There will be one race preview up per day for Royal Ascot. Day one could have had a couple of previews, so it was hard to choose which race to do. In the end, the St James's Palace stakes was the race.
St James's Palace Stakes (Group 1) – Ascot 4.20
On paper, this race should only be between the UK and Irish 2000 Guineas winners. But, racing is never that simple, and a shock wouldn’t be out of the question, even if it is highly unlikely.
Field Of Gold is your favourite, at a short price of 5/6 or something very similar. Some will say this horse was the final nail in the coffin for Kieran Shoemark, as being the main man for the John & Thady Gosden yard. This horse was very impressive on his return to racing at Newmarket in the Craven Group 3, winning in an easy fashion. They went to the UK 2000 Guineas, where Kieran had Field Of Gold in second-to-last place. The horse was cruising, but the winner got first run on him, and by the time FOG got rolling it was too late. John Gosden was not impressed with the ride, and Shoemark was chucked to the side. Colin Keane rode him in the Irish 2000 Guineas, and the horse was magnificent. Colin has come out and said that he’s the best horse he's ever ridden, which is hard to argue. He deserves to be the favourite, and if there is a superstar, it is this guy.
| Royal Ascot free bets | Offer | Free bet link |
|---|---|---|
| Netbet | 40/1 on Field of Gold | Get the offer |
| Midnite | £20 in free bets & 30 free spins | Get the offer |
| Jeffbet | £30 in free bets | Get the offer |
Ruling Court was the winner of the UK 2000 Guineas, and is the main threat to Field Of Gold. Was he lucky that FOG got a poor ride at Newmarket? I’d say so, but he did what he was supposed to do and that’s all you can ask. Some will argue that Ruling Court was always going to win as he won by 0.5L and he could be a stronger stayer. There’s only one way we’ll find out, and that is when they race against each other today.
The only other runner who probably deserves a mention is Henri Matisse from the Aidan O’Brien stable, ridden by Ryan Moore. Henri was the winner of the French 2000 Guineas, which makes it a triple threat for the Guineas winners. You’d say Henri Matisse’s form stacks up the worst compared to the other two, and he’ll have to prove he is better than what we’ve seen so far. There are two stablemates in this race who will set this race up how Henri Mattisse would like it. Based on the tactical ability from Ballydoyle, you cannot rule out this horse as they know what to do in this type of race, and they will try their best to stop horses getting runs and for Ryan to come late and stay on the strongest.
If any of the other horses were to win this, it would be a big shock. They are useful horses in their own right, but there are levels to this game. Rashabar is probably the horse who could run into some decent prize money if many were to underperform. He won the opening two-year-old race last year at Royal Ascot at odds of 80/1, so we know he likes this place.
Considering there is only a small turnout, I think you could argue the price for Field Of Gold is value.
GambleAware