If it’s G1 Gold Cup day at Royal Ascot, it has to be Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and whether it’s a settee, sofa, couch, chaise longue, armchair, easy chair or lounger that the enthralled global TV audience are watching on, they are going to be on the edge of it at 3.35pm GMT.
Very few get the chance to come back and win this monumental prize three years in succession. We are talking about legends here, a club in which only Sagaro (GB) and Yeats (Ire) are the honorary members in its history 213-year history. Last year, despite soft ground and a strong line-up of rivals, Bjorn Nielsen’s beloved chestnut became the 20th stayer to record back-to-back successes, joining the likes of Le Moss (Ire) and Ardross (Ire). His comeback third in a particularly tough edition of the G1 Coronation Cup staged at Newmarket proved that he had lost nothing of his vigour during the winter and he is truly back in his court here.
“I thought he ran a remarkable race in the Coronation Cup. It was a track record for the mile and a half and we were really thrilled with the way he ran,” trainer John Gosden said. “He seems to have been fine since, but the 13-day gap is not ideal. You would much prefer a three-week gap, but I didn’t really want to be going to a Gold Cup over two and a half miles without a prep race and at least it was at home. He did a little breeze on Saturday morning and seems very happy within himself. Kew Gardens beat us over two miles on the inner track, where it was soft ground and I just hope we don’t get ground like that again as Stradivarius is a top-of-the-ground horse and needs that to be seen at his best. I’d be more worried about the ground than anything else.
“A lot of good horses that he has beaten in previous years like Torcedor, Big Orange and Vazirabad have gone away, but I always have respect for the opposition in the race and any of those are capable of giving us a race. But we know he gets the trip well.” Frankie Dettori was also pleased with his Coronation Cup run and added, “Stradivarius has been a two-mile plus horse for the last three years and, dropping in trip, I thought it was a good effort. It goes without saying that he’s the horse I’m most looking forward to riding at the meeting. He’s 2-1 on, won two Gold Cups, he’s one of the yard favourites and he’s one of my favourites.”
There is always a potential fly in the ointment for the favourites at every level here and this race is no exception, with Team Valor’s Technician (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) a 4-year-old who is dangerously-unexposed at this trip. Signing off his 2019 campaign with victory in the G1 Prix Royal-Oak over nearly two miles on heavy ground at ParisLongchamp in October, he had some serious talent behind him on that occasion including Call the Wind (GB) (Frankel {GB}) who would have been a respected second favourite had he made the trip over. “He’s raring to go and in top form,” trainer Martyn Meade commented. “He seems very well in himself at home and has had a straightforward preparation, with this being a big target. It looks like he’ll get his ground, which is great. There’s obviously Stradivarius in there, but you want a good race and it gives us something to aim at. It’s our first run of the year, but the only real option was the Coronation Cup and I’m glad we didn’t run there as the last thing we’d have wanted was for him to have a hard race.”
Charlie Appleby has both the 2018 Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) and the unexposed Moonlight Spirit (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), with William Buick siding with the latter. Cross Counter had his chance to dethrone Stradivarius when fancied to do so 12 months ago and was a respectable fourth with tactics playing against him. Beaten fair-and-square next time when third in the G1 Goodwood Cup, his subsequent form has been hit-and-miss but his effort when around 1 1/2-lengths eighth in the most recent Melbourne Cup was a match of his best form. Moonlight Spirit was fourth in the 14-furlong G2 Queen’s Vase at this meeting last year before winning the 15-furlong G3 Prix de Lutece impressively at ParisLongchamp in September and running second to Technician in the G2 Prix Chaudenay over that same course and distance in October.
“Stradivarius is the ultimate professional and I thought he ran a lovely race in the Coronation Cup,” Appleby said. “We’ve all got him to beat but, as we all know, it’s all about who turns up with their A-game on the day. Moonlight Spirit has got a progressive profile and William will ride him on the back of that. He’s not exactly a young pretender, but he’s open hopefully to more improvement. He’s by Dubawi and you don’t need me to tell you what they do as they get older.”
Of Cross Counter, who was fifth in the Longines Turf H. on Saudi Cup day in Riyadh Feb. 29, the trainer commented, “He went off favourite in Saudi Arabia, but I was pleased with that run as he was fresh, carrying top weight and up in the van in a race where they went a decent gallop. He just got a bit tired. I was confident he was always going to come forwards and World Cup night was our target. We’ve eased back and built him up again since then. We are back on level weights and hoping his run style will be more relaxed.”
John Gosden and Frankie Dettori combine earlier on the card with ‘TDN Rising Star’ King Leonidas (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who tackles the seven-furlong G3 Jersey S. bidding to extend his unbeaten record. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s exciting prospect defied a seven-pound penalty over a mile at Newmarket on June 7 and could be anything at this stage. Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Molatham (GB) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) was one of the operation’s leading juveniles in 2019, beating Wichita (Ire) (No Nay Never) and Berlin Tango (GB) (Dansili {GB}) in the Listed Flying Scotsman S. over this trip at Doncaster in September. Only fourth in the G3 Autumn S. at Newmarket in October, the Roger Varian-trained chestnut has room for improvement at three. From Ballydoyle is ‘TDN Rising Star’ Monarch of Egypt (American Pharoah), who was seventh without a clear passage in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh on Saturday.
Interestingly, Frankie Dettori is booked by Saeed bin Suroor for the ride on topweight Dubai Love (GB) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) in the Sandringham S., a clear message that he is re-establishing old links with the Godolphin operation. That Jan. 23 Listed UAE 1000 Guineas winner and Feb. 20 G3 UAE Oaks runner-up is one of two fillies from that stable to catch the eye on the card alongside the Jersey contender Final Song (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), who was fourth in the G1 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on June 7. “Final Song ran a big race to finish fourth in the 1000 Guineas and we feel that the drop to seven furlongs will be better for her,” her trainer commented. “She is a very tough filly who always tries very hard and we are looking forward to another good run.”
Ballydoyle have started the season with intent and Sir Dragonet (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) looks to be one of a trio of class acts lurking in the 10-furlong Listed Wolferton S. His comeback second attempting to give the useful Numerian (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) five pounds in the Listed Devoy S. at Naas on Mar. 23 looks better now that the fourth-placed Nickajack Cave (Ire) (Kendargent {Fr}) has won at this level. He meets King Power Racing’s G1 Champion S. fourth Fox Tal (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who represents an Andrew Balding stable that can do no wrong, and Cheveley Park Stud’s newly-gelded Regal Reality (GB) (Intello {Ger}) who is looking to get back to the form of his third in last year’s G1 Eclipse S.
Alistair Donald, racing manager for owners King Power Racing, said of Fox Tal, “It was between this and the Prince of Wales’s. He’s a very exciting horse who is lightly-raced as he’s had a few niggles and we’ve really looked after him. We’re hoping he can really come to fruition in Group 1 class this year. Potentially he could stay a mile and a half later. The rest of the season will depend on what happens at Ascot, but there are races like the Eclipse. I think the final goal will be the Champion S., in which he ran such a great race last year as such an inexperienced horse.”
Again, there is a new handicap on the fixture with the opening Golden Gates H. for 3-year-olds over 10 furlongs featuring Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s Hypothetical (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), who was fourth behind Berlin Tango (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) in a red-hot renewal of the G3 Classic Trial staged on Kempton’s all-weather on June 3. There is even a fascinating edition of the Listed Chesham S. to witness. Heading the cast for the seven-furlong juvenile curio is the winning Modern News (GB), a Charlie Appleby-trained son of Shamardal. Sound familiar? Charlie Appleby said of the June 7 Newmarket maiden winner, who has a serious act to follow in last year’s Chesham winner Pinatubo (Ire), “We were very pleased with Modern News on his first start and are confident that the step up to seven furlongs will hopefully see further improvement. He was very professional on his debut and we feel that he heads into this race with all the right credentials.”
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