Frankie Is Note Perfect in Golden Ascot Performance
Art Is To Powerful for Rivals At Ascot
Frankie is Pierless on Palace
Alpine stars in Coronation
Ground Aiming for Highest level after Haydock win
Space Gives Rivals The Blues at LongchampReport
We start at Ascot last Thursday where in the 2m 4f group 1 Gold Cup , Stradivarius ( Bob, Cliff, Neil), took his chance, Midfield, smooth headway from 3f out, close up and cruising 2f out, pushed along and led over 1f out, went well clear inside final furlong, eased towards finish, winning impressively by 10l. He gets 51.5 points.
On Friday in the 5f handicap Art Power, (Martin, Neil) went to post, Took keen hold, made all, shaken up on near side of group over 1f out, ridden clear final furlong, eased towards finish, winning impressively by 3 ½ l. He gets 12.1 points.
On Saturday in the 1m group 1 fillies Coronation Stakes, Alpine Star ( Cliff Peej), went to post, Chased leaders on inner, nudged along 4f out, bit short of room 3f out, ridden over 2f out, led over 1f out, kept on strongly final furlong, winning comfortably by 4 ¼ l. She gets 55.6 points.
In the 1m group 1 St James Palace stakes Palace Pier ( Cliff), Pinatubo ( All), took their chances.
Palace Pier, Slowly into stride, held up in rear, smooth headway on outer on turn over 2f out, shaken up and made challenge over 1f out, ridden and led final 110yds, pushed out, winning readily by 1l. He gets 85.4 points.
Pintatubo, Towards rear, dropped to last but going easily after 2f, smooth headway on outer over 2f out, led going best over 1f out, soon hard pressed and pushed along, ridden and headed final 110yds, soon rallied, held towards finish, 2nd beaten 1l . He gets 12 points.At Haydock yesterday, Highest Ground ( Cliff), took his chance, Tracked leaders, went second over 5f out, led over 2f out, soon ridden, kept on strongly final furlong, winning comfortably by 2 ½ l. He gets 25.4 points.
This Morning at Longchamp, Space Blues, ( Steve, Tony), too his chance in the 7f Group 3, Always close up on inner, angled out and began to close 1 1/2f out, ran on for pressure to lead final 120yds, soon asserted, winning readily by 1 ¼ l. He gets 15 points. *
He must be the first horse to win in the competition at 101.0 am, *also , no tote returns shown on any results pages so far, so will check again in the racing papers tomorrow
John Torpey Memorial Trophy
June Total
Cliff 478.45 478.45
Tony 334.85 334.85
Bob 253.4 253.4
Steve 167.9 167.9
Peej 150.6 150.6
Neil 127.3 127.3
Cod 120.8 120.8
Martin 74.9 74.9
Ascot Grand Slam
Cliff 342.55
Bob 138.4
Neil 115.2
Peej 55.6
Tony 53.75
Martin 12.1
So the editor gets the 20 point Ascot bonus
Grand Slam Leg 1
Neil
Leg 2 Tony
Leg 3 Tony
Leg 4 Cliff
News
Technician has been retired after injuring a tendon in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
An appearance in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a distinct possibility for Royal Ascot hero Stradivarius.
John Gosden's chestnut won the Gold Cup on Thursday for a third time - and quotes for the autumn showpiece in Paris began to flood in, given the turn of foot to showed in winning by 10 lengths.
While Gosden has dual Arc winner Enable still in training in search of a third win, it appears there is a strong chance he could have a strong second string to his bow this year in Bjorn Nielsen's charge.
"He's very well in himself, bouncing a bit. He ate up and couldn't wait to get a pick of grass," said Gosden.
"We talked about the Arc last year and didn't do it - we got chinned over a shortened two mile on the hurdles track back at Ascot.
"I entered him this week, so it's not like I'm ducking the issue.
Andre Fabre's unbeaten Earthlight will have a gallop at Saint-Cloud as he nears a return to competitive action in the Prix Jean Prat. He's doing ok, he's back in work Fabre told the Punter.
"He's going to go to Saint-Cloud next week for a public workout, just because we don't really have any other option.
"We're looking to run him in the Prix Jean Prat (at Deauville on July 12), that is the aim with him.
John Quinn is looking forward to seeing Liberty Beach contest more Group One sprints between now and the end of the season following her fine effort in defeat in the King's Stand at Royal Ascot.
Having won four of her six starts as a juvenile, the daughter of Cable Bay made a successful three-year-old debut at Haydock earlier in the month to earn herself a ticket at the showpiece meeting.
While ultimately no match for the brilliant Battaash, Liberty Beach ran with huge credit to finish third - beaten just a short-head to the runner-up spot by Equilateral - leaving her Yorkshire-based trainer understandably proud. Speaking to the Punter Quinn: said "We were very pleased with how she ran, and she seems to have come home well. We'll spend a bit of time in the long grass now, and see where we go from here.
Andre Fabre has told the Punter he has no intention of stepping Victor Ludorum up to a mile and a half yet, and the Prix du Jockey Club has always been his aim. "Victor Ludorum is in good shape, and everything is building nicely toward the Jockey Club."
Last year's French Guineas winner Persian King was surprisingly beaten on his return to action by stablemate Magny Cours - but that was his first run for more than a year since finishing second in the Prix du Jockey Club.
Fabre said: "Persian King will improve for his run. He needed it badly having not run for a year. He will go to Saint-Cloud next week for a gallop.
"I'm hoping to run him in the Prix D'Ispahan (July 19), which unfortunately for him will be run at Chantilly rather than Longchamp. I would have preferred Longchamp, but there's not much we can do about that.
RIP Liam Treadwell
The punter is sad to record the death of ex jockey Liam Treadwell.
Magical is among 12 entries for the Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh. O’Brien could also run the globetrotting Magic Wand on Sunday, Joseph O’Brien’s Speak In Colours, is a possible for the Greenland stakes.
Gary Moore has all but ruled out a tilt at the Sky Bet Ebor with ante-post favourite Goshen. Speaking to the Punter Moore said, after being told Goshen heads the Ebor market, : “I’ve no idea why – he’s only rated 88, so he wouldn’t get in for a start.
“You wouldn’t want to go there without a run anyway, and I can’t see him being ready in time because he only came back to me on June 1 – I definitely wouldn’t want to rush him.
“I think we’d like to give him two or three runs on the Flat and then go back over hurdles. He won’t be having many runs over hurdles anyway, because there aren’t that many races for him, whereas at least he’s still well enough handicapped on the Flat.”
Alan Cooper racing manager for the Niarchos Family has also spoken to the Punter about 3 of their horses.
Regarding Alpine Star he told me, I thought it was a tremendous training performance from Jessie, considering the filly hadn’t been seen in public since August. “We haven’t made any firm plans just yet. We’ll wait a day or two, take our time and see what Jessie thinks – the Pattern book is there, so we just need to decide which race we go for.”
On Albigna he said, She’s absolutely fine now after being a bit sore after the Irish Guineas because of the fast ground.
“We’ll be looking at similar races for the pair of them and we’ll want to split them up. We’ll just have to assess the races and the ground and everything else.
And finally Circus Maximus, “To see Circus Maximus win was also a tremendous thrill, but in a different way – it was a great spectacle between Terebellum and himself and two great jockeys in Frankie and Ryan (Moore, on Circus Maximus),” said Cooper.
“I think that (Sussex Stakes) is the first thing to look at, but we’ll see what Aidan decides in due course.”
Charlie Appleby believes Ghaiyyath has matured as his mouthwatering clash with Enable in next Sunday’s Coral-Eclipse nears.
We have just 1 runner in the Irish Derby, Sunchart ( Bob), takes his chance.