New facility, showdown add to Ascot's allure

NEW YORK - While famous 18th century names such as George Washington and Horatio Nelson dominate the early spring classic conversation, the most eagerly anticipated event of the new European flat racing season is the unveiling of Ascot's 21st century, $350 million grandstand on May 27.

That Saturday afternoon will serve as a dry run for the official opening of the ultra-modern, state-of-the-art edifice on the opening day of the five-day Royal Ascot meeting on June 20. The new but still staunchly traditional Ascot will have something for everyone, including a repositioned paddock immediately behind the grandstand designed to simplify the previously arduous task of seeing the horses in the parade ring, getting a bet down, and still being able to find your place in the stands before the start of a race.

Designed by HOK Sport+Venue+ Event, the same outfit that gave the world Sydney's fabulous Millennium Olympic Stadium, the new Ascot grandstand will be a glass and light-filled affair. As such it will be a welcome contrast to the former building which, although built in 1961, retained any number of shadowy Victorian corners as well a good deal of nondescript mid-20th century architecture.

As workmen apply the finishing touches to Ascot, Doncaster will be undergoing a reincarnation of its own. Home of the world's oldest classic, the St. Leger Stakes, Doncaster will be closed this year while it erects its own new grandstand. The track's 15 days of flat racing will be parceled out to five different racecourses with the Sept. 9 St. Leger going to York, the track that stood in for Royal Ascot last year.

There is a new 50,000-capacity grandstand in the works at The Curragh as well. At a cost of $120 million, Ireland's premier racecourse will replace its current stand, one of the ugliest in the world. Racing will continue at The Curragh through 2006 as work progresses on the new structure, which will include a National Museum of Racing. The project is scheduled to be completed in two phases, the first, five-story building due for completion in time for the Irish Derby in late June 2007, the second, a four-story affair, set to open a year later.

That is, as long as the track gets permission to build. The project has yet to win government approval and a local group called the Friends of the Curragh Environment is protesting the project to the High Court of Dublin.

There will be no new grandstands in France this year, but stakes purses there have been increased from 6 percent to 8 percent. French listed races go from 47,000 euros to 50,000 euros ($60,000). Group 3's have been raised from 75,000 euros to 80,000 euros ($96,000), while Group 2's have been increased from 120,000 euros to 130,000 euros ($156,000).

In Germany, champion trainer Andreas Schutz has left his Cologne base for Hong Kong. Schutz, who has trained five German Derby winners, did not apply for a license in purse-poor Germany this year. He will have his first runners in Hong Kong at the start of the 2006-07 season in September.

Horatio Nelson is the current favorite for the Epsom Derby. In the past, his trainer, Aidan O'Brien, has used both the Ballysax Stakes (April 23) and the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial (May 14) as preps for his Derby candidates. In the meantime, O'Brien has announced that his European juvenile champions, George Washington and Rumplestiltskin, will head to Newmarket for their respective Guineas dates without the benefit of a prep race. Both two-time Group 1 winners at 2, George Washington is the favorite in the 2000 Guineas while Rumplestiltskin is the current bookies' choice in the 1000, in which second favorite and Fillies Mile winner Nannina will also run without a prep.

British bookies currently list Discreet Cat as the 5-1 co-favorite with Brother Derek for the Kentucky Derby, but Godolphin has already warned that its UAE Derby winner is not certain to run at Churchill Downs. If he does, he will probably go without another prep. Godolphin even hints he might skip the Derby and go straight to the Preakness. Godolphin also has a powerful bunch of recently purchased older horses in the miler Proclamation and fillies Shawanda and Gonbarda, all Group 1 winners.

The new grandstand is not the only reason to be at Royal Ascot this summer. The Prince of Wales's Stakes there on June 21 looms as the early season race of the year between Dubai World Cup winner Electrocutionist and Dubai Duty Free winner David Junior. Both will be kept on turf until arriving at their mutually ultimate goals of the season, the Breeders' Cup Classic.

European Horse of the Year Hurricane Run could return to action in the Prix Ganay at Longchamp on April 30. He will be aimed by Andre Fabre at a defense of his Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe title on Oct. 1, when he could run into stablemate and Breeders' Cup Turf winner Shirocco and Japanese Horse of the Year Deep Impact.

Japan's Dubai Sheema Classic winner Heart's Cry is expected to be at Ascot on July 29 for the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes, while Cesario, recovered from her post-American Oaks injury, has the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf as her late-season goal.

2006 European Group 1 stakes