Royal Ascot 2011- Jersey Stakes, Windsor Forest Stakes, Queen Mary Stakes, Royal Hunt Cup, Prince of Wales Stakes – Preview
After an exciting and in some cases shocking Day One of the Royal Ascot 2011, horse racing enthusiasts are holding onto their seats in anticipation of what day two will bring when it unfolds a few hours from now.
Day Two this year will hold six races as usual, including the Jersey Stakes, Windsor Forest Stakes, the Queen Mary Stakes, The Royal Hunt Cup and the Prince of Wales Stakes, which is the most important race of the day.
Starting with the biggest race of the day, i.e. the Prince of Wales Stakes, we will take a look at the likely winners and predicted outcomes for all the races of the day.
So You Think, trained by Aidan O’Brien will run the Prince of Wales Stakes and given his track record on flat turf he is a very likely to win. He defeated rival Campanologist by 4 ½ lengths to win the Gold Cup after he moved to Europe from Australia.
However, some argue that we cannot be sure of where his potential will stand against European horses. Bookmakers’ second favourite is Planteur, who won the Group 1 Prix Ganay at Longchamp, just two months ago.
While Twice Over has been on a losing streak recently, Rebuilding is a horse to look out for – straight out of a win in the G1-Dubai Sheema Classic on the World Cup.
What will ignite the betting market on Day Two is The Royal Hunt Cup, a mile long handicap race. It is difficult to choose a single winner from the thirty-three runners this year but Luca Cumani’s, Start Right, is the betting favourite given that together with jockey Keith Fallon this is a highly competitive duo.
No matter what the result this race will be interesting to watch because of the sheer numbers, 33 horses running on just a one mile stretch. In the Jersey Stakes, a seven furlong race for three year olds, today only ten horses will run.
But with competitors such as last year’s Coventry Stakes winner, Strong Suit, it is bound to be a delightful race even though he is not in a very good form at the moment.
On the other hand, Codemaster and Fury are both battling it out for bettor’s favourite. At the Windsor Forest Stakes, Godolphin-trained Sajjhaa, has a good chance of winning, considering her recent performance at the Middleton Stakes at York.
However, a more popular choice is Jacqueline Quest, who will be the talk of the town if she wins. And then there is the Queen Mary Stakes, a group 2 flat horse race for inexperienced fillies.
Shumoos, who has only run one race, seems a strong candidate and so does Fred Darling Stakes’ favourite, Cape Dollar. Whether or not these horses will live up to the expectation of fans and bettors alike is yet to be seen, but one hopes the best horse wins.
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