ROYAL ASCOT - TUESDAY
2:30 G1 Queen Anne Stakes
Witch Hunter (Sean Levey)
This is a typically good Queen Anne, and I’m under no illusions as to the task Witch Hunter faces, but he likes it around Ascot and has posted two solid efforts behind Charyn and Audience already this season. There is likely to be a very strong pace, which will really help, and he’ll be there to pick up the pieces.
3:05 G2 Coventry Stakes
The Actor (Sean Levey)
He’s always been a smart colt and we’ve liked him from quite a long way out. He benefitted from his first run to win nicely back at Newmarket at the Guineas meeting in a race that has worked out extremely well, and this race has been the plan ever since. I’ve come close in the Coventry with the likes of Threat and Persian Force in recent years and this horse is as good as them by far. He will be even better for the step up to six (furlongs) and I’d like to think he can go very close at good odds with Unibet.
4:25 G1 St James’s Palace Stakes
Rosallion (Sean Levey)
I was delighted with him at the Curragh last time when he got caught wide, had no cover, and raced quite freely, so did extremely well under the circumstances. When I think back to the 2000 Guineas, watching it live, and saw City Of Troy was beaten, I looked to Rosallion who was the only one travelling and thought we had it in the bag, until I spotted Notable Speech absolutely cruising and realised we had a fight on our hands! That was Rosallion’s first run of the season, which does give me some sort of confidence that we can reverse Newmarket form, or at least get much closer to Charlie’s colt. He won’t have any problems with the bend and stall one should be ok. It’s currently Good to Firm, and there are only a few isolated showers forecast, so I’m not concerned about the ground at this stage.