Tall order for Americans at Royal Ascot

The American-trained runners Bound for Nowhere and La Coronel face brutal challenges in Group 1 races at Royal Ascot on Friday.

Bound for Nowhere, unbeaten in two races in Kentucky this year for trainer Wesley Ward, will have his stakes debut against 11 rivals in the $506,520 Commonwealth Cup for 3-year-olds at six furlongs on turf. The field is led by Caravaggio, who is unbeaten in five starts for trainer Aidan O’Brien.

Caravaggio, a Kentucky-bred colt by Scat Daddy, won the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2016 and the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes in Ireland last August in his final start of the year. Caravaggio, who won the Group 3 Lacken Stakes at Naas, Ireland, in his lone start this year, was an even-money shot with British bookmakers on Wednesday.

His main rivals are Blue Point, who won the Group 3 Pavilion Stakes at six furlongs at Ascot on May 3, and the speedy Harry Angel, who won the Group 2 Sandy Lane Stakes at six furlongs on turf at Haydock Park on May 27.

Bound for Nowhere, owned by Ward, won a six-furlong maiden race by six lengths on the Polytrack at Turfway Park in January and an allowance race at 5 1/2 furlongs on turf by 4 1/4 lengths at Keeneland on April 20.

California-based David Flores rides Bound for Nowhere, who was 10-1 on Wednesday.

La Coronel, who won the Group 3 Edgewood Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 5 for trainer Mark Casse, will be a longshot in the $544,509 Coronation Stakes for 3-year-old fillies. O’Brien starts Winter, the winner of the English and Irish 1000 Guineas in May, who will be a very heavy favorite.

Dabyah, the winner of the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes at Newmarket in April, will be the second choice. Trained by John Gosden, Dabyah missed the French 1000 Guineas last month after being diagnosed with a temperature.

La Coronel, by Colonel John, has won three Grade 3 races for owner John Oxley. The Coronation Stakes will be her first start in a race at the highest level since she finished sixth as the 4-1 favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita last November.

Florent Geroux has the mount on La Coronel, a 16-1 chance as of Wednesday.

Ward, who won for the eighth time at Royal Ascot on Tuesday, has two starters, the Scat Daddy fillies Fairyland and Princess Peggy, in the Group 3 Albany Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs. The Albany is the first race on the card.

Fairyland won her only start in a maiden race at 4 1/2 furlongs at Keeneland in April. Donnacha O’Brien, son of Aidan O’Brien, has the mount. Flores will ride Princess Peggy, a maiden-race winner in her debut at Belmont Park on May 27.

The early favorite is Alpha Centauri, unbeaten in two starts in Ireland for trainer Jessica Harrington.