Royal Ascot

Glass Slippers (GB) (Dream Ahead), the winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland last November, will head straight to Royal Ascot for her 2021 debut, the G2 Temple S. at Haydock having been ruled out. Both the G1 King's Stand S. and the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. are options for the 2020 G1 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five S. heroine. "We're skipping the Temple S.," trainer Kevin Ryan said. "We'll go straight to Ascot, or at least that's the plan. She's in both races and we'll decide a...

Group 2 winner Laws of Indices (Ire) (Power {GB}), fourth in the G3 Goffs Lacken S. at Naas on May 16, will likely make a quick return in the G2 Sandy Lane S. at Haydock on May 22. Successful in the G2 Railway S. as a juvenile and third in the 2020 G1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in October, the Ken Condon trainee was fifth in the Listed Ballylinch Stud "Red Rocks" 2000 Guineas Trial S. at Leopardstown in the wake of subsequent G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas victor Poetic Flare...

Shadwell's Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is aiming to defend his G1 King's Stand S. title at Royal Ascot and is training well trainer Charlie Hills reports. The 7-year-old gelding is thriving at Hills's yard in Lamborne after recovering from a small fracture sustained in the off season. The bay was undefeated in three starts last term, beginning in with the King's Stand in June, followed by the July 31 G2 King George Qatar S. and the Aug. 21 G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. "Battaash has been back with us a...

Sunday's G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint S. victress Hermana Estrella (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) is being aimed at a start in the G3 Albany S. at Royal Ascot on June 18. The filly, a 50-1 longshot at Naas, was making her first start and has come out of the race well. "She'd been working well at home," said trainer Fozzy Stack. "She hasn't been away to work or anything and hasn't even worked on grass, so it was actually a very good performance. "She'd shown plenty of talent at...

Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), a close second in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas earlier this month has sustained a setback in training and will miss Royal Ascot in June, Godolphin announced on Monday. A winner of the G3 Craven S. at Newmarket in April, and the G2 Superlative S. at two, the Charlie Appleby trainee had been pointed at the G1 St James's Palace S. "2000 Guineas runner up Master Of The Seas unfortunately had a setback after training on Saturday and will now be on the...

The Godolphin G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas team has excited the Newmarket showpiece in good order according to trainer Charlie Appleby. Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who ran second in the Guineas, is being freshening before returning in the June 15 G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot. Fourth-place finisher Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is also expected to be in action at the Royal meeting, although in the G3 Jersey S. on June 19. Rounding out the Appleby Guineas trio is One Ruler (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who...

Four weeks after warning that Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) may miss the chance to defend his title in the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot, trainer Charlie Hills issued an upbeat bulletin on the 7-year-old gelding on Thursday, saying "at the moment there's no reason why he wouldn't make it [to Ascot]." Battaash won all three starts last year, taking a fourth consecutive G2 King George S. and a second G1 Nunthorpe S. in addition to the King's Stand, but the Shadwell colourbearer picked up a minor fracture...

Entries for 12 races-including all eight Group 1s-across the five days of Royal Ascot from June 15 to 19 were revealed on Wednesday, with a strong contingent of eight standing their ground from America. Last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Aunt Pearl (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who was sourced at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale by American owners Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, Peter Deutsch, Michael Kisber and The Elkstone Group, makes her seasonal debut in Friday's GII Edgewood S. at Churchill Downs and, if all goes...

Of all the different ways our community is slowly retrieving its bearings, few can be as heartening as the return of the Keeneland spring meet. Its loss, last year, was one of the first crashing waves of Covid's inundation across so many routine pleasures. And last weekend could scarcely have offered more reassuring navigational markers. The fans privileged to return to their boxes saw a Derby favorite warming up in the GII Blue Grass S. and, if uncertain in their wagering, could simply back the hometown barn of Wesley Ward,...

Group 1 winner Subjectivist (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), a winner of the G2 Dubai Gold Cup on Mar. 27, is likely to start next in the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June. Successful at the highest level in the Prix Royal-Oak last fall, the Dr. Walker colourbearer also saluted in the G3 March S. on Aug. 29 and earlier in the season won the Listed Glasgow S. "He had a fantastic campaign last year--we always thought of him as a genuine St Leger horse, but that was probably his...

Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire})'s bid to defend his G1 King's Stand S. title could be in jeopardy, with the 7-year-old's return to trainer Charlie Hills's yard delayed after he picked up an injury while wintering at Shadwell. Battaash sustained a small fracture over the winter, however he is back cantering and is expected to return to Hills in a matter of weeks. "He just had a tiny little fracture in a joint during the winter and we've had to give him plenty of time off. He's had a pin...

World Pool betting will be available for the Dubai World Cup meeting on Mar. 27, the Hong Kong Jockey Club announced on Tuesday. The 2019 Royal Ascot meeting was the first time World Pool betting was available from the HKJC and resulted in a 60% increase in turnover. During the Mar. 6 Super Saturday card in Dubai, local turnover increased 28.5% and commingled turnover rose 38.7% with World Pool wagering available. Mr. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Chief Executive Officer, said, "The commingling development in Hong Kong has...