This will be the seventh edition of this Grade 1 race over 6f for three-year-olds which has proved to be such a hit, so race trends are only just starting to bed in hence the lack of pointers in the final summary.
As with the Hampton Court Stakes run over 2f shorter for 3yos, the King Edward VII Stakes, which has been a punter-friendly race with 17 of the last 27 winners starting favourite or second favourite, was a Derby trial last year given the one-off changes to the racing calendar. Back to taking place after Epsom, seven winners since 1989 ran in the Derby.
Introduced into the Royal Meeting 19 years ago, this Group 3 6f race restricted to two-year-old fillies may not be as prestigious as the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes in terms of its official status but it has looked the classier of the two races in recent seasons.
Odds-on favorite Stradivarius was seeking his fourth straight win in the Group 1 Gold Cup on Thursday at Royal Ascot, but he was no match for runaway winner Subjectivist, a 4-year-old upstart who might be turning into the top staying horse in Europe.
There have been plenty of big races with short-priced favorites this week at Royal Ascot. Saturday's feature, the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee over a straight six furlongs, is not one of them.
Mohaafeth did not disappoint as the odds-on favorite in the Group 2 Hampton Court Stakes, rolling to a two-length victory in the 1 1/4-mile race for 3-year-olds after making a sustained run from well off a solid pace. Wesley Ward's disappointing meeting continued as his two runners finished unplaced in the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes.
Declan Schuster's Hong Kong Selections and Analysis for Sunday, June 20, 2021 at Sha Tin.
Brought back to open the meeting last year after its services were not required when a race had to make way to incorporate the Commonwealth Cup into the meeting in 2015, this 7f all-aged handicap is now run as the final race in Thursday for its 15th running.
A handicap for 3yos over 1m4f, Aidan O’Brien saddled the 1-2-3 in 2019 which was a nice way for him to break his duck in the race. However, it is Mark Johnston that leads the way with six successes and he has also supplied six close-up placed runners, the latest being last year with his big Ascot Gold Cup hope, Subjectivist.
Usually featuring approximately 30 three-year-olds (22 last year to assist with social distancing), the majority of which are unexposed and from top yards, for my money the Britannia Stakes is the most competitive (though not impossible) three-year-old handicap of the season.
