other races. 2yo races this early in the season are still difficult to gauge so for a big field race as this may be wouldn't accept any odds less than 8-1.
Good luck!!
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