Our form expert Ben Linfoot has three selections for day one of Royal Ascot 2024 including in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
The Verdict: Tuesday, June 18
0.5pts e.w Columnist in 3.05 Royal Ascot at 33/1 (bet365 1/5 1,2,3,4,5)
1pt win Rosallion in 4.25 Royal Ascot at 4/1 (General)
1pt win Intinso in 6.15 Royal Ascot at 14/1 (General)
Already advised:
2pts e.w Kerdos in 3.45 Royal Ascot at 25/1
Rosallion to rise to the challenge
There is a lot to look forward to on day one of Royal Ascot with the Queen Anne Stakes, King Charles III Stakes and St James’s Palace Stakes kicking off the meeting in fine style.
The race that really sets the pulse racing is the St James’s Palace with the excellent QIPCO 2000 Guineas winner Notable Speech back in action against old foe Rosallion, subsequent winner of the Irish 2,000 Guineas, and Metropolitan, winner of the French 2000 Guineas, with Ballydoyle’s Henry Longfellow thrown in for good measure as well.
It has the potential to be a fantastic horse race and while I get the support for Notable Speech, the even-money favourite, I can’t help but think ROSALLION is a big price at 4/1 to reverse the Guineas form.
He has a length and a half to make up on Notable Speech from Newmarket, but I have come round to thinking the Godolphin runner was probably the fittest horse in the Classic as he took in his fourth race of the year, while Rosallion was making his seasonal debut.
The son of Blue Point franked the form in the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh, where I thought he did tremendously well to conjure up a strong finishing effort after racing keenly in the early stages, and while he has put in two very good performances already this season, I do think he could take his form to another level at Royal Ascot.
Conditions are key, with the Good to Firm ground very much playing to his strengths, the faster turf likely to enable him to utilise his turn of foot, and I can’t forget his win at this track last year when he accounted for a strong field with an explosive victory.
Going around a bend will suit his strong-travelling style, too, while I’m not too concerned about potential trouble in-running from his inside stall given it’s a relatively small field.
If Notable Speech is too strong again, so be it, but at 4/1 there are plenty of reasons to side with Rosallion who could light up the meeting on day one.
The Queen Anne Stakes doesn’t look as exciting a contest on paper and Charyn, well found in the market, could make his top-level breakthrough there, while ante-post fancy Kerdos has a good chance in the King Charles III Stakes for trainer Clive Cox.
He’s an improving four-year-old sprinter who looks to be peaking at the right time and with good Royal Ascot form in his locker already he can run a big race under Richard Kingscote.
The Verdict: Back ROSALLION in the 4.25 Royal Ascot
Columnist to have a say in Coventry
The two-year-old races are a bit of a minefield but I do think Richard Fahey’s COLUMNIST looks a big price at 33/1 in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes over the six furlongs.
He’s Fahey’s second string and Wathnan Racing’s third choice with some bookmakers, but he looks a talented colt after he bolted up at Chester on his sole racecourse appearance to date.
The son of Ardad won easily by over four lengths in a good time that day – he was quicker than the three-year-old fillies were in a strongly-run race over the same distance later on the card – and he looked a talented and powerful individual on the Roodeye.
Five of the last 10 winners of the Coventry had won their sole start and Ardad two-year-olds have a good record at Royal Ascot, with Perfect Power winning the Norfolk, while Crispy Cat and Vintage Clarets were both third in their juvenile assignments at this meeting.
Fahey obviously trained two of those horses, with Vintage Clarets going off 25/1, and he looks to have another underestimated contender in Columnist who looks worthy of small each-way support.
The Verdict: Back COLUMNIST in the 3.05 Royal Ascot
Copper up for Gosden hopeful
Finally, back INTINSO for the closing Copper Horse Handicap for John & Thady Gosden.
The same connections won this very race with his half-brother Amtiyaz three years ago and this keen-going grey has improved quite significantly for being gelded in the winter.
He has still been running with the choke out a little this season, but it hasn’t stopped him running well and I’d expect him to come on again from Newmarket where he was a good third on his first turf run of the campaign.
The big field and likely good gallop can help Hollie Doyle get him settled in this and if he relaxes in the early stages he looks well set to record a career-best, just like his sibling did in this race in 2021.
A first-time tongue-tie looks another potential source of improvement and from stall two Hollie Doyle is expected to get her mount positioned nicely from an early stage.
The Verdict: Back INTINSO in the 6.15 Royal Ascot
Preview posted at 1610 BST on 17/06/24
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