Commonwealth Cup Group 1 | British Champions Series | Class 1 | 3YO only Winner £368,615 - 22 entered to run Last year’s race Winner: Shaquille Jockey: Oisin Murphy Trainer: Julie A Camacho Owner: Hughes, Rawlings, O'Shaughnessy Age: 3 Weight: 9st 2lbs Starting Price: 9/1 Season Form Figures: 11 Previous Best: 1st - Carnarvon Stakes (Listed), Newbury (May 2023) By Paul Jones This will be the tenth edition of this Grade 1 for three-year-olds over 6f, 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. Proven quality has paid so far, with six of the nine winners officially rated between 114-119 beforehand (three of which were rated 117+). Last season’s winner Shaquille didn’t fill this criterion last year, as he entered the race rated 111, but he did follow up his success here in the July Cup, despite rearing when leaving the stalls on both occasions, and ended the campaign as champion sprinter. In its first year the Commonwealth Cup was won by another burgeoning champion sprinter in Muhaarar, who beat subsequent July Cup winner Limato into second. Vandeek ended last season as the highest-rated British-trained two-year-old on 119 (and second overall only behind City Of Troy), and he has been trained for the Commonwealth Cup ever since winning the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes. Simon and Ed Crisford’s sprinter made his seasonal return in the Sandy Lane Stakes, where he came up 4 lengths short attempting to concede 3lb and race fitness to the 2000 Guineas sixth Inisherin on soft ground. He can be expected to improve for that run and better ground, however, and would be meeting Kevin Ryan’s charge (who is set to be supplemented) on level weights this time. That Group 2 contest at Haydock has been the best guide to this contest. Quiet Reflection won both races, while last year’s winner Little Big Bear only found Shaquille too good at Royal Ascot. In addition, the Sandy Lane has featured another Commonwealth Cup winner, three seconds and a third. Moreover, back in 2001 Rohaan beat Dragon Symbol into second but was ineligible to run here due to being a gelding, winning the Wokingham instead, so he likely would have gone close, while the runner-up passed the post in front in the Commonwealth Cup only to be disqualified thereafter. Returning to sprinting proved to be key for Muhaarar, Advertise and Perfect Power in their winning years after they’d all run in a Guineas, so Inisherin would fit that profile. On that note, expect a few contenders that didn’t stay a mile in various Guineas events to line up here back at 6f. Rohaan also won the Pavilion Stakes, won this year by the Clive Cox-trained Jasour. The 2017 Commonwealth Cup was considered by many to be the race of the meeting heading into Royal Ascot and it was Caravaggio that came out on top, beating Harry Angel and Blue Point in a very high-class renewal. The runner-up and third had previously met in the Pavilion Stakes at Ascot’s April meeting, a trial that featured Commonwealth Cup winner Eqtidaar a year later after finishing second in that contest. In the same ownership as Inisherin is the Karl Burke-trained Elite Status (twice thumped by Vandeek in the second half of last season), who returned to his best to win the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury, which was won by Shaquille last year before he went on to land this prize. In fact, the Carnarvon winner has won at two of the last three Royal Ascots, as Creative Force went on to add the Jersey Stakes on his next start, so it’s certainly a key guide to the meeting. Golden Horde was a winning seasonal debutant in 2020, but that was the season which began only two weeks before Royal Ascot due to Covid, with Campanelle another after being awarded the 2021 race in the stewards’ room. No winner had run more than twice earlier in that same season. Campanelle and Quiet Reflection have already won for the fillies from limited representation. The 1000 Guineas runner-up and Albany winner over course and distance a year ago, Porta Fortuna looks their best hope if directed down this route. At a glance summary Positives Contested the Sandy Lane Stakes Dropping down in trip from the 2000 Guineas Officially rated 114+Fillies Negatives More than two runs this season