Royal Ascot 2020: Kimari takes on males in Commonwealth Cup

Kimari has some unfinished business at Royal Ascot, and she can take care of it Friday in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup.

Kimari was beaten a head last summer in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes, one of only two losses in her six-start career. The other came last fall in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, a five-furlong sprint in which Kimari finished fastest of any competitor, the finish coming before she could reach the leaders. She should have plenty of time to unwind Friday racing six furlongs down a straightaway in the Commonwealth, a distance and configuration that should suit Kimari’s considerable talents.

Wesley Ward, a steady Royal Ascot winner, trains Kimari and holds her in high esteem, mentioning the Breeders’ Cup Sprint against males as a plausible year-end goal. Kimari has top performances over turf, on a fast dirt track in her Keeneland maiden win, and in the Oaklawn Park slop, which she conquered to win a strong renewal of the Purple Martin Stakes, her most recent race.

The Commonwealth, which has only been around since 2014, is the fourth of five straight group stakes on a seven-race program that begins at 8:15 a.m. Eastern. Daily Racing Form has American-style past performances for the Ascot races this year, while live-streaming and wagering is available at DRFBets.com.

The Ascot course took some rain Tuesday and was listed as good-to-soft by card’s end, with more rain possible through the week. Kimari’s Queen Mary came on good-to-soft ground, and she clearly has proven her versatility with regard to racing surface. Kimari gets the services of jockey Frankie Dettori, breaks from post 11, and gets a three-pound weight break from the 3-year-old colts and geldings in the Commonwealth.

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Contenders abound in the 17-horse field, with Pierre Lapin the 7-2 antepost favorite as of Tuesday. Unraced this year, Pierre Lapin won both his starts at 2, including a decisive victory in the Group 2 Mill Reef over six furlongs at Newbury. Golden Horse nearly beat the crack 2-year-old sprinter Earthlight in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, a six-furlong sprint last fall at Newmarket, while Lope Y Fernandez wheels back days after an encouraging third-place finish in the Irish 2000 Guineas. Lope Y Fernandez made a strong middle move in that start before fading late going one mile, and the cut-back in distance should help him. Wooded sharply won the Group 3 Texanita over seven furlongs May 13 at Chantilly but takes a considerable step up in class here.

Ward is in action with a pair of 2-year-olds Friday, Golden Pal in the Group 2 Norfolk over five furlongs and Flying Aletha in the Group 3 Albany, another six-furlong race. Both horses were shorter prices in the early fixed-odds betting than Kimari, although neither displayed the standout qualities in their respective American starts that many of Ward’s 2-year-olds have taken to Royal Ascot.

The Group 2 Hardwicke over 1 1/2 miles drew an excellent field with Anthony Van Dyck at the top of the betting market. Anthony Van Dyck, the 2019 Derby winner, did get a favorable trip but ran one of his best races finishing second to Ghaiyyath in the Group 1 Coronation Cup on June 5 at Newmarket. Fanny Logan, who gets a three-pound sex allowance, finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf last fall and got in a prep race for the Hardwicke, while Elarqam was well supported Tuesday. Jim Crowley, who rode three winners on Tuesday’s card, rides Elarqam.