Hot to Trot: Royal Ascot special

Jim Bolger

Jim Bolger has had a rather stop-start beginning to this Flat season, saddling just 11 winners in the months of March, April and May (a strike rate of just under 7%), which by his high standards is rather low. His figures in June look rather more promising at the moment, however, with six winners from 15 saddled runners and an impressive strike rate of 40%, and his runners could be worth keeping an eye on next week at Royal Ascot. Those runners include the likes of Herald The Dawn, who was well beaten in the 2000 Guineas on his return this season, but may well be suited by the return to seven furlongs in the Jersey Stakes (free-going sort), and Lucida, who was beaten less than a length in last year’s Coronation Stakes and should have come on plenty for her reappearance this season in the Lanwades Stud Stakes, where she was easy to back on ground softer than ideal for her.

Roger Charlton

After a strong second half of May (five winners from 16 runners from the 14^th onwards) Roger Charlton is heading into Royal Ascot in fine form, and after Pure Fantasy’s win in the Queen’s colours at Nottingham on Thursday, he has now saddled three winners from his last four runners. Of his entries next week his biggest chance would seemingly be Time Test (currently 3/1 for the Prince of Wales’s behind hot favourite A Shin Hikari) who put up his best performance so far on Timeform ratings when winning the Brigadier Gerard under a 5 lb Group 2 penalty on his reappearance this season. Huntsmans Close is also a lively contender for the Wokingham Stakes on Saturday, while Quest For More will have place claims if turning up in Thursday’s Gold Cup, after a pleasing second on his reappearance at York last month.

Simon Crisford

Simon Crisford only sent out his first runner in January 2015, but he has created a favourable impression since, and ended his first season with an overall strike-rate of 26%. First Selection provided Crisford with his first Royal Ascot runner last season (finished ninth in the Coventry Stakes), and after finishing second to The Gurkha in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains at Deauville with a career-best performance last month, is well worth his place at the Royal meeting once again, be it in the Jersey over seven furlongs or in the red-hot St James’s Palace over a mile. Strong-travelling Victoria Cup second Mutawathea would be an intriguing contender in the Wokingham Stakes dropping back to sprinting for the first time since his maiden win, whilst impressive maiden winner Mokarris remains open to significant improvement and could make his second start in this year’s Coventry Stakes.