How has Royal Ascot flown by so quickly? We’re already at Day 4, and the Carnival is building toward its grand finale.
Friday’s card delivers another dose of top-class action, headlined by the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup, where the fastest three-year-olds lock horns over six furlongs, and the Coronation Stakes, a prestigious mile contest for the leading fillies of the generation.
The carnival has treated us kindly so far, now it’s time to keep the momentum going and continue hunting for winners.
SUN GODDESS (21) is another filly from the Aidan O’Brien production line with an abundance of ability.
The daughter of Sioux Nation missed by a head on debut over 1006m at Naas two starts ago.
She showed significant improvement second-up at the Curragh, where she exploded clear when Ryan Moore pressed the button at the furlong to win by five lengths.
O’Brien knows what is required to win with a young horse at Royal Ascot, and she looks right up to this.
| 21. Sun Goddess (17) 58kg21 |
VENETIAN SUN (21) resumed over a mile at Newmarket in the Group 1 1000 Guineas Stakes and simply didn’t see out the trip.
Trainer Karl Burke astutely dropped her back to 1207m at Haydock in the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes, where she looked a completely different horse, putting a gap on her rivals late to win by three lengths.
That maintained the Group 1 winner’s perfect record over this distance at four from four.
She won over this course and distance last year when claiming the Group 3 Albany Stakes.
| 21. Venetian Sun (13) 56.5kg13×01 |
PRECISE (4) is a deserved short-priced favourite, and it’s hard to argue given the outstanding career she is putting together.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained filly has won seven of her nine starts, with her most impressive performance arguably coming last start in the Group 1 1000 Guineas.
She settled off the speed before producing an electric turn of foot to put her rivals away in a matter of strides, striding clear to win by 2.5 lengths.
Second favourite in the Coronation Stakes is True Love, who finished second that day, and it’s difficult to see her reversing the result with PRECISE likely to be fitter third-up.
| 4. Precise (5) 58kg11×71 |
WATER TO WINE (6) is an imposing colt who lines up in the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes looking to remain unbeaten.
The John & Thady Gosden-trained son of Kingman debuted at Newbury with a dominant 4.25 length win over 2213m.
That performance was eclipsed by his follow-up on the Kempton synthetic, where he produced what looked like a training gallop to win by a massive 11 lengths.
He appears to have an abundance of upside and talent, and given he was slightly underdone heading into that last start, he should have improved further.
| 6. Water To Wine (3) 58kg11 |