Racing week: Royal Ascot round-up
Speciosa runs out of steam
Nannina ranks supreme as Europe’s champion filly, having trumped a trio of European classic winners in Friday’s Coronation Stakes, including 1,000 Guineas winner Speciosa (pictured).
Speciosa set the pace but once over taken by Jimmy Fortune and Nannina, she fell right back to finish eighth. Her trainer Pam Sly was not worried by her performance and will give her a rest prior to beginning an autumn campaign.
Soccer is no substitute
Viewing figures released by the BBC on the first day of Royal Ascot suggested that the World Cup match between Germany and Ecuador on ITV had not been a rival, An average audience of 1.6 million compares favourably with the 2005 figures. The BBC has stated that a true comparison between 2006 Ascot viewing numbers and 2005 cannot be released until after the meeting is over.
Victory for Ouija Board
Ouija Board demonstrated her turn of speed at Ascot, winning the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. The five-year old filly has already won the English and Irish Oaks, the Hong King vase and Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
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The filly will now be considered for the Eclipse and her ultimate aim is the Breeders’ Cup.
Disaster for Dettori
Frankie Dettori is not having his best Ascot. On Friday he collected a six-day riding ban for breaching whip instructions, ruling him out of the Coral-Eclipse Stakes.
On Thursday he picked up two days for careless riding on Guadalajara in the Ascot Gold Cup. The incidents have over shadowed his triumph of the meeting when he won on Sander Camillo in the Albany Stakes on Friday.
Yeats wins Gold Cup
Yeats produced a flamboyant victory in the two-and-a-half mile Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. The five-year-old won Europe’s premier staying prize by an impressive four lengths from Reefscape. The victory marks his second Group 1 success since the Coronation Cup at Epsom last year.
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