14 Jun Major talking points ahead of Royal Ascot 2022
With the Oaks and the Derby, the third and fourth British Classics of the 2022 flat season, recently taking place at Epsom Downs in Surrey, attention is quickly turning to Berkshire for this year’s renewal of Royal Ascot —which will have an added buzz around it as jubilant fans return to the meeting in full capacity for the first time since 2019.
One of the most prestigious venues in the entirety of British racing, with five action-packed days of top-quality racing — including eight Group 1 contests; it’s no wonder Royal Ascot is one of the most anticipated meetings on the flat calendar. And, since there’s not long to wait until the course reopens its gate, let’s take a look at some of the major talking point ahead of the 2022 renewal.
Can Stradivarius land a fourth Gold Cup?
The Gold Cup racing betting market is endlessly fluctuating in the build-up to Ascot, with very little to separate Stradivarius, Trueshan and Kyprios at the fore of the market after all three have made impressive starts to the season. But the big question is whether or not the former can win the meeting’s highlight for a record-equaling fourth time?
Hollie Doyle and Trueshan were the long-time favourites, as the jockey was tipped to become the first female to win the Gold Cup, but the ante-post market has now been blown wide-open and fans of Stradivarius will be licking their lips at the prospect of the John Gosden-trained legend matching Yeats’ record after rolling back the years with a monumental victory in the Yorkshire Cup.
Adayar set to bypass Royal Ascot
The return of 2021 Derby winner Adayar has been highly anticipated this campaign, with fans excited to see if the Godolphin-owned horse can bounce back after his form tailed off somewhat in the latter part of last season — when he could fare no better than fourth in l’Arc de Triomphe and fifth in the Champion Stakes.
But it seems that that grueling season, which was made up of six races, has taken more out of the Charlie Appleby-trained star than first thought. Adayar was ruled out of the Group 1 Coronation Cup at the Epsom Derby Festival and the Moulton Paddocks handler has now confirmed the four-year-old will also miss Royal Ascot —where he was due to reappear in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes.
The return of Inspiral
While Adayar is set to miss out on a reappearance at Ascot, Cheveley Park Stud’s exciting Inspiral is due to make her long-awaited return at the royal meeting. The three-year-old was the tipped to win both the 1,000 Guineas and the Oaks this year but missed both after suffering a setback.
The Gosdens will be hoping that their unbeaten filly, who won all four of her outings last season — including the Group 2 May Hill Stakes at Doncaster and the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket — can add to her success with a victory in the top-level Coronation Stakes. But Dermot Weld’s Homeless Songs is the new favourite for the one-mile contest after winning the Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh.
Will the Queen gain access to the winners’ enclosure?
Her Majesty’s plans to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee at the Derby Festival were quashed when it was revealedthat she wanted to ‘pace herself’ over the course of the bank holiday weekend. But it still looks likely that she will attend Royal Ascot for the first time since 2019, and after having no runners in the Derby, we’re sure she’d like a winner in Berkshire.
Reach For The Moon, who ran out of time to return to full fitness before the Derby, appears to be the Queen’s best chance out of her handful of entries at the meeting. The Gosden-trained horse is an 8/1 shot to win the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes but will face stiff competition from the likes of Appleby’s Ottoman Fleet and Aidan O’Brien’s Changingoftheguard.
