Royal Ascot: Campanelle goes for royal triple in loaded Platinum Jubilee

Campanelle was a Group 2 stakes winner at Royal Ascot in England in her first start abroad in 2020, and even better last year when she beat males in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup for 3-year-old sprinters at the same prestigious meeting.

Those wins would be career-defining performances for many horses. The American-based Campanelle has a chance for even greater glory in Saturday’s Group 1 Platinum Jubilee for sprinters at Royal Ascot.

Owned by Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stable and trained by Wesley Ward, the $1.23 million Platinum Jubilee Stakes will be the toughest race of Campanelle’s career. The race drew a staggeringly large field of 27, by far the most runners Campanelle has faced. She beat 17 rivals in the Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot in 2020 and 14 in the Commonwealth Cup.

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As of Thursday, Campanelle was 10-1 with bookmakers in a race led by the multiple Australian Group 1 winner Home Affairs, who was a short 7-4 favorite.

Saturday’s seven-race program, which begins at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, is the last day of the five-day Royal Ascot meeting west of London. Wagering and past performances are available through DRFBets.com.

An Irish-bred filly, Campanelle is a winner of 5 of 8 starts. She began her 2022 campaign with an easy win by 2 1/2 lengths in the listed Giant’s Causeway Stakes for fillies and mares at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf April 15 at Keeneland despite a wide trip. She had a steady pattern of turf workouts in Kentucky from late April to earlier this month before she was sent to England.

Irad Ortiz Jr. rode Campanelle in the Giant’s Causeway and has the mount in the Platinum Jubilee. Campanelle drew post 15, with Home Affairs in post 17.

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The race is run on a straightaway course. Both Campanelle and Home Affairs are quick enough to set the pace, though they would need to be brilliant to lead throughout the Platinum Jubilee with such a large field.

Home Affairs, a winner of 4 of 9, beat 2019-20 Australian Horse of the Year Nature Strip in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes at five furlongs on turf at Flemington in Melbourne in February, but was only ninth of 12 in the Group 1 Newmarket at six furlongs on March 12 at Flemington. Trainer Chris Waller reported after the race that Home Affairs had “tightness across his back and hindquarters.”

Nature Strip easily won Tuesday’s Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes at five furlongs at Royal Ascot and was briefly considered for the Platinum Jubilee.

Home Affairs was held out of the leading sprints in Australia in April to be prepared for a trip to Royal Ascot.

Last October, Home Affairs won the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at six furlongs at Flemington for Southern Hemisphere 3-year-olds. Artorius, third in the Coolmore Stud Stakes, is another Australian shipper for the Platinum Jubilee Stakes but was sixth in his first two starts of the year.