Royal Ascot Meeting 2016: Day Two Preview

Though each day of Royal Ascot comes with its own challenge in finding winners, the second day of the Royal meeting, which features 117 declared runners over six races, must be one of the toughest. More on the delightfully tricky handicaps later on, but first, the feature race on Day Two: the Group 1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes.

A Shin Hikari has dominated the build up to this year’s renewal. The Japanese-trained horse is a top-class performer who has won 10 of his 12 races, including the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin. He was relatively unconsidered on his reappearance/European debut when winning the Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan by 10 lengths from Dariyan, putting in a performance that Timeform rate as the best seen in Europe so far this season.

Aidan O’Brien won this race in 2012 with So You Think and he saddles Found this time around. She won the Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland last term and ran well this season behind Fascinating Rock in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh and Postponed in the Coronation Cup at Epsom. The Grey Gatsby was as good as ever last year when a runner-up in this race (looked unlucky to be beaten a short head by Free Eagle). He missed his intended reappearance in the Tattersalls Gold Cup last month due to unsuitable ground and further rain would put his participation in doubt here. One horse who will love testing ground is My Dream Boat who was below form when 14 lengths fifth behind A Shin Hikari in the Prix d'Ispahan last time, but it’s too early to discount him given his previously progressive profile.

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The Duke of Cambridge Stakes (formerly known as the Windsor Forest) is a Group 2 race over a mile for fillies and mares aged four or older. Sir Michael Stoute has dominated this contest since its inception in 2004, winning four of the 12 renewals, including with Integral two years ago. However, with no runner in the race this year, the Newmarket handler will instead have to sit back and enjoy the show. That segue leads us nicely to the favourite Usherette. Andre Fabre’s filly was only seventh to last year’s winner of this race, Amazing Maria, at Deauville last summer but has won all five of her other starts, having only made her debut in March 2015. She completed a hat-trick when beating Arabian Queen by a length in the Group 2 Dahlia Stakes over nine furlongs at Newmarket last month.

Usherette is one of four Godolphin runners in the race, including Always Smile. Saeed bin Suroor’s filly won her first three starts, including two handicaps last year, and was also a nose second to Osaila in the listed Sandringham Handicap over this C&D at this meeting 12 months ago. Hoping to foil the Godolphin challenge is Jazzi Top. She won a Deauville Group 2 last August, before rounding off her campaign with an excellent second to Covert Love in the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera at Longchamp. Miss Temple City is a US-trained filly who was 50/1 when finishing two lengths fourth of nine to Ervedya in last year’s Coronation Stakes. She has shown slightly better form since, including when making a winning return in a Grade 1 at Keeneland in April.

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The handicaps: “Let bravery be thy choice, but not bravado.” Menander, Greek dramatist.

GM Hopkins won the Royal Hunt Cup last year from an 11 lb lower mark but that was on ground faster than ideal and he’s not discounted here, especially after an excellent effort in the Group 1 Lockinge last time out. However, Balty Boys – fourth last year and teed up again for the race – and Donncha – an eyecatcher at York last time out – rate big dangers. In the Sandringham, the ground has come right for Irish 1000 Guineas fourth Czabo who won a listed race at Deauville last time and is still open to more improvement.

Day Two begins with the Group 3 Jersey Stakes over seven furlongs, and also features the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes, a five furlong sprint for two-year-olds.