Ryan Moore after the 2014 QIPCO Champion Stakes – can he ride another treble today?
After a Ryan Moore treble on opening day and standout performances from Solow and Gleneagles, the second day of Royal Ascot 2015 has a lot to live up to.
But with the temperatures set to climb and six ultra-competitive contests lined up for Wednesday there is plenty to look forward to as the world’s most famous racecourse prepares to welcome thousands more spectators.
The showpiece event of the second day – and, for some, their favourite race of the entire meeting – is the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes (1620) over a mile-and-a-quarter. It’s a truly international affair that sees middle-distance stars from Britain, France, Japan, Ireland and Australia line-up for the most prestigious ten-furlong prize of the season so far.
Byword,winning the Gr1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, Royal Ascot
Heading the market is Dermot Weld’s Free Eagle, a colt who has always been held in high esteem but who suffered an injury-plagued season in 2014. He was last seen here at Ascot in October, finishing third in the Champion Stakes on British Champions Day behind Noble Mission, and will need to be on top of his game for his seasonal reappearance to see off the likes of The Grey Gatsby, Ectot, Spielberg, Criterion and Cannock Chase.
The opening race on the card, the Jersey Stakes (1430), features several beaten Guineas horses seeking valuable compensation over the slightly shorter trip of seven furlongs, while the Royal Hunt Cup (1700), over a mile, is arguably Royal Ascot’s most famous handicap.
On top of all this there are a pair of Group 2 races for fillies in the shape of the Queen Mary Stakes (1505) and the Duke of Cambridge Stakes (1540), while the day is rounded off with the Sandringham Handicap (1735), another race for the fairer sex. Can Ryan Moore bag another treble? He’s got another fantastic book of rides, so stranger things have happened. We can’t wait to find out…
