3 minute read
Stradivarius can bring the house down by securing a record-equalling fourth victory in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
There is not much to say about John and Thady Gosden's stayer that has not already been said. Four Goodwood Cups, three Yorkshire Cups, three Lonsdale Cups and a couple of Doncaster Cups are further evidence of his remarkable talent and longevity.
And while at the age of eight he might not quite be the force he once was, he may well be good enough to get the job done again in the Ascot sunshine.
Stradivarius will be bidding for a fifth victory at the Royal meeting overall, having also won the 2017 Queen's Vase.
He was only fourth in his bid to match Yeats on four Gold Cup wins 12 months ago, but would have been closer to the hugely-impressive Subjectivist if not for meeting trouble on the home turn.
Injury has kept Subjectivist off the track since, while drying ground means another horse who proved too strong for Stradivarius last season, the mud-loving Trueshan, seems unlikely to line up and will certainly not have conditions in his favour if he does.
The clear threat to the Gosden veteran is the four years younger Kyprios, who has looked the part in two starts so far this term, but steps into the unknown over this marathon trip.
While there is clearly a chance the younger legs of Kyprios could win the day, Stradivarius proved the fire still burns bright on his latest visit to York last month and he is expected to enjoy one last dance and seal what would surely be the result of the week.
The Roger Varian-trained Mukaddamah could prove the value call in the Ribblesdale Stakes.
The Wolverhampton novice winner was second to a decent filly in Grande Dame over a mile here in April and stepped up to a mile and a quarter at Newbury next time.
While no match for Oaks third Nashwa that day, she boxed on well to finish third, with a subsequent Listed winner in Stay Alert splitting the pair in second.
Eshaada won that Newbury race before finishing second in the Ribblesdale last season for Varian and owners Shadwell and Mukaddamah could go one better, with a further hike in distance expected to suit.
The nap vote goes to Reach For The Moon in the Group Three Hampton Court Stakes.
Connections had hoped the son of Sea The Stars would give the Queen a serious Derby contender in her Platinum Jubilee year, but he ultimately lost his race against time to recover from an autumn setback.
With Epsom ruled out, he instead reappeared over an inadequate mile in Sandown's Heron Stakes, and lost little in defeat in finishing second to the more speedy My Prospero.
Reach For The Moon has been trained specifically with this 10-furlong contest in mind for the last few weeks and a winner for Her Majesty at Royal Ascot will prove ample compensation for missing the premier Classic.
The lightly-raced but seriously promising Mandobi should go well in the King George V Stakes.
A winner at Thirsk and Ripon, he clearly has far more on his plate here, but an opening mark of 95 for his handicap debut may underestimate his potential.
Walbank impressed with a seven-length victory at York and makes plenty of appeal in the Norfolk Stakes.
Beaten just under two lengths by Noble Style, who unfortunately had to miss his Coventry date, Walbank stepped up on that to make short work of three rivals on the Knavesmire and while he must improve again, the Kodiac colt has speed to burn.
Mr McCann looks a lively outsider for his famous footballing connections in the Britannia, while course-and-distance winner River Nymph catches the eye in the concluding Buckingham Palace Stakes.
SELECTIONS:
ASCOT: 2.30 Walbank, 3.05 Mandobi, 3.40 Mukaddamah, 4.20 Stradivarius, 5.00 Mr McCann, 5.35 REACH FOR THE MOON (NAP), 6.10 River Nymph.
CHELMSFORD: 1.30 True Statesman, 2.05 Expert Opinion, 2.40 Atlantis Blue, 3.15 El Hadeeyah, 3.50 Karibana, 4.30 Autonomoy, 5.05 Mark Of Respect.
FFOS LAS: 5.25 Fat Sam, 6.00 Shareef Star, 6.35 Czech Her Out, 7.10 Wasdell Dundalk, 7.40 Ladykiller, 8.10 Galileo Silver, 8.40 Pilgrims King.
LEOPARDSTOWN: 5.15 Cash Or Crypto, 5.45 The Blue Panther, 6.15 Apple Of His Eye, 6.50 Corporal Violette, 7.20 Golden Ticket, 7.50 Como Park, 8.20 Douglas Dc.
LINGFIELD: 4.50 Tahani, 5.20 Nibras Rainbow, 5.50 General Sago, 6.25 Glen Rosa, 7.00 Rose's Girl, 7.30 Smart Start, 8.00 Thanks Monica.
RIPON: 1.45 The Resdev Way, 2.15 Gethiptothetrip, 2.50 Cobra Kai, 3.25 Commonsensical, 4.00 Intrinsic Bond, 4.40 Highjacked, 5.10 Foreshadow.
DOUBLE: Reach For The Moon and Stradivarius.