A total of 13 rivals will line up against Tepin (Bernstein) as she bids to transfer her Stateside prowess to English terrain in Tuesday's Royal Ascot-opening G1 Queen Anne S. With the ground now certain to ride on the soft side of good, the mare, who is on a streak of successes, has to prove her versatility as she bids to erase the memory of the flop of fellow American raider Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}) who was only 11th when the 5-4 favourite in 2013. Robert Masterson's 5-year-old has at least shown brilliance on soft before, when taking Keeneland's GI First Lady S. by seven lengths and the reigning GI Breeders' Cup Mile title-holder is drawn in stall 12 in a renewal that could be dominated by fillies and mares. Fellow top-level scorers Amazing Maria (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Ervedya (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Esoterique (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) are some of the chief protagonists and all have proven capable of handling ease in the ground throughout their illustrious careers.
Ascot's clerk of the course Chris Stickels said on Sunday, “It is currently good-to-soft on the straight course and good-to-soft, soft in places on the round course. We've had three millimetres of rain since 8 a.m. this morning and it is still drizzling. I will take a further look this afternoon and update if need be. The forecast is for unsettled weather all week and it is simply annoying. There is nothing we can do about it. I suppose we haven't had a proper soft-ground Royal meeting for some time and it will suit some horses, but for the majority I shouldn't think it would. We are forecast to get between five and seven millimetres tomorrow, three to five on Wednesday and between four and five on Thursday. While it drains well, once you get to good-to-soft, three to four millimetres of rain is all it will take to turn it soft. Once you get juice in it, it takes time to dry out and I'd say the prospect of good ground is very unlikely now.”
Wesley Ward was rueing the rain on Sunday as he considered the options for his Royal team, with Tuesday's G2 King's Stand S. hopeful Acapulco (Scat Daddy) one who will not appreciate the softened turf coming off a win in the May 14 Listed Sidney S.
“The rain is probably going to hurt all my chances, which is a shame,” Ward commented. “But what can you do? You work as hard as you can to get these horses in the best shape, but there is nothing you can do about the weather. Acapulco has won two this year and she took her race well at Churchill Downs last month. She's been doing everything you'd want her to do since.”
Last year's G1 Diamond Jubilee S. winner Undrafted (Purim) is a doubtful starter for Saturday's crown defence if the rain continues.
“Wes [Welker] is coming over this time–all the gang will be coming,” Ward continued. “He missed his win last year, which he wasn't too thrilled about. But Undrafted would want it fast and firm, so I don't know whether he will run. We'll see how the ground is and discuss it when we get there. If it is too soggy, he won't run.”
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