Royal Ascot 2023 is here at last with five days of stunning action in store as one of the great British sporting traditions of the summer unfolds.
A stunning trio of Group 1 races from the famous Berkshire track are on the agenda on Tuesday, with the Queen Anne, King's Stand and St James' Palace Stakes the main dishes, alongside a much-talked-about Coventry Stakes for the 2YOs.
On Wednesday it's the Prince Of Wales's Stakes alongside the Queen Mary and the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes attracting top billing while the Royal Hunt Cup is amongst the devilishly tough handicap offerings.
Enda McElhinney from the Racing Post has selections for the first two days at Royal Ascot 2023.
Tuesday
2.30 Queen Anne Stakes
It's Royal Ascot so naturally we can expect to see plenty of Frankie Dettori but with the veteran pilot having announced this will be his final year in the saddle, 'Frankie Fever' may even go above and beyond the call of duty this week.
It will certainly spread like wildfire if Dettori gets some winners on the board and – as is typical of the man – he may well get it going from early on with INSPIRAL in the Queen Anne.
John & Thady Gosden's Frankel filly won the Coronation Stakes at this meeting 12 months ago on her seasonal bow and did so in scintillating style after very briefly looking like she might be in trouble rounding the bend for home.
She was a Group 1 winner in France after that as well despite an up-and-down season and is very talented at her best. She goes very well fresh and should be primed for this return.
Globetrotter Modern Games won the Lockinge last time at Newbury and is a danger, while stablemate Native Trail isn't dismissed out of hand either, but Inspiral can sparkle and get Frankie fever spreading at Royal Ascot.
3.40 – King's Stand Stakes
Last year's Nunthorpe winner Highfield Princess had a perfect prep for this at York five weeks ago and was not beaten far in Group 1 action over 6f here last summer. She's a key player for John Quinn.
Australian raiders typically do well in this – five winners this century – and so both Coolangatta and Cannonball are due respect. It's the former for Ciaron Maher and David Eustace that looks most likely to take the prize Down Under.
Manaccan (Frankie Dettori) and Twilight Calls (Ryan Moore) aren't out of things but American trainer Wesley Ward could see TWILIGHT GLEAMING going very well.
He's well versed in bringing speedy sprinters to this meeting and won this contest in 2017. Twilight Gleaming was second in the Queen Mary here in 2021 and returns to England having scored in Listed company at Keeneland in April. There hasn't been quite as much fuss over the Ward runners in the run-up to this year's Royal Ascot but perhaps that will be a good thing.
SELECTION: TWILIGHT GLEAMING @ 20/1
4.20 - St James's Palace Stakes
The English and Irish 2000 Guineas winners CHALDEAN and Paddington clash here in a mouthwatering tussle.
Aidan O'Brien's colt is improving with each run but he got the run of the race at the Curragh and faces a really seasoned and talented rival in Chaldean. The Dewhurst winner last season, his Greenham comeback at Newbury was a non-event and allowed Isaac Shelby to profit but Andrew Balding's star rebounded – as did rider Frankie Dettori – to win the Guineas at Newmarket next time.
He was very professional in that race and the way he knuckled down late on suggests that this stiff mile will really be to his liking.
Isaac Shelby did all except win the French Guineas since and could be of some value to split the big two in the market.
Royal Scotsman ran Chaldean close in the Dewhurst last year but was behind on the Rowley Mile in May and didn't fire since in the Irish Guineas, while Craven winner Indestructible was well held in the Guineas and needs plenty more to score here for Karl Burke and Kevin Stott.
Wednesday
2.30 – Queen Mary Stakes
With a field of 28 declared, the Queen Mary is going to be a hard puzzle to work out and there's lots of potential improvers.
The once-raced winners include Beautiful Diamond for last year's winning trainer Karl Burke and Born To Rock for Jane Chapple-Hyam – both fancied contenders – as well as Princess Chizara and Out Of The Stars, that pair perhaps offering more value in the market.
An interesting one is RELIEF RALLY for William Haggas, Tom Marquand and owners Simon Munir and Isaac Suede – typically associated with National Hunt racing but now branching out more.
This daughter of Kodiac won well on debut at Windsor on soft ground over 5f in a race that has worked out quite well and she doubled her tally last month when readily accounting for another smart prospect in Juniper Berries at Salisbury on good ground. She got stronger the further she went in that race and fully merits a crack in this company on the back of that.
NEXT BEST: BEAUTIFUL DIAMOND @ 9/2
4.20 - Prince Of Wales's Stakes
A select sextet will battle it out for the top prize in the Prince Of Wales's Stakes, with more than £567,000 on offer for the winner of this Group 1 contest over the mile-and-a-quarter trip.
They include 2021 Epsom Derby winner Adayar for Godolphin and Charlie Appleby, winner of the Gordon Richards Stakes at Newmarket in his comeback last month, as well as fellow five-year-old Bay Bridge for Sir Michael Stoute and My Prospero for William Haggas – the latter pair finished first and third in the Champion Stakes here in October.
They are all respected but after his win the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh last month, perhaps LUXEMBOURG is finally ready to fulfil the potential Aidan O'Brien has always extolled for him.
He was given a masterful ride by Ryan Moore last time and found plenty to see off Bay Bridge when challenged. He's got a terrific constitution and, as such, the Ballydoyle colt may break the will of his rivals again.
