Excitement Builds as Royal Ascot Kicks Off: Day One Entries Revealed
The Best of Royal Ascot: A Look at Day One
Royal Ascot, the grandest and most prestigious event in British horse racing, is back with a bang. With five days of non-stop action, day one promises to be an unforgettable experience for all race enthusiasts.
The Queen Anne Stakes has traditionally been the curtain-raiser of this event. This year’s edition will feature some prominent names such as Modern Games, Highfield Princess, Chaldean, and Paddington. The Charlie Appleby-trained Modern Games has already won two Breeders’ Cup titles and secured his comeback win at Newbury last month in Lockinge. However, John and Thady Gosden’s Inspiral cannot be counted out despite making her return after a long hiatus.
Richard Hannon’s Chindit was second-best to Modern Games at Newbury but could turn the tables around on Tuesday afternoon. David Simcock’s Cash and Light Infantry along with Mutasaabeq from Charlie Hills’ yard are expected to put up a strong fight among 13 horses that have confirmed their participation.
The King’s Stand Stakes is another Group One race scheduled for day one with John Quinn’s mare Highfield Princess leading the market charts. After completing three wins at the top level last season, she finished second on her comeback run at York last month indicating improvement in form this year; Karl Burke’s Dramatised & John Ryan’s Manaccan are other contenders from home turf while Bradsell has been added as an extra by Archie Watson for this race.
Two Australian runners Coolangatta & Cannonball have also entered into this thrilling contest representing international challengers alongside Wesley Ward’s American challenger Twilight Gleaming who is still in contention among 20 participants.
Perhaps the most anticipated race of Day One is the St. James’s Palace Stakes, which will witness a clash between Classic winners Chaldean and Paddington. Andrew Balding’s Chaldean provided Frankie Dettori with victory in his final 2000 Guineas at Newmarket last month while Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington won the Irish equivalent.
The French Guineas runner-up Isaac Shelby (Brian Meehan) along with Al Riffa (Joseph O’Brien) adds further intrigue to this exciting contest.
As always, Royal Ascot promises to deliver an exhilarating experience for all horse racing enthusiasts worldwide. Stay tuned for more updates as we cover one of Britain’s most prestigious sporting events.