HANDICAPPING INSIGHTS
JUNE 19, 2009
by Dick Powell
The Royal Meeting at Ascot is underway this week and if you have a way of
watching and wagering on it please do. They have been racing at Ascot since 1711
and the five-day Royal meet has seven historic Group 1 stakes races that serve
as a bridge beyond the classic season.
Royal Ascot begins each day at 1:50 p.m. (local time) when the Queen arrives
with her Royal Procession. The betting-crazy Brits make this a wagering event by
betting which color her outfit will be. The Queen plays along with a
brightly-colored outfit each day and to the best of my knowledge has never worn
plaid. There’s a lot of money riding on it and it’s a closely guarded secret at
Windsor Castle, which is only six miles away.
The Royal meet began on Tuesday and the first three races were Group 1 stakes
races. First post is 2:30 p.m. and there are only six races each day. Compare
this to the 10 and 11-race marathons we ask newcomers to endure on our big
racing days. No wonder we have trouble attracting new fans. You come early, have
lunch and then settle in for high-class racing up to 5:30, when it’s time to go
home.
The first race of the Royal Ascot meet is the Queen Anne S. (Eng-G1) for
older horses going a mile. PACO BOY (Desert Style) is a Group 1 winner going
seven furlongs that is a little suspect going the full eight furlongs. With a
perfectly-judged ride by Richard Hughes, he sat off the early pace set by
Gladiatorus (Silic [Fr]) and got home by 1 1/2 lengths.
Next up on Tuesday was the King’s Stand S. (Eng-G1) at five furlongs down the
straightaway with a field of 15 of the world’s top turf sprint specialists.
Usually at this point, I criticize my American racing industry and their
cowardice in racing overseas, but Ken and Sarah Ramsay sent over Cannonball
(Catienus) to compete as trainer Wesley Ward was making a week-long assault on
Royal Ascot. Unfortunately, he broke a step slow and couldn’t keep up. In the
final yards, he ran on strong and got up for sixth.
Australia has been dominating this race in recent years and this year SCENIC
BLAST (Scenic) made the trip from Down Under. He had won Group 1s in two of his
last three starts and the smart money in England made him the 11 to 4 favorite.
Even drawn in post 15, Scenic Blast was easy to spot as he has a big white face
that makes him impossible to miss. Steve Arnold kept him farthest away from the
stands rail and when he asked him to go midway through the race it was only a
matter of how far he would win.
Suddenly, Scenic Blast went from about three lengths behind to four in front
and he was under cruise control to the wire where the margin was a
throttled-down to two lengths; very impressive.
A point about his sire, Scenic (Sadlers Wells): not only is he the sire of
one of the world’s best turf sprinters but also the sire of last year’s
Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1)winner Viewed (Scenic). Not many sires have Group 1 stakes
winners at five and 16 furlongs in the same season.
The final Group 1 stakes of Opening Day was the St. James’s Palace S. (G1)
for entire colts going one mile. Most pundits felt that MASTERCRAFTSMAN
(Danehill Dancer) was way overbet at odds-on, especially on good-to-firm going.
Delegator (Dansili [GB]) was a good second to subsequent Epsom Derby (Eng-G1)
winner Sea the Stars (Cape Cross [Ire]) in the Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) and
at 4-1 appeared to be an overlay. The pundits were right in their analysis of
the betting, but no one could foresee the courageous performance Mastercraftsman
would put in during the run for the wire as Delegator breathed down his neck.
Just when it looked like Delegator was going to run by him, Mastercraftsman
surged again and won by a hard-earned neck. If you played this race 10 times you
would go with Delegator at 4-1 each time, but it was not enough to overcome the
training brilliance of Aidan O’Brien and the courage of a horse that brought
back memories of Giant’s Causeway.
Later on Tuesday, CANFORD CLIFFS (Tagula) romped by six lengths in the
Coventry S. (Eng-G2) and served notice on Europe’s juveniles that they might
want to avoid him until the major races get longer in distance.
And in the last race on Opening Day at Royal Ascot, American invader STRIKE
THE TIGER (Tiger Ridge) faced 21 rivals and romped in the listed Windsor Castle
S. The Wesley Ward trainee became the first United States-trained horse ever to
win at Royal Ascot as Johnny Velazquez put him on the lead at 33-1 and never
looked back.
Ward continued to make history on Wednesday when JEALOUS AGAIN (Trippi) won
the Queen Mary S. (Eng-G2) for juvenile fillies going five furlongs by five
widening lengths. This time, Johnny Velazquez was able to run on the preferred
stands side of the straightaway and she just cruised along while beating a very
strong field. After romping in her career debut at Keeneland by 11 1/4 lengths,
Jealous Again was a good second to stablemate Aegean (Northern Afleet) in the
Kentucky Juvenile S. (G3) at Churchill Downs.
“One of the reasons that I came over here is that we train for speed, and
some of my competitors here are training for next year and to go further,” Ward
explained after the Queen Mary. “I thought we could get a jump on the other
horses by taking advantage of the earlier races, and it worked out.”
Part of Ward’s Ascot preparation was taking his group to River Downs and
working over the turf course there.
The star of Wednesday’s racing was VISION D’ETAT (Chichicastenango), who was
a game winner of the Prince of Wales’s S. (Eng-G1) going 10 furlongs for older
horses. Undefeated last year before running into the immortal Zarkava in the Arc
de Triomphe (Fr-G1), he won the Prix Ganay (Fr-G1) last time out and went off at
4-1 in England (2-1 in the American pool). Covered up for most of the running,
it took him about a quarter mile to get clear sailing while in behind runners
but once he did, he accelerated nicely to win by a half length over Tartan
Bearer (Spectrum).
Winner of the Prix Jockey Club (Fr-G1) last year at Chantilly, Vision d’Etat
will be pointed for another try at the Arc this year. He doesn’t have the
greatest turn of foot but should prosper when back on soft ground.
Waiting for Vision d’Etat at Longchamp will be STACELITA (Monsun), winner of
the Prix de Diane (Fr-G1) (also known as the French Oaks) last Sunday at
Chantilly. She is now undefeated in five starts, won the Oaks with ridiculous
ease and will follow in Zarkava’s footsteps with a prep in the Prix Vermeille
(Fr-G1) before the Arc. Already, the British bookmakers have her as the second
choice in the Arc at 7-1 behind Sea of Stars. Unlike Zarkava, her rider did not
blow kisses to the crowd while crossing the finish line at Chantilly.