By Tuesday, the American Triple Crown will have wrapped up, and the cream of the 3-year-crop will be on their way to late-summer destinations and an eventual convergence with the older-horse set. But across the pond, all eyes will be trained on an English 3-year-old, the best-known sophomore in the world, Frankel, whose next stop in a so-far undefeated career comes Tuesday in the Group 1 St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
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DRF Past Performances
Sat, 06/11/2011 - 12:41
Canford Cliffs has youth. He is just 4, and with only nine starts, has room still to improve. He has won four races in a row, all Group 1’s, dating back to the 2010 Irish 1000 Guineas, and with an impressive 2011 debut score in the Lockinge Stakes last month, Canford Cliffs solidified his standing as England’s top miler. But on Tuesday at Royal Ascot, in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes, Canford Cliffs, for the first time, runs headlong into the force of nature called Goldikova.
As appealing as Royal Ascot might be to racing lovers worldwide, the five-day race meeting has nowhere to go but down after Tuesday’s opening.
Day 1 of Royal Ascot features the most esteemed 3-year-old in the world, the unbeaten Frankel, who will be heavily favored to win the St. James’s Palace Stakes. That is the third event on Tuesday’s program, but the most anticipated race of the Royal Ascot meet is the first race of the Royal Ascot meet, the Queen Anne Stakes, which pits Goldikova against Canford Cliffs in a showdown of top-class milers.
The reputation of Goldikova was cemented years ago, but her younger half-sister, Galikova, will be out to make a name for herself in the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) on Sunday at Chantilly.
Nine horses were left in the Prix de Diane when the final entry stage closed Friday morning, among them Galikova’s pace-maker, a Freddie Head-trained filly named Polemique, who set up the Group 3 Prix Cleopatre for a Galikova victory in the two fillies’ most recent outing.
He is brash, capable of a stellar performance, and knows how to win.
Frankel, the undefeated star colt of the British flat season, has a name that resonates fondly with American racing fans, and a record that draws admiration from racing fans worldwide.
Unbeaten in six starts, including an emphatic six-length win in the English 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on April 30, Frankel will start as a heavy favorite in Tuesday’s Group 1 St. James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Trainer Wesley Ward plans to have eight starters at the Royal Ascot meeting in England from Tuesday through June 18, and considers the 2-year-old filly Judy the Beauty to be his best chance for his first winner since 2009 at the prestigious meeting.
Ward has seven 2-year-olds and the 3-year-old filly Holiday for Kitten currently training in France.
Reliable Man’s stakes debut produced the same result as his first two races – victory. The unbeaten Alain de Royer-Dupre colt captured the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) on Sunday at Chantilly with a strong rally under Gerald Mosse.
Pour Moi came from last to trigger a series of firsts Saturday at Epsom, winning the English Derby by a head over Treasure Beach in a thrilling edition of the race.
Pour Moi’s victory gave legendary trainer Andre Fabre the first Epsom Derby win of his career, while the young jockey Mickael Barzalona won the Derby with his first mount in the race. The win was the first by a French-trained horse since 1976.
Dancing Rain, the lone front-runner in a field of 13, held off a late threat from Wonder of Wonders to pull a 20-1 upset in Friday’s English Oaks at Epsom Downs, giving jockey Johnny Murtagh his first Oaks win.
The day was one to forget for the world-class jockey Frankie Dettori. He rode 9-4 favorite Blue Bunting to a fourth-place finish, but was slapped with a 10-day suspension after he eased down his mount in the final strides and was nipped for third by the 25-1 shot Izzi Top.