Royal Ascot Meeting 2016: Day Three Preview

Her Majesty The Queen helped land a touch on the opening day of Royal Ascot, sporting a vibrant yellow number (3/1 chance), and is sure to win the best turned out award on Thursday as the racecourse honours her 90^th birthday by renaming the feature race on Day Three, the Group 1 Gold Cup.

There may be no Estimate this year, who won in The Queen’s colours in 2013, but the St George’s flag could be waved once more regardless as Order of St George is the red-hot favourite for the Gold Cup and will bid to follow in the footsteps of Yeats (four times), Fame and Glory, and Leading Light, who all won this race for his trainer Aidan O’Brien. Among Order of St George’s 2015 victories, his 11-length win in the Irish St Leger stands out, as he produced the best performance by a stayer in Europe. He confirmed his well-being in the five-runner listed Saval Beg Stakes at Leopardstown on his reappearance this month, a race his trainer regularly uses as a stepping stone to this contest.

Melbourne Cup runner-up Max Dynamite wasn't at his best on his return when three and three-quarter lengths third of four to Pallasator in the Henry II Stakes at Sandown, but he can leave that form behind here. One horse with winning Ascot form to his name is dual Sagaro Stakes winner Mizzou, who chased home Max Dynamite in the Lonsdale Cup at York last August. Sir Mark Prescott's Pallasator tends to prove troublesome in the preliminaries/on his way to post but is a very smart stayer when he gets it right, as he showed again when winning the Henry II on his reappearance.

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Michita in 2008 was the last Ribblesdale Stakes winner to have previously run in the Oaks at Epsom and – with just 13 days separating the two races this year – Oaks runner-up Architecture is turned out quickly again. Hugo Palmer’s charge took a big step forward from her reappearance second in the Lingfield Oaks Trial when only finding the very smart Minding too strong at Epsom and a repeat of that run could be enough, given she was eight lengths clear of the third home, Harlequeen. The victory of 2000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold in the St James’s Palace on Tuesday, coupled with Palmer’s already excellent record in top-level races, means that Architecture is the horse to beat.

Aidan O’Brien won this race in 2014 with Bracelet and has a strong contender this year in the form of Even Song, who was third on her reappearance at Newmarket in May and has since swerved a run at Epsom in favour of this Group 2 contest. Queen’s Trust - a typical improver from the yard - is rated better than her defeat at Newbury, also in May, while Sovereign Parade has been well-supported for this race since being added to the field. John Gosden’s filly was sent off at 5/6 when winning on her debut at Salisbury and is likely to improve on that bare form now upped in tip.

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Day Three begins with the Group 2 Norfolk Stakes, in which Peace Envoy’s jockey Ryan Moore will be hoping to beat Global Applause, a horse he has ridden on all three starts prior to this meeting. Improving three-year-olds, including Abdon, contest the Group 3 Tercentenary Stakes, while the second-season handicappers get a chance to shine in the final two races on the card. Garcia, Chief Whip and Out And About are just three of several to have caught the eye here at Timeform ahead of the Britannia Stakes, with preference for the last-named who is expected to improve again for this longer trip. Primitivo is probably the most in-form horse running at the meeting, having won his last three races in style, and should take plenty of beating in the closing King George V Stakes.