Last year’s race Winner: Shareholder Jockey: James Doyle Trainer: Karl R Burke Owner: Wathnan Racing Age: 2 Weight: 9st 3lbs Starting Price: 12/1 Season Form Figures: 1 Previous Best: 1st - bet365 Two Year Old Trophy Conditions Stakes (Class 2), Beverley (June 2024) By Paul Jones If The Ridler was hard to find at 50/1 three years ago, how about Valiant Force a year later at 150/1? Shareholder was another double-figure-priced winner (12/1) last season to give Wathnan Racing a second two-year-old winner of the week, while they also owned both big-priced placed horses in the Coventry, so look out for them in the juvenile races. For whatever reason, the Norfolk Stakes has been a graveyard for favourite backers in more recent times as we have to go back to South Central in 2008 to locate the last successful market leader. In winning as the 5/1 second-favourite six years ago, A’Ali became the first maiden to win the Norfolk for 29 years having finished second on his debut at Ripon. Valiant Force was another two years ago after finishing second and fifth in his two previous races at The Curragh in a Listed and Group 3 races. The 2021 winner Perfect Power was also beaten on debut before winning his maiden and then caused a mini-surprise here at 14/1 but he had the class to later add two Group 1 successes after taking this Group 2. Just six winners since 1991 had tasted defeat on their previous start and all eight winners since 1997 that had run more than twice were beaten first time out. Eighteen of the last 31 winners were unbeaten, 10 of which had won their only start, Shareholder being the latest last year after winning by a short-head for Karl Burke on debut, which given their lack of representation may well be the strongest positive trend. Eight of Wesley Ward’s 12 Royal Ascot victories were two-year-olds, including two in the Norfolk (though what he considers to be the best that he has ever trained in Golden Pal was only second here), but perhaps more significantly, nine were achieved in races over 5f. His last Royal Ascot winner, though, came back in 2021.   Richard Hannon last took the honours 11 years ago with Baitha Alga and he supplied the second and third in 2015. His father secured victories with Niche (1992), Lucky Lionel (1995) and Baron's Pit (2002), in addition to saddling two runners-up going back to 1994, so Team Hannon still must be respected. Peter Chapple-Hyam has won this race on three occasions and also note William Haggas who has saddled two winners - as has Richard Fahey after taking two of the last four runnings. This 5f Group 3 contest is very much for precocious types and, as such, very few winners have made a serious impact the following season. Of winners since 1997, eight had previously been tried at further than 5f but, interestingly, that does include four of the last 10 winners, two of which were trained by Aidan O’Brien. The recent Roll of Honour of winning sires is packed with sprinters, so it is no surprise that 26 of the last 29 winners were by stallions with a Sire Index of no bigger than 8.3f, with nine of those being the produce of stallions with a Sire Index of less than 7f (even as short as 5.5f in 2021, with Ardad being the winning stallion) as there aren't too many of them. Windsor form has come to the fore with five of the last 17 British-trained winners either winning or finishing second at the riverside track. Four of the last 14 winners were drawn in the lowest two stalls in field sizes of 21, 18, 14 and 10. At a glance summary Positive Undefeated (notably having won only start) By a stallion with a Sire Index of less than 7f Trained by Richard Hannon, Wesley Ward, Richard Fahey, Peter Chapple-Hyam or William Haggas Don’t be afraid of big-priced runners Drawn in either stall 1 or 2 Negatives The favourite Beaten last time out By a stallion with a Sire Index of more than 8f