A day after Italian jockey Frankie Dettori put on an incredible four-win performance at Royal Ascot, the prestigious meet moves on to Day 4 Friday, with two main events – the Commonwealth Cup (GIT) for 3-year-old sprinters and Coronation Stakes (GIT) for sophomore fillies going a mile.
Post time for the first of six races is 9:30 a.m. ET, and all races can be seen live in America on the NBC Sports Network.
Dettori had a sensational Thursday, capping off his four victories with a thrilling win in the Gold Cup aboard favorite Stradivarius. He is scheduled to ride Advertise in the Commonwealth Cup, and Twist ‘N’ Shake in the Coronation Stakes.
The six-furlong Commonwealth Cup is the only Group 1 flat race in Britain for 3-year-olds that permits geldings and is the first age-restricted Group 1 open to geldings in Europe overall. The race was created for the 2015 Royal Ascot season to attract sprint horses based in Europe, a division many deemed previously underappreciated. This year nine are expected to break from the gate. Post time is 10:40 a.m.
Ten Sovereigns – Photo Courtesy of Coolmore (Coolmore.com)
Ten Sovereigns looks like the horse to beat. He is a son of 2013 Ascot winner No Nay Never and is coming off a fifth-place finish in the Quipco Two Thousand Guineas (GIT) at Newmarket six weeks ago. He won the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes (GIT) at this distance last year and is also an Irish Group 2 winner. This colt’s connections teamed up for Carvaggio’s win in this race in 2017.
Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum’s Jash finished second in the Middle Park and is trained by Simon Crisford. The son of Kodiac is coming off a listed stakes win at Newmarket as a prep for this race. Jim Crowley will ride. Sheikh Hamdan, who has been represented by two winners in the race so far since its inception, also has the Charlie Hills-trained Khaadem entered.
Hello Youmzain won the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock in his most recent start and looks for his first Group 1 victory. Kevin Ryan trains and Kevin Stott will be aboard for owner Jaber Abdullah.
Forever In Dreams makes her first start for the Phoenix Ladies Syndicate after being bought privately for £430,000 at Monday’s London Sale.
Advertise won three six-furlong races as a 2-year-old, and is trained by Martyn Meade.
Coronation Stakes set to crown Ascot princess
Ten fillies are set to head to the gate and race a mile in the Coronation Stakes (GIT), a race created in 1840 to celebrate the ascension to the throne of Queen Victoria and has been a staple of the Royal Ascot meet
Hermosa – Photo Courtesy of Coolmore (Coolmore.com)
English and Irish One Thousand Guineas (GIT) winner Hermosa is the filly to beat and seeks a third consecutive victory in 2019. The Coolmore-owned daughter of Galileo would be the fourth winner of this race for his owners and trainer Aidan O’Brien and third for jockey Ryan Moore. The group will also have Anthasi Stakes (GIIIT) winner Happen, a daughter of top American sire War Front, in this race.
Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms will send out the well-bred Jubiloso, who is out of the Oasis Dream mare Joyeuse, who is a half-sister to the great Frankel. Jubiloso has two easy wins at Chelmsford and Newbury and could be a top contender despite the jump in class to Group 1 company.
Castle Lady is Godolphin’s top runner and is undefeated coming off her victory in the Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (GIT) at Longchamp five weeks ago. The daughter of Shamardal also won the Prix de la Grotte (GIIIT) and seems to be improving with each start. Henri-Alex Pantall trains and jockey Mickael Barzalona will ride. All of this filly’s connections have yet to win this race.
- J. and T.C.O. Gredle’s Pretty Pollyanna, a daughter of Oasis Dream, won the Darley Prix Morny (GIT) at Longchamp last year, but hasn’t won in three tries since including in the Irish One Thousand Guineas (GIT) last out where she was soundly defeated by Hermosa. She’s loaded with talent, though, and her best could lead to a victory. Michael Bell trains and Silvestre de Souza will be aboard.
Helena Springfield Ltd’s Twist ‘N’ Shake may be listed as a long shot in this field, but with Dettori aboard it’s likely the filly trained by John Gosden will go off at much lower odds.
Post time for the Coronation Stakes is scheduled for 11:20 a.m.
California native and lifelong horsewoman Margaret Ransom is a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Race Track Industry Program. She got her start in racing working in the publicity departments at Calder Race Course and Hialeah Park, as well as in the racing office at Gulfstream Park in South Florida. She then spent six years in Lexington, KY, at BRISnet.com, where she helped create and develop the company’s popular newsletters: Handicapper’s Edge and Bloodstock Journal.After returning to California, she served six years as the Southern California news correspondent for BloodHorse, assisted in the publicity department at Santa Anita Park and was a contributor to many other racing publications, including HorsePlayer Magazine and Trainer Magazine. She then spent seven years at HRTV and HRTV.com in various roles as researcher, programming assistant, producer and social media and marketing manager.
She has also walked hots and groomed runners, worked the elite sales in Kentucky for top-class consignors and volunteers for several racehorse retirement organizations, including CARMA.In 2016, Margaret was the recipient of the prestigious Stanley Bergstein Writing Award, sponsored by Team Valor, and was an Eclipse Award honorable mention for her story, “The Shocking Untold Story of Maria Borell,” which appeared on USRacing.com. The article and subsequent stories helped save 43 abandoned and neglected Thoroughbreds in Kentucky and also helped create a new animal welfare law in Kentucky known as the “Borell Law.”Margaret’s very first Breeders’ Cup was at Hollywood Park in 1984 and she has attended more than half of the Breeders’ Cups since. She counts Holy Bull and Arrogate as her favorite horses of all time.She lives in Robinson, Texas, with her longtime beau, Tony. She is the executive director of the 501(c)(3) non-profit horse rescue, The Bridge Sanctuary.