Last year’s race Winner: Inisherin Jockey: Tom Eaves Trainer: Kevin Ryan Owner: Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum Age: 3 Weight: 9st 2lbs Starting Price: 9/4 Season Form Figures: 161 Previous Best: 1st - Sandy Lane Stakes (Group 2), Haydock (May 2024) By Paul Jones This will be the eleventh edition of this Grade 1 race over 6f for three-year-olds which has proved to be such a hit. 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 seven of the ten winners officially rated between 114-119 beforehand (three of which were rated 117+). The 2023 winner, Shaquille, didn’t fill this criterion as he entered the race rated 111 but he followed up his success here in the July Cup despite rearing leaving the stalls on both occasions and ended the campaign as Champion Sprinter. In its first year the Commonwealth Cup was won by another to-be Champion Sprinter, Muhaarar, beating the subsequent July Cup winner, Limato, into second place. Shadow Of Light ended last season as the Champion Two-Year-Old rated 120 after winning both the Middle Park and Dewhurst and has the option of the Commonwealth Cup or St James’s Palace Stakes after he finished a close-up third in the 2000 Guineas where the big question before Newmarket was whether he would stay a mile. If sent to the Commonwealth Cup rather than taking on Field Of Gold again, he would likely start a warm favourite. Returning to sprinting proved to be key for Muhaarar, Advertise, Perfect Power and Inisherin in their winning years after they had run in a Guineas so Shadow Of Light would fit into that profile if heading here. Expect contenders that didn’t stay a mile in various Guineas’ to line up here back down at 6f. After finishing sixth in last season’s 2000 Guineas, Inisherin then successfully dropped back 2f in distance to win the Sandy Lane Stakes. That Group 2 contest at Haydock has been the best guide as in addition to Kevin Ryan’s charge, Quiet Reflection also won both races and the 2023 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 2021 Rohaan beat Dragon Symbol into second but was ineligible to run here being a gelding and won the Wokingham instead so he must have gone close as the runner-up passed the post in front in the Commonwealth Cup only to be disqualified. However, this season’s Sandy Lane winner, Symbol Of Honour is also gelding so ineligible to take his chance for Charlie Appleby but the second, third and fourth could all represent the Haydock form; Arabian Dusk (beaten a short head), First Instinct and Big Mojo. The Godolphin-owned sprinter also won another Commonwealth Cup guide when taking the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury a week earlier beating Aidan O’Brien’s Ides Of March into second. Shaquille won the Carnarvon before his Commonwealth Cup success. In fact, the Carnarvon winner has won at two of the last four Royal Ascot’s as Creative Force then added the Jersey Stakes on his next start so it’s a key guide to the meeting. In addition to winning the Sandy Lane, Rohaan also took the Pavilion Stakes at Ascot in April which was won this season by Big Mojo. Eqtidaar used that race as a prep before winning the Commonwealth Cup and three more placed runners ran in the Pavilion as part of their Royal Ascot preparations. 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. Campanelle was another when awarded the race in the stewards’ room. No winner had run more than twice earlier in the season. Campanelle and Quiet Reflection have won for fillies from limited representation. Babouche looks the leading hope for the girls after easily beating Whistlejacket in the Group 2 Lacken Stakes at Naas having beaten the same rival into second in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes as a two-year-old. If successful, Ger Lyons’s filly would be only the second Irish-trained winner following Caravaggio. At a glance summary Positives Contested the Sandy Lane Stakes Dropping down in trip from the 2000 Guineas Officially rated 114+ (or 117+ even better) Fillies Negatives More than two runs this season