Byword for a winner in Prince Of Wales’s Stakes
For more than 20 years the name of André Fabre has been a byword within European racing for top-class horses and his record at Ascot simply amplifies that view.
Fabre is an infrequent visitor but a 29% strike-rate - and a 40% record overall with his older horses in Britain - makes his runners worth noting and Byword can win the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, the Group One highlight of the second day at Royal Ascot.
The four-year-old was given a light campaign last season and has clearly benefited from such a patient approach. Byword started the season by winning a Listed race at Maison-Lafittes and a Group Two at Saint-Cloud, but it was his half-length second place to Goldikova, in the Group One Prix D’Ispahan at Longchamp last month, that is even better form.
It might be unwise to take the 16-length beating of the fourth-placed Stacelita too literally but she franked the form by winning a Group Three race at Longchamp on Monday.
The main threat is likely to come from Henry Cecil’s Twice Over, the winner of the Champion Stakes at Newmarket last October, who was a good third to Zenyatta in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita the following month.
Presvis is another who could prove a major player in the race. He has run only once in Britain since winning a heritage handicap at Newbury in September 2008 but has put up a string of win or placed runs in Group Ones across the world. His recent form has not looked good but that was as much because he has not had the run of the race; although a field of 12 may not make things easy for this hold-up horse.
The Group Two Windsor Forest Stakes looks between Strawberrydaiquiri and Antara, one of Godolphin’s new recruits. The filly had good form in Germany and she is probably even better than what she showed when she beat Reggane by a neck in a Group Three race at Epsom on Derby day. Antara did not really handle the track and her trainer, Saeed bin Suroor, said that she was not at peak fitness.
Barry Hills won the Group Three Jersey Stakes with Ougba last year and can win it again with Red Jazz. He won the Free Handicap, over six furlongs at Newmarket in April, did not stay the mile in the 2000 Guineas the following month and did not quite see out seven furlongs on rain-softened ground at Newmarket two weeks ago, but this faster surface should be right for him.
The Royal Hunt Cup is one of the meeting’s annual puzzles and one that has so far eluded solution by Luca Cumani, but he might have the answer this year with Acrostic (pictured).
The five-year-old is still quite lightly raced and did not really get the run of the race when fourth in a hot handicap at York last month. He could well improve for that run and is best held up for a late charge so the end-to-end gallop here should suit very well.
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