STOUTE ASCOT TARGET
Chris Goulding reports
SIR MICHAEL STOUTE, on the brink of becoming the most successful trainer at Royal Ascot, will target Ulysses for the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at the meeting.
“The Prince Of Wales’s is definitely the plan and all is well with him at the moment,” said Alan Cooper, racing manager for the owners, Flaxman Stables.
“Sir Michael has indicated he is happy to stay over 10 furlongs for now, but he can do both if we need him to.
“We know he stays further, though.
“It was always the plan to go straight to Ascot. The Brigadier Gerard was looked at but Sir Michael decided it would be better to keep him fresh.”
Better
Ulysses, best priced at 3-1 for the race a week on Wednesday, made an impressive seasonal return when taking the Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown in April.
Stoute, successful twice in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, shares the record of 75 winners at Royal Ascot with the late Sir Henry Cecil, who died in 2013.
“Henry had a wonderful record at Ascot,” said the 71-year-old Stoute. “He was a formidable trainer, one of the greatest of all time.”
Stoute made it 75 winners at the royal meeting with the Queen’s runner Dartmouth in last year’s Hardwicke Stakes. Etienne Gerard was his first Royal Ascot winner in the 1977 Jersey Stakes.
Dartmouth, the winner of last month’s Yorkshire Cup, will bid for a second victory in the Hardwicke.
Stoute nominates his success with the Queen’s Estimate in the 2013 Ascot Gold Cup as his most memorable achievement at the royal meeting.
The Newmarket trainer is the 6-1 second favourite, with Ladbrokes, to be the champion trainer at the meeting, behind Aidan O’Brien, a 2-7 chance.
Ryan Moore, who will be riding for both Stoute and O’Brien at Ascot, is 1-3 with Ladbrokes to be the leading rider.
Connections of Ulysses also have high hopes for their juvenile runner Alpha Centauri, the favourite for the Albany Stakes.
The Jessica Harringtontrained filly, who has the size and shape to be a chaser one day, has won both of her starts in a hack canter.
“For a big filly, she is very well balanced,” said Cooper.
“Jessica has stated she wouldn’t want to run her on firm ground, but good ground would be fine.”
Another contender in the famous silks will be George Scott’s Gilgamesh in the Britannia Stakes for three-year-olds.
“George has brought him along lovely and he’s now four from five,” said Cooper.
Backed
“Obviously this requires another step up, but he’s going there at the top of his game.” The two best backed horses for the meeting are Order Of St George (11-10 for the Ascot Gold Cup) and Ribchester (10-11 for the Queen Anne Stakes). Nicola McGeady, from Ladbrokes, said: “Ribchester and Order Of St George look to be the Royal Ascot bankers. “They are the two punters are building their multiples around, and are likely to both go off odds-on.” If you fancy a punt on the Queen’s hat. Blue is 2-1 favourite on the first day.