Royal Ascot | Horse Racing Free Tips

Debut Winner Cynane Likely Royal Ascot-Bound

Cynane (Omaha Beach), who became the first winner for her freshman sire (by War Front) with a front-running, 2 3/4-length debut victory in a five-furlong turf sprint at Belmont Park May 11, will likely make her next appearance in the G2 Queen Mary S. for 2-year-old fillies during the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting, trainer Tom Morley said Friday.

“That's the plan at the moment,” said Morley. “She came out of the race really well and she's got a great mind and really good appetite–she was screaming for her feed tub last night. She jogged sound this morning, so we'll start putting plans in place to go to the Queen Mary.”

A $250,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, Cynane (pronounced KEE-NAH-NAY) did her early-season prep at Raul Reyes's King's Equine in Ocala, and Morley said the filly has been forward ever since joining his barn in New York in March.

“She has never missed a beat–not only with us, but with Raul Reyes in Ocala,” said Morley. “You only get one shot to go to Ascot with these horses and to get there, you have to never miss a day and be good enough to win on debut. Full credit to her, because she has a wonderful temperament and is good as gold.”

Though she debuted over a minimum trip, Cynane could stretch out in time, as she is out of a half-sister to Cat's Claw (Dynaformer), winner of the Fasig-Tipton Waya S. at a mile and a half on the grass. Third dam Matlacha Pass (Seeking the Gold) produced five-time turf Grade I winner Point of Entry (Dynaformer) and dual Grade I victress Pine Island (Arch).

“She's got a really, really good female family and is from a really good American turf line from the Phipps family,” said Morley. “She has every right to be a good horse and hopefully she can be.”

The filly is named after the Macedonian princess Cynane, a half-sister to Alexander the Great who was a fierce warrior trained in martial arts.

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Strong Australian and American Support Among Overseas Entries For Royal Ascot

Dual Australian Group 1 winner Coolangatta (Aus) (Written Tycoon {Aus}) is one of the leading runners signed on from foreign climbs for the upcoming Royal Ascot meeting in June. Trained by Ciaron Maher and David Eustace, the G1 Lightning S. heroine is targeting the G1 King's Stand S.

David Eustace said, “Coolangatta galloped yesterday and will have her first proper workout next week. She has improved again physically from the Lightning S. and we feel we are ahead of the game in terms of her preparation.

“We are stepping into the unknown when it comes to international travel but Coolangatta has done a lot of travelling around Australia and is used to being in unfamiliar places. We are hopeful that she will handle that side of things well but you never know until you do it. We think the 1000 metres of the King's Stand, with the uphill finish, looks ideal and genuine fast ground will be to her advantage as well.”

Coolangatta is not the only Australian runner signed on to the royal meeting, as both Artorius (Aus) (Flying Artie {Aus}) and The Astrologist (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}), who are trained by Anthony and Sam Freedman, and Leon and Troy Corstens, respectively, are both aiming for the G1 Platinum Jubilee S. Artorius finished third in the Platinum Jubilee in 2022, and enters off a victory in the G1 Canterbury S. at Randwick earlier this year. In The Astrologist's case, he ran too good to lose when second by a head in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan at the end of March.

Sam Freedman said, “Artorius had his first improving gallop the other day, having come off a bit of a fresh. He seems to be shaping up really well and will have a couple of trials over here before we put him on the plane.

“I think he is definitely hitting Royal Ascot this year in better form than he was 12 months ago.His form lines are strong and I think you guys over there will see a more tactically versatile horse. He will be able to sit a lot closer, which will be important, whereas last year he was rattling home.”

Troy Corstens said, “We were delighted with The Astrologist's effort in Dubai. He ran to expectations and came very close, which gave us the confidence to continue the journey with him.

“He has settled beautifully in Newmarket–he is a very adaptable horse and enjoys the travel. The plan is for him to have a racecourse gallop this week on the Rowley Mile in preparation for the G2 1895 Duke Of York S.

“He will then head to Royal Ascot for the Platinum Jubilee. We feel that this will be the perfect race for him. He is a renowned straight-track horse in Australia and we feel the testing course of Ascot will suit him immensely.”

Strong American Contingent Ready To Go

Twelve-time Royal Ascot-winning trainer Wesley Ward is bringing a slew of Royal Ascot runners, anchored by Love Reigns (Ire) (U S Navy Flag) and Twilight Gleaming (Ire) (National Defense {GB}) for Stonestreet Stables to Royal Ascot. Both enter off of stakes victories at the recently concluded Keeneland Spring Meet, with the former pointing to the King's Stand S. and the latter eyeing both the King's Stand and the G1 Commonwealth Cup S.

Ward said, “Love Reigns and Twilight Gleaming are doing great. They are both coming off nice comeback wins and their owner Barbara Banke [of Stonestreet Stables] is really looking forward to getting them over there. She loves Ascot as much as me and we are all excited.

“I was really happy with Love Reigns in the Limestone S. She had to switch a couple of times in the run but showed a great attitude to get up on the line, while Twilight Gleaming showed a lot of speed in her comeback race.

“Twilight Gleaming will definitely go for the King's Stand S., whereas Love Reigns will have an entry there and in the Commonwealth Cup.”

Besides Ward's older horses, he has at least three juveniles making the trip for the storied 2-year-old prizes in 'TDN Rising Star' American Rascal (Curlin) out of King's Stand and G2 Queen Mary S. victress Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy); Fandom (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), and Bledsoe (Igbaal).

Ward added, “American Rascal has come out of his first race in super shape. The team at Stonestreet really liked him and it was exciting to see him produce a performance like that.

“Fandom looks another good prospect after his debut win on the grass and we also have some nice 2-year-olds to run at Belmont, so we will see what else unfolds in the coming days.

“Bledsoe has already travelled over to England and will run in a novice race at Ascot on 13 May. He won America's first 2-year-old race of the year on the dirt at Keeneland but his mother Shrinking Violet was a multiple stakes winner of the turf, so we are looking forward to getting him on the grass.”

Brad Cox's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint heroine Caravel (Mizzen Mast) is pencilled in to make the trip, and GI Belmont Derby victor Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway) for trainer Ken McPeek is a potential starter in the G1 Prince Of Wales's S.

McPeek said, “Classic Causeway had a nice run first time up this year on the dirt at Oaklawn. Then we came back for the [GII] Oaklawn H. and he was off the board, so we have decided to switch back to the turf.

“He is going for a prep race in Kentucky on 3 June in the Arlington S. and, if he runs well there, we will point him towards the Prince Of Wales's S.”

New York Thunder (Nyquist) for trainer Jorge Delgado holds a Commonwealth Cup entry, while Hong Kong runner Wellington (Aus) (All Too Hard) has been nominated for both the Platinum Jubilee and King's Stand.

Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot Racecourse, said, “We are very pleased to see entries for Royal Ascot 2023 from across the world including Group 1 winners from Britain, Ireland, France, the USA, Australia and Hong Kong.

“It is particularly exciting to see so many strong entries from Australia, including the Black Caviar Lightning S. winner Coolangatta, who looks set to try and follow Nature Strip's victory in the King's Stand S. It's also exciting to see Artorius is on track to try and go two better than when third in the Platinum Jubilee S. last year.

“Wesley Ward again has a strong team headed by Love Reigns and Twilight Gleaming along with the 2-year-olds while it will also be great to see Breeders' Cup winner Caravel represent America.”

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American Owners Dreaming Of Royal Ascot With O’Brien’s Do It With Style

Royal Ascot is calling for American owner Leonard Green and his son Jonathan after Do It With Style (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}), named after the family's first Grade I winner from over 30 years ago, marked herself down as a top-notch prospect on debut for Donnacha O'Brien at the Curragh on Monday.

This is becoming a familiar success story for the Green family in Ireland who, frustrated with competing with the big guns in the sales ring back home in the States, decided to come up with a plan to concentrate on sourcing their talent elsewhere.

The link-up with O'Brien has been a natural fit and Jonathan Green is now planning a trip to the royal meeting with his family to see Do It With Style tackle the G3 Albany S. after Monday's stylish victory.

Green said, “This filly is actually named after our first Grade I winner in the States. We'd a Grade I winner called Do It With Style back in 1991 and we had been saving this name for the right kind of filly.

“When we bought this Ten Sovereigns filly, there was no discussion whatsoever, we knew she was the next one to have the Do It With Style moniker. I'm glad that she won but, internally, I'm really pleased that it looks as though she can carry the name on and hopefully be as successful as her previous namesake. That's the confidence that we had with her. If we're going to run this filly in the Albany, which I think is the plan, you will see us there in top hat and tails.”

Leonard and Jonathan Green | Fasig Tipton

The Green family need no introduction to international racing fans. Their colours were carried to victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Dirt at Keeneland last November by Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) and the hope is that Do It With Style will eventually continue her career in America. However, Jonathan is eyeing some big-race riches in Europe along with O'Brien before that happens.

He said, “It looks like she can go on to bigger and better things. We'd like to think that she has the scope and the physical ability to cope with running here [in America] but Donnacha is going to map out a campaign for her in Europe until she shows us when it's time to possibly bring her over. We've had some success over the past few years with three-year-old fillies and won last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on dirt with Wonder Wheel. Hopefully Do It With Style will come over here for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf later in the year but a lot of things have to happen between now and then. The next big step will probably be Royal Ascot. That is what we are communicating about right now.”

He added, “The most important thing for us was to buy a filly who we thought had some substance and athleticism and certainly, when Donnacha came to us with his shortlist of yearlings from the Orby Sale last year, she was at the top of our list. We stretched a little bit for her, spending over $200,000, but we really felt like she had the substance and the pedigree that we look for in a filly.”

Do It With Style was picked up for €235,000 to be precise. She was sourced from Coulonces at the Goffs Orby last September when the dollar was trading particularly strong compared to the euro, which helped Green in his decision to stick his neck out for the filly.

“We're businessmen by practice. My Dad [Leonard] was a CPA for over 50 years and I am a financial planner for 30 years. The dollar to euro ratio was certainly in our favour at the time. We look to spend somewhere between $150,000 to $175,000 for well-bred fillies. That's the lane that we feel comfortable in. We stretched a little bit for this filly but she really ticked all the boxes for us, both physically and on breeding.”

The Greens had a multitude of different trainers to choose from when setting out to source fillies from Ireland. So, why Donnacha O'Brien?

“Donnacha is easy,” comes the reply. “He is a young trainer who has been groomed by his Dad [Aidan] to be one of the best trainers in the country if not the world. When I interviewed him a few years ago, we just really hit it off. He's a hard-working guy and I love the fact that he has such great knowledge, not only from being around horses all of his life, but from being a top-class rider himself. I think that gives a trainer a tremendous amount of insight into how a horse is going and how it's doing.”

He added, “It was a few years ago that we decided to look for other opportunities because the American market was extremely difficult to find a top horse. Unless you were willing to partner with some of the big farms, it really wasn't financially viable so we looked elsewhere. We sat down with Kim Valerio, who is our primary agent, and put together a game plan to try and buy some fillies overseas with the plan of bringing them over here. We've had some success. “Diabolic (Ire) was a Dark Angel (Ire) filly we bought in our first year and she did well. We also purchased Papillio (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) who just won a Grade 2 at Keeneland. And now with this filly, we feel like we have a pretty good game plan with picking out young fillies who can compete overseas and here in America.”

Green admits that there is now heightened competition at the Goffs Orby Sale compared to when his family first dipped their toe in the Irish market but, through forging relationships with Coolmore and the O'Brien family, says he is hoping to continue to pick up a select amount of yearlings every year.

He said, “We felt like we were ahead of the curve three years ago by coming to Goffs and looking for our yearlings at the Orby Sale but, the last time we came over, there were 50 of us on the plane.

“People are recognising that there is tremendous value in Ireland and we love the fact that we have the opportunity to buy these fillies at Goffs or privately from the Magnier family and working with the O'Briens. Especially at Goffs, they look after us so well and roll out the red carpet every time we arrive. Charles O'Neill [CEO of Irish Thoroughbred Marketing] certainly makes us feel very comfortable there and we always love coming over to Goffs.”

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Twilight Gleaming Preps For Royal Ascot With Win In Giant’s Causeway S.

A sprint specialist, Twilight Gleaming made her seasonal debut Saturday with a clear win in Keeneland's 5 ½ furlong Giant's Causeway S. The GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint winner from 2021, the Stonestreet-owned 'TDN Rising Star' won two of her four starts last year culminating in a fourth-place effort behind GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel (Mizzen Mast) in the GIII Franklin S. at Keeneland Oct. 16. Not seen since, Twilight Gleaning returned to the races with aplomb Saturday as the 5-2 favorite.

Sitting pretty outside of Miner's Queen (Bernardini), she kept pressure on that pacesetter through an opening half in :44.39. Pushed to the front from the three path around the turn, Twilight Gleaming kicked into gear past the furlong marker and easily overtook the lead, keeping a closing 87-1 shot Querobin Duorada at bay for the win.

Trainer Wesley Ward seemed to indicate a return to Royal Ascot for his winning filly.

“Both fillies (Love Reigns and Twilight Gleaming) certainly look like they would do really, really well in the G1 King's Stand. We'll get home and assess it with the team. To have a stakes record in this race–there's been a lot of great fillies that have run in it– that really says a lot.”

Twilight Gleaming has a placed 3-year-old half-brother, Spartan Arrow (Ire) (Sioux Nation), a 2-year-old half-sister by Phoenix of Spain (Ire), and a yearling Ribchester (Ire) half-brother still to race. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

GIANT'S CAUSEWAY S., $214,650, Keeneland, 4-15, 3yo/up, f/m, 5 1/2fT, 1:01.74, fm.
1–TWILIGHT GLEAMING (IRE), 122, f, 4, National Defense
(GB)–Thames Pageant (GB), by Dansili (GB). (£75,000 Ylg '20
GOFOR). O-Stonestreet Stables LLC; B-Pier House Stud (Ire);
T-Wesley A. Ward; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr. $113,150. Lifetime Record:
GSW-USA, SW-Fr, GSP-Eng, 10-6-3-0, $906,580.
2–Querobin Dourada, 122, f, 4, Capo Bastone–Gusto Dolce
(Uru), by T. H. Approval. O-Brownwood Farm, LLC; B-Haras
Phillipson Inc. (KY); T-Paulo H. Lobo. $45,625.
3–Star Devine (Ire), 122, m, 5, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–Stars At
Night (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). (200,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT).
O-Lawrence Goichman; B-Rockhart Trading Ltd. (Ire); T-Jorge
Abreu. $18,250.
Margins: 1HF, HD, NK. Odds: 2.77, 87.18, 5.34.
Also Ran: Happy Soul, Little Jewel, Mamba Wamba (Ire), Minaun (Ire)-(DH), Miner's Queen-(DH), Oeuvre, Opening Buzz, Train to Artemus, Creative Credit. Scratched: Amy C (GB), Fast Giselle, Sarah Harper.

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