Ratings Update: Royal Ascot Two-Year-Olds

Coventry Stakes

The premier two-year-old race of the meeting attracted the customary large field, the vast majority of the runners promising, though, in the event, the market got the outcome spot on with the first three in the betting filling the first three places.

Arizona (up 7 lb to 110p) provided Aidan O’Brien with a seventh success in the race since 2001, and while his performance was only an average one for the race, he looks the type to go on progressing from here. Indeed, he was just about the pick on looks and should continue to take all the beating in the best races for his age group this summer, with the way he finished his race suggesting that seven furlongs will prove well within his range, too.

Of the remainder, Threat (up 8 lb to 108p) built on his debut promise in second, just not so clued up as the winner, and he should be up to winning in pattern company with further improvement on the cards, while similar comments apply to the third Guildsman (108p from 104), who shaped with plenty of encouragement only 11 days on from his eye-catching debut at Goodwood.

Queen Mary Stakes

All the pace in the Queen Mary Stakes was on the stand side, and both the winner Raffle Prize (104 from 88p) and runner-up Kimari (up 1 lb to 104p) arguably deserve extra credit having been towards the head of affairs from the start, doing well to sustain their runs for the full five furlongs.

Raffle Prize was already a winner over six and showed improved form with the emphasis on stamina at this trip, finding plenty to get on top close home. Admittedly, Mark Johnston’s charge doesn’t possess as much scope as some of these, but she's clearly useful and likely to be competitive again in the better sprint races for her sex. Kimari was unable to emulate the likes of Acapulco and Lady Aurelia by winning this race for Wesley Ward, but she still ran a cracker on just her second start and is sure to get more reward for her speed another day.

The frame was completed by Final Song (remains on 99p), who left the impression she is ready for six furlongs, and Liberty Beach (up 4 lb to 96p), who shaped better than the bare result in coming out on top of the disadvantaged far-side group.

Raffle Prize wins the opening race of the day at @Ascot in the Queen Mary Stakes

Great start for @FrankieDettori and Mark Johnston#RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/buyffQ7ibk

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 19, 2019

Windsor Castle Stakes

A strong gallop on rain-softened ground meant that the emphasis was firmly on stamina in this year’s Windsor Castle, and it was probably no coincidence that the winner Southern Hills (up 7 lb to 101) and runner-up Platinum Star (99 from 90p) had already been tried over six furlongs.

The busy finish suggests that this was just an ordinary renewal, though Southern Hills – incidentally, a first Royal Ascot winner for his first-season sire Gleneagles – has improved with each run to date, and it would be hard to rule out further progress, especially as he'll have the option of going back up in trip. Another who appears to be crying out for further is the third Glasvegas (up 7 lb to 98p); he was outpaced at halfway, but made eye-catching late headway to be beaten just half a length.

Norfolk Stakes

There is every reason to think that this was an up-to-scratch Norfolk, with a couple of the more likely types pulling clear, A'Ali (up 5 lb to 108p) becoming the first maiden to win this race since 1990, his effort bordering on smart, albeit a little way below the level recorded by Arizona in the Coventry.

The winner had run to a very high level for a newcomer when touched off at Ripon – look out for the winner Spartan Fighter next-time-out – and he fully confirmed the promise he'd shaped with there to get off the mark, just pushed out to beat the fast-finishing Ventura Rebel (107 from 101p) by a neck. A first Royal Ascot winner for trainer Simon Crisford, he looks sure to go on improving, with this trip likely to prove his optimum for the time being at least.

Ventura Rebel, on the other hand, has been doing his best work in the closing stages on each start to date and may prove capable of better still when stepping up to six furlongs, while the third Dubai Station (up 5 lb to 105p) ran at least as well in defeat as when winning the time before. He remains with potential considering he had to make his effort away from the first two here.

A'ali shows an electrifying turn of foot to stretch clear and take the Norfolk Stakes 🚀

And it's a victory in the opening race on day three for @FrankieDettori 👏#RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/vCdPyLpr56

— Ascot Racecourse (@Ascot) June 20, 2019

Albany Stakes

The Albany Stakes attracted the largest field in the race’s history, and while plenty looked to be making up the numbers – 12 of the 26 runners started at odds of 25/1 or bigger – there were several sets of connections who will have been celebrating their boldness afterwards, with the places behind the winner Daahyeh (up 12 lb to 106p) being filled by horses at 25/1, 100/1 and 50/1.

For her part, Daahyeh had beaten Queen Mary winner Raffle Prize on her debut at Newmarket, and she built on that performance with a ready success in this higher grade, looking a smart filly in the making as she finished strongly to overhaul Celtic Beauty (101 from 89p) close home. She remains open to more improvement and is likely to be a serious contender for top honours in the division, with the Duchess of Cambridge and Lowther the obvious route.

The three who chased her home – the maidens Aroha (up 19 lb to 97) and Alabama Whitman (93 from 75p) completed the frame – were perhaps helped by being held up in a strongly-run race (pace collapsed late on), and whether they will be able to reproduce this sort of form when things develop less favourably for them remains to be seen.

Chesham Stakes

Royal Ascot saved the best two-year-old performance of the week for last, with Pinatubo (up 11 lb to 112p) putting favourite Lope Y Fernandez (102p from 93P) to the sword in the final furlong of the Chesham Stakes, becoming Timeform's highest-rated winner of the race since at least 1992 in the process.

A decisive winner of his previous start in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom, Pinatubo appeared to relish the longer trip here, always travelling sweetly and quickly forging clear after the runner-up had momentarily looked a big threat two furlongs out, as far as three and a quarter lengths clear at the line. The feeling remains that we are only just scratching the surface of his potential, and he is very much one to keep on the right side as he moves into pattern company.

Lope Y Fernandez is seemingly held in high regard and looked a smart prospect in his own right here, one who is sure to win more races, while the third Highland Chief (up 15 lb to 99p) was much improved from his debut after 10 weeks off and is another to take out of what looked a warm renewal.

Pinatubo wins the Chesham Stakes in style under @the_doyler

Great start to the day for Godolphin#RoyalAscot pic.twitter.com/GMqFCp1CzD

— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 22, 2019