Shine A Light
Richard Hannon, who has yet to strike with his juvenile band at the Royal meeting, relies on likely favorite Illuminate (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Palenville (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) in Friday’s G3 Albany S., Royal Ascot’s penultimate 2-year-old contest. Illuminate created a highly favorable impression when easily besting stablemate and subsequent Listed Naas Fillies’ Sprint victress Great Page (Ire) (Roderic O’Connor {Ire}) by 2 3/4 lengths in a five-furlong conditions heat at Salisbury in her only prior start. She lines up with an abundance of stable confidence and will bid to become the second group winner, following Waterloo Bridge (Ire) in Thursday’s G2 Norfolk S., and third stakes winner at the meeting for Europe’s leading freshman sire Zoffany (Ire) (Dansili {GB}). “Illuminate was impressive when beating Great Page first time out at Salisbury on 1000 Guineas day,” commented Hannon. “She was getting weight, but she went there a bit heavy as she had only done one piece of fast work, so it was a pleasant surprise and the runner-up franked the form when winning a listed race in Ireland.” Palenville was no match for G2 Queen Mary S. third Besharah (Ire) (Kodiac) after an awkward departure over five furlongs of this strip on debut May 8, but gained compensation in good style when upped one panel at Newmarket one week later. “We also run Palenville, who came on a lot for her first run when winning in style at Newmarket and she is a filly who is going the right way,” Hannon added.
William Haggas has already registered a pair of thirds at the meet and has yet another live contender in the shape of Tutu Nguru (Blame). The bay was impressive when winning over six furlongs on Lingfield’s artificial surface May 26, and received a form boost after runner-up Lolla Fincess (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}) duly obliged on the turf there last week.
Nowadays, no juvenile contest would be complete without Wesley Ward representation, and he does not disappoint, saddling ‘TDN Rising Star’ Laxfield Road (Quality Road) and Back at the Ranch (Artie Schiller) for this distaffers’ test. Laxfield Road created a huge impression in her only start to date, making all to win a 4 1/2 furlong maiden by over 11 lengths on the Keeneland dirt Apr. 22. Back at the Ranch was denied late in her Keeneland debut Apr. 15 and easily justified odds-on favoritism going five furlongs of the Belmont main track last time May 7.
Team Valor was denied a throw of the dice when Euro Charline (GB) (Myboycharlie {Ire}) was a controversial scratching from Wednesday’s G2 Duke of Cambridge S. after causing trouble behind the gate, and will seek retribution with Eoghan O’Neill incumbent Spanish Romance (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}). She was acquired by current connections after streaking to a five-length debut score for the France-based Irishman at Chantilly in April, and doubled up in equally convincing fashion over the same course and distance when lowering the colors of the previously unbeaten yardstick Du Pyla (Fr) (Vertigineux {Fr}) last month. The manner of that victory suggests this extra furlong should pose no problem. “She’s traveled over well and we’re happy to be here,” said O’Neill. “In her last race, she beat a horse that had already won a couple of times [Du Pyla] and Stan Moore’s French Encore, who had previously won at Saint-Cloud and has since won easily at Bath. I haven’t trained too many world beaters, but I’ve trained some nice 2-year-olds that have won races like the [G2] Champagne S. and the [G2] Richmond S., and her work is as good as any of them. I don’t think she’ll have any problem with the ground and we’ll see what she can do.”
Elegant Supermodel (Ger) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) is another unbeaten winner of two crossing the English Channel from France and lines up off a brace of easy wins, within the space of five days last month, at Chateaubriant and Lyon-Parilly.