Aidan O’Brien keeps options open
Having spent last week shuffling his Classic cards, and failing to find a winning hand, Aidan O’Brien has left himself with another key decision for next week.
Rip Van Winkle was one of 13 entries left in at the six-day stage for the Group One Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot, the highlight on the second day of the meeting. The colt, who has yet to win beyond a mile, also still has an entry for the Queen Anne Stakes on the opening day of the meeting.
He is O’Brien’s only possible runner in either race after the trainer decided that Fame And Glory would not be ready to go again after winning the Coronation Cup at Epsom last Friday, and so withdrew him from the Prince Of Wales’s. Rip Van Winkle (pictured) proved himself to be a quality performer over a mile last season, when he won both the Sussex and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
As a son of Galileo the step up to 10 furlongs for the Prince Of Wales’s shouldn't be a problem on breeding. His stamina did betray him when he finished fourth to Sea The Stars in the Derby but he was only a length away when the pair met again in the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown Park last July.
Two horses who have already proved their worth over the trip are Twice Over and Mawatheeq, first and second in last year's Champion Stakes at Newmarket, and another contender would be the Luca Cumani-trained Presvis, who could make a rare appearance on a British racecourse.
Presvis has finished out of the frame in his last three starts – all valuable Group One prizes abroad – and this hold-up horse’s chances have often been compromised by being denied a clear run at the business end of the race.
André Fabre, who has a 29% strike-rate at Ascot, could run Byword, who was just a half-length second to Goldikova in the Prix D'Ispahan at Longchamp last month and France could also be represented by Shalanaya, while Wiener Waltzer could attempt to become a first German-trained winner at the royal meeting.
James Fanshawe’s Spacious could become the first repeat winner of the Group Two Windsor Forest Stakes. The mare, who beat Heaven Sent by a length in last year's race, could be joined in the field by stable companion Alsace Lorraine while Sir Michael – who won the first two runnings of the Windsor Forest with Favourable Terms and Peeress – could run both Strawberrydaiquiri (who beat Spacious by four-and-a-quarter lengths at Newmarket last month) and Golden Stream.
Godolphin also have both Antara and Aspectoflove entered and Antara, who was brought over from Germany, made an impressive debut for her new yard when she won the Group Three Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom on Saturday, after which her trainer, Saeed bin Suroor, said: “She’s a big, tough filly and she seems to have handled the racetrack very well and she had a very good turn of foot. This filly ran today like ninety per cent fit, she will improve for this race. We will keep the option open and may be take her to Royal Ascot.”
Forgotten Voice is another who could be returning to the scene of previous triumph if he runs in the Royal Hunt Cup, for which there are still 56 runners left in the race. Jeremy Noseda’s horse will have no problem getting into the final field of 32 but, as topweight, he must carry the welter burden of 9st 13lb and no winner has carried that much in the last 40 years.
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