Cold Spell

She may have a bizarre name for such a week of undisturbed sun, but on all known form Susan Magnier's Winter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) should be freezing out her rivals in Friday's G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot. A replication of her defeat of stablemate Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in Newmarket's G1 1000 Guineas May 7 and easy follow-up in the Irish equivalent at The Curragh three weeks later would be sufficient to come out on top here, but there is a feeling that she could be improving. “David [Wachman] always thought the world of her last year and obviously we were delighted with her first start back at Leopardstown and her progress since,” trainer Aidan O'Brien said. “I think she's versatile regards the ground. It was nice, quick ground at Newmarket and slow at The Curragh, but she seemed fine on both and we are very happy with her.”

French-trained fillies have won three of the last six editions of this race that seems to favour their schedule, and White Birch Farm's Precieuse (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) appears the most likely of all opponents to cause an upset. Peter Brant's purchase is unexposed at this trip, which she was tackling for the first time when taking the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches on Deauville's straight track on May 13. That performance, impressive as it was, came on very soft ground and the overall early form indications are mixed. Although the subsequent G1 Prix de Diane heroine Senga (Blame) took part, she did run under her level on the testing going in that mile Classic and the third Heuristique (Ire) (Shamardal) was last of five next time in the G2 Prix de Sandringham. Adding ballast to the race's standard are the subsequent displays of the sixth Roly Poly (War Front), who was beaten only 3/4 of a length further by Winter when runner-up and ahead of Hydrangea (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Irish 1000 Guineas, and the fifth Rain Goddess (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who went so close to winning Wednesday's Listed Sandringham S. under top weight at this meeting. Olivier Peslier rides Precieuse and said, “She is well and won well in the French Guineas. That was a big surprise, as it was her first time over a mile after five runs over six furlongs, but she relaxed well and got the distance well. Now she has to confirm she gets the distance on a tough track like Ascot.”

Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah's Dabyah (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus}) missed the Pouliches, but she is a solid type who may be able to improve on her third in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Chantilly in October and return success in the Apr. 22 G3 Fred Darling S. at Newbury. “She got a bit of a temperature, which meant she missed the trip to France and after that John Gosden said we'd head straight to the Coronation S.,” explained the owner's racing manager Bruce Raymond. “She's going back up to a mile, but she should stay. She's obviously got to step up, but she's been working well and John's horses are in good form so we're hopeful.” Mark Casse was in the winner's enclosure last year with Tepin (Bernstein) and is back with La Coronel (Colonel John), who bids to continue the recent trend of the American turf horses bridging the gap to the Europeans on their turf. On the basis of her dynamic wins in Keeneland's GIII Appalachian S. on Apr. 13 and the GIII Edgewood S. at Churchill Downs on May 5, John Oxley's bay deserves to be in this company.