Royal Ascot

Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), runner up behind The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire}) in the June 19 G2 Nortfolk S. at Royal Ascot, will make his next start in York's G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. Aug. 21. The juvenile had been scheduled to contest this weekend's Tyro S. at Monmouth Park in New Jersey, however, was withdrawn after the race came off the turf due to heavy rain. Trainer Wesley Ward has finished second in two prior tries in five-furlong Nunthorpe with Acapulco (Scat Daddy) and Lady Aurelia (Scat...

MGSW Duke of Hazzard (Fr) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), who G3 Bonhams Thoroughbred S. and G2 Celebration Mile S. at Goodwood last August, will now be pointed at the G1 Prix Jacques le Marois. Unplaced in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot upon resuming on June 16, the 4-year-old improved to third in the G2 Summer Mile S. there on July 11 and went one better in the July 28 G2 Lennox S. last out for trainers Paul and Oliver Cole. "I think the plan will be to...

The upcoming Qatar Goodwood Festival will provide live weather data from TurfTrax, the Cambridgeshire-based technology company announced on Sunday. Developed in conjunction with a number of leading UK racecourses, the system provides horsemen, media and the general public with up-to-the minute GoingStick readings, going maps, irrigation and rails positions, as well as detailed live weather data comprising wind speed and direction, rainfall and soil moisture content via a dedicated webpage. This technology was previous used with success at Royal Ascot and Newmarket's July Cup Festival. "We have been delighted with...

A total of £400,000 was raised by frontline charities during Royal Ascot this year. Approximately £166,000 was contributed by the #StyledWithThanks programme, and Ascot Racecourse's direct fundraising benefitted The NationalEmergencies Trust Relief Fund, NH Charities Together, The Care Workers Charity and the Berkshire Community Foundation Coronavirus Fund. Prizes were awarded for Most Elegant, Most Uplifting and Most Original as judged by a panel of fashion industry experts. An online auction of rainbow-themed hats-in partnership with the British Hat Guild-generated £24,000, and the campaign was given another £30,000 boost when 2020...

No one could win from stall one. That's what Stonestreet Stables' Barbara Banke heard throughout the Royal Ascot Meeting as she prepared to watch her juvenile filly Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) make her second lifetime start in the G2 Queen Mary S. on the final day of the meet. "All during the week I kept hearing that nobody was winning from the one post position, and that we probably couldn't either," Banke said. [tdn_vimeo_embed title="Royal Ascot winner Campanelle " admp4="https://player.vimeo.com/external/418394033.sd.mp4?s=0121a3f9c4d43a70d24b60066df4ab4d2e6ba32c&profile_id=165" videomp4= "https://player.vimeo.com/external/434718483.sd.mp4?s=62363e673d01aaf9d1573e14441445f358bc854d&profile_id=165" thumbnail= ""] So from California, the top American...

Is the grass really greener on the other side of the fence? That's certainly a plausible inference, looking at the latest Grade I event staged on American turf. Of the seven fillies and mares contesting the Just A Game S. at Belmont on Saturday, four were bred in Europe; and three of those also started their track careers there. Moreover the solitary American winner at Royal Ascot was actually bred and raised in Ireland, and exported only last fall from Tattersalls. It stands to reason, of course, if European blood...

Among some memorable performances at Royal Ascot last week, two that stood out at opposite ends of the distance spectrum were provided by Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}). The sprinter and the stayer may be poles apart in some respects, but what they share is the fact that, at the age of six, they have been around long enough to be taken to the hearts of the racing public. Six also unites their respective jockeys, Jim Crowley and Frankie Dettori, as that was...

Wesley Ward runner Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), who won the G2 Queen Mary S. on Saturday, is being targeted at the G1 Prix Morny at Deauville in France later this summer. Ward was not on hand at Royal Ascot due to the ongoing coronavirus, but instead watched from his base at Keeneland. He said, "The Prix Morny is where we're headed [with Campanelle]. She'll come home now and have a couple of gallops on the beautiful grass here in Keeneland, and hopefully then she'll be ready to ship to Deauville....

Group 2 winner Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) remains on course for the G1 Investec Derby as long as he continues to please trainer William Muir ahead of the premier Classic on July 4.The Harbour Watch colt put himself in the picture for the Epsom showpiece with a convincing victory in the King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot. Muir reports his stable star to have taken those exertions in his stride, so far. "He's been fine since the race, he's absolutely wonderful," said the Lambourn handler. "As I've said...

For the past few years, we have celebrated the highs and sometimes lows, of the Royal Ascot meet with A Tip of the Top Hat awards. Originally over these five days, we presented `The Down the Stretch' awards, but the homestretch at Ascot is a gradual uphill tussle. I think it is much harder for a thoroughbred to pull, to dig down deep on the incline in the final three furlongs. Very trying and tiring. Thus, the Up The Stretch Awards. Here are the 2020 STRECHIE winners. The winner of...

Back in April, when major sporting events across the world were being cancelled left, right and centre, the management team at the Queen's racecourse took the decision that, if racing had resumed in time, Royal Ascot would go ahead behind closed doors. The announcement was met with incredulity in some quarters, particularly by those keen to blame the spread of coronavirus on the Cheltenham Festival, but thank goodness Ascot stuck to its resolve to go ahead, even in extraordinary circumstances. Of course the meeting lost some of its lustre, just...

The Tote's Royal Ascot World Pool, which encompassed all 36 races at the meeting and took betting from 20 nations into a single pool, grew 49% from last year with a total £137-million bet. The Tote Win price beat the Industry Starting Price (SP) on 19 occasions across the 36 races and with Tote Guarantee in place the Tote has matched SP on the remaining occasions. This resulted in a 9% higher return on the Tote based on placing a £1 bet on each winner during the week. Alex Frost,...